The Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 16, 2012
When the Penguins deal with injuries, they're a good hockey team. They master fundamentals, stick to their system.
But when all their vast talent is at their disposal, the Penguins stink. They play with a sense of entitlement, like glory is their birthright. No humility. When their rattle is snatched away, the Penguins react like any baby: They scream or they pout.
Say what you might about blowing a 3-1 series lead to Tampa Bay in last year's first round, at least the Penguins never abandoned their framework. Their structure was sound. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out and their power play dysfunctional as ever, the Penguins just ran out of goals.
That was disappointing, but noble.
There's nothing noble about what's going on now.
The Penguins are not only being slaughtered by Philadelphia, they're stooping to embarrassing levels of mayhem. The Flyers aren't innocent, but they're not instigators. Not this time.
The Penguins' organization has often taken a stand against abhorrent behavior. That doesn't mean their players have to be angels. But sticks to the face? Leaving their skates to hit?
The frustration is understandable. I've never seen a playoff series with worse goaltending at both ends. Marc-Andre Fleury has imploded. Scoring 12 goals in three games should be enough to be on the verge of a sweep, not being swept.
But between Fleury's collapse, anemic defensive play and horrific special teams, the Penguins simply can't score enough. Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov merely has to outplay Fleury. It's not hard. Fleury played so badly in Games 2 and 3, it was impossible to overcome, although Bryzgalov did his best.
But the problems go beyond goaltending. They can be traced back to March 15, the day Crosby returned to the lineup.
At that point, the Penguins became a flying circus. The Penguins have since averaged 4.5 goals per game, but have gone just 9-8.
Crosby's return was a catalyst for the negative. But don't blame Crosby. No player has a bigger commitment to two-way hockey than the Penguins' captain. Crosby hasn't been great in this series, but he scored the first goal in Games 1 and 2. He gave the Penguins a chance.
When Crosby returned, however, it seemed to give the Penguins a feeling that success was inevitable. They got intoxicated by whiffing high octane. Give up a goal? No problem. Go score two. Give up four goals? No problem. Go score five.
But what if you don't? And what if you give up eight?
Last season's Penguins could bleed out low-scoring wins. The current Penguins don't want to bother.
The Penguins' defensive malfeasance has been thorough and despicable. Defensive-zone coverage is pathetic. The Penguins frequently leave the zone without the puck. Too many odd-man breaks allowed, especially by the third and fourth lines.
The Penguins' defensive problems too often start with neutral-zone turnovers created by arrogance, stupidity or the always deadly combination of both.
When their stars are injured, the Penguins win via systematic play. In 2009, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup via systematic play. They didn't dazzle Detroit. They frazzled Detroit.
Now, their system exists only in theory. That's what causes blown leads. That's what causes blowouts. There's no structure. Can't go back to square one when you forget where it is.
When the Penguins eliminated the Flyers in 2008, it was the handshake line Pittsburgh had waited four decades for.
But yesterday, there was no denying the chant that rang around Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center and made its way back to Pittsburgh via television: "YOU CAN'T BEAT US!"
Loud, clear and true. It's a nightmare.
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