The Pittsburgh Penguins remain winless on their road trip through Western Canada, losing 4-3 to the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
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Despite the game going to overtime and a nine-round shootout, the Penguins didn’t score the final goal on a rookie netminder, Dustin Wolf, while their backstopper, Alex Nedeljkovic, couldn’t make the last save.
Thus far on this four-game trip, the Penguins have been outscored 10-6 and are on the season’s first three-game losing streak.
There are probably 50 things to discuss from their latest setback, but let’s focus on three for now.
A Broken Record of Blown Leads
The Penguins were shut out in the first game of the season, so the first time they had a chance to get a lead and maintain it came in game two against the Detroit Red Wings. After falling behind 1-0, they rallied for four straight goals en route to a 6-3 win.
On Tuesday night in Calgary, the Penguins had 2-1 and 3-2 leads and blew both of them, running their new streak of blowing leads at some point to six games.
Here’s a look at the numbers:
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Oct. 12 v. TOR: Blew 1-0 lead, lost 4-2
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Oct. 14 v. MTL: Blew 2-0 lead, won 6-3
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Oct. 16 v. BUF: Blew 4-3 lead, won 6-5 in OT
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Oct. 18 v. CAR: Blew 1-0 lead, lost 4-1
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Oct. 20 v. WIN: Blew 2-0 lead, lost 6-3
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Oct. 22 v. CAL: Blew 2-1, 3-2 leads, lost 4-3 in SO
Ultimately, when playing sports, the objective is to outscore your opponents. Usually, grabbing a lead early in the contest gives a team an edge, but in the Penguin’s case this year, they are almost better off rallying back toward the end of the game and trying to get a game-winner with no time on the clock.
Fans will blame the coaching, the forwards, the defensemen, and the goalies, but it takes an entire team effort to get ahead, stay ahead, and avoid letting opponents back into the game. Unfortunately, it’s not just one of these excuses but a collection that has led to a 3-4-1 record.
As Usual, Subpar Goaltending
The fanbase rejoiced when Nedeljkovic came back from his injury. However, as the new guy between the pipes, relieving Tristan Jarry and Joel Blomqvist from their duties, Nedeljkovic isn’t getting the job done either.
All three goalies have made some great saves to keep the Penguins in games, but right now, only Blomqvist has an SV% above .900. Nedeljkovic is playing catchup at .869 through two games, and Jarry is trying to upsell his trade value with a .836 SV%.
Nedeljkovic carried Pittsburgh through nine rounds of the shootout on Tuesday, but he still had a few holes through which the Flames got pucks past home. No matter how you slice it, the Penguins still lead the NHL in goals against, which is probably one of the worst statistics any team ever wants to be associated with.
Tell Me You Want the Coach Fired, Without Telling Me You Want the Coach Fired
The Penguins lost in the shootout, blew a couple of leads, and managed to outshot the second-best team in the Western Conference by a considerable margin, 38-25. However, they didn’t register a single shot on goal until six minutes into the game.
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Yes, Pittsburgh applied plenty of pressure on the youngster Wolf and made him work for his shootout victory tonight. But the Penguins came out flat again and looked lifeless to start the contest, allowing the Flames to dance around the offensive zone.
As online speculation about a possible coaching change runs rampant, the Penguins looked disinterested at the start of the game, taking ill-advised penalties and letting the opponent dictate the game flow.
Other opponents are going to destroy them one day, kinda like the Rangers did on opening night, so either the Penguins have to step up their game and stop saying things like, “Our competitive level was there,” or “We liked our energy tonight” because they are sending everyone missed signals.
Either they believe in Mike Sullivan or are playing just good enough to avoid embarrassment and hope another domino falls, leading to a change. Ultimately, if management eventually pulls the trigger, the blame won’t be placed squarely on the players as they continue to trend on a fine line.
Penguins & Flames Trivia Answers
How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.
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Marc-Andre Fleury, Johan Hedberg
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Sidney Crosby
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Mario Lemieux
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Tom Barrasso
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Joe Mullen, Jiri Hrdina
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Al McDonough
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Kenny Agostino, Ben Hanowski
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Troy Loney
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Ken Wregget
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Three (Mullen, Jagr, Iginla)
Related: At What Point Do Penguins Replace Sullivan?
Related: Where is Tristan Jarry?
