Penguins Dealt a Massive Blow to Playoff Hopes
The Pittsburgh Penguins fell in a pivotal game, putting their playoff hopes in danger.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have bounced between being in and out of a playoff spot for the better part of March. The volatility of the Penguins and the Florida Panthers has created one of the closest playoff races in recent memory.
The Penguins 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils was the latest and harshest blow to the team's playoff chances. With the Panthers defeating the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders remaining idle, the Penguins have fallen out of a playoff spot with four games remaining.
They no longer have games in hand on the teams they're chasing, putting the Penguins in a position where they now need some help to keep their NHL-leading 16-year postseason streak alive.
More than the loss, the Penguins effort and desire can once again be called into question as they were outskated and outplayed from the drop of the puck through the final whistle. It was a performance we've seen from them seemingly once a week, where the team that shows up is nowhere close to the team that is expected.
While this Penguins team isn't the least talented of the Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin era, they lack the desperation needed for a group whose playoff changes hinged on their performance.
Whether it's four more games or more, this iteration of the Pittsburgh Penguins will need to suffer severe changes in the offseason.
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