Evgeni Malkin said the Pittsburgh Penguins most recent OTL is fully on him. PITTSBURGH - It may not seem like it yet, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have only collected one win in their last five games. The Penguins put together arguably their worst two games of the season in back-to-back nights coming out of the holiday break, and no one is pleased with their recent performances. Head coach Mike Sullivan is among those displeased with the downward trend and placed some of the blame on his own shoulders. “The standard is higher and none of us are living up to is,” Sullivan said. “Myself included. We got to do a better job coaching this group.” Putting some of the questionable coaching decisions against the Detroit Red Wings aside, Sullivan believes he and the Penguins have been beating themselves. This was echoed by Sullivan following blowing a four-goal lead to the Red Wings. “We just didn’t play the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “It’s as simple as that. We’re not playing a collective game right now.” With a record of 1-2-2 in the last five games, it’s hard to believe that the Penguins are coming off of a seven-game winning streak. The Penguins looked unbeatable during that seven-game stretch and all of the chips were falling in the right direction. Obviously, a team isn’t going to win every game, but they can’t lose like this. “Teams that are hard to play against don’t beat themselves,” Sullivan said. “When you look at the last few games, we’re beating ourselves in a lot of ways.” A lot has gone right for the Penguins this season, but they’re letting things slip away, the players and coaching staff can see it. It’s going to take a group effort for the Penguins to get back to their winning ways. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Ty Smith, Drake Caggiula Scratched, Mark Friedman Makes Season Debut With Penguins [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-scratch-ty-smith-drake-caggiula-season-debut-mark-friedman] Penguins Humbled By Islanders Loss, Looking To Respond Against Red Wings [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-humbled-looking-respond-against-red-wings] Jeff Carter Is Becoming a Real Problem for the Penguins [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-jeff-carter-becoming-real-problem] Penguins Recall Ty Smith, Drake Cagiulla From AHL [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-ty-smith-drake-caggiula-recalled-nhl] Penguins PK Elevates To Best in NHL [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-penalty-kill-elevates-best-nhl] * undefined * undefined
