On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost for the second straight game, falling to the undefeated Winnipeg Jets 6-3 at Canada Life Centre.
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Although the final score won’t tell the whole story, the Penguins opened the scoring and built up a 2-0 lead before falling behind 3-2 and tying the contest in the third period 3-3.
However, Pittsburgh would surrender three consecutive goals, including an empty netter, to begin their four-game road trip with a loss.
Let’s discuss some takeaways from Sunday’s action.
Penguins Begin Critical Trip With a Loss
The Penguins left the friendly confines of PPG Paints Arena for a trip through Western Canada, which began on Sunday against the Jets. Next, they face the undefeated in-regulation Calgary Flames and the recent Stanley Cup Finalists Edmonton Oilers. They wrap up the trip with the struggling Vancouver Canucks.
Even though Pittsburgh ranks third in the NHL for goals scored, stopping them has become a hot-button topic almost two weeks into the season. The only problem is, outside of the upcoming matchup with the Oilers, the Flames and Canucks don’t give up many goals.
The Jets are the only undefeated team left, but they didn’t even play Connor Hellbuyck for Sunday’s contest, meaning the Penguins are no longer the feared opponent they once were. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the road trip plays out, but if they go 0-4, there will be a lot of talk about changes ahead of their matchup against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 29.
Maybe the Main Problem Isn’t…Goaltending?
Nedeljkovic started on Sunday after a win in the AHL on a conditioning stint just a few days ago. He’s the third goalie to play for the Penguins this season, and despite some solid saves, he also became the third goalie to surrender at least four goals in a single game.
As much as social media wants the rest of the hockey community to believe that these losses are on the shoulders of the men in pads, perhaps that’s not the root of the problem. After all, it takes a team to blow a 2-0 lead, and it takes all 20 skaters to miss their assignments, which leads to six goals against.
As mentioned above, this swing through Western Canada will define the Penguins’ season. If the team starts the year 3-7-0, it will significantly affect its shot at the playoffs and would be a worse start than 2015-16, when the organization fired its last coach.
Unless a drastic lineup overhaul occurs, this will be the 2024-25 lineup for the next few months. The players or the system are to blame for this poor start; only one can be replaced entirely.
Stars Quiet (Again) on Sunday Afternoon
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson each have one goal apiece through seven games. Meanwhile, Lars Eller has four goals, thanks to another two-goal effort on Sunday.
It’s great to see the offense spread out, but the Penguins win and lose based on how their superstars perform. They are only 3-4-0, but the boys driving the offensive are the least likely candidates.
No one expected Rickard Rakell, Drew O’Connor, and Kevin Hayes to be among the team’s top goal-scorers, but they are.
Moreover, only four players have a positive plus/minus rating, with Eller and defenseman Ryan Graves leading the team at plus-2.
Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Bryan Rust were all minus-3 against the Jets. Those are not good numbers for the team’s leadership core. Someone has to snap the team out of their funk, beginning with these core players.
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