The Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
April 23, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 22: Evgeni Malkin #71 and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins look down after a goal by Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 22, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers won the game 5-1 to eliminate the Penguins from the playoffs. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
Valiant efforts are for high school teams. The Penguins accomplished zero by "battling back" from a three games-to-none deficit in their playoff series against Philadelphia. A first-round loss is a first-round loss.
Yinzer Nation acted like getting #PensIn7 to trend on Twitter would have some kind of magical effect. Admire optimism, but know history. When something happens just three times in a league's 95 years, two victories are nothing to get overly excited about.
The Penguins' core must now be considered underachievers. Losses in three straight playoff series don't lie. Final in '08, Stanley Cup in '09, but nothing close since. Too disappointing, too early, too often. The Penguins lost to Philadelphia for many reasons.
But three overwhelm:
-- The abject collapse of the Penguins' penalty-killing unit. Third in the NHL during the regular season with a success rate of 87.8 percent, the Pens' PK ranks last in the playoffs with a mark of 47.8 percent. You can't win a series when your foe's power play is 12 for 23. It's impossible. Tack on three shorthanded goals allowed, and special teams were a bloodbath for the Penguins.
--The inconsistency of Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury allowed at least one bad goal yesterday, but that loss wasn't his fault. The pace-setting first-minute goal by Claude Giroux was just a great play, and Philadelphia never lost momentum. Fleury played spectacular in Game 5. But Fleury was so brutal in Games 2 and 3 that the Penguins never had a chance in those contests. That's a deep ditch to dig.
-- The inconsistency of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Each had eight points. Those numbers were doubtless inflated by the series' high-scoring nature. Crosby netted the first goal in each of the first two games. He gave the Penguins a chance to win.
But Crosby and Malkin combined for one point over the series' final two games. Neither was ever a force for an extended period. The Penguins needed more from their two superstars. They didn't get it. As Mario Lemieux used to say after losses, "I make the most. I need to do more." That's how goats are determined in big-money sports.
The off-season is upon us. General manager Ray Shero has some hard decisions to make, especially given that the team that vanquished his blew up its foundation last off-season, peddled two of its best players, and somehow came out the other side even better. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren took big risks, but has reaped big reward.
The Penguins won't trade Crosby. He's hockey's best player and the face of the game. The Penguins won't trade Malkin. He led the league in scoring and besides, what if Crosby gets hurt again?
Jordan Staal's contract is up at the end of next season. His overtime gaffe in Game 1 aside, he was the Penguins' best player against Philadelphia. But can Shero fit him in under the cap? Does Staal want to be a third-line center forever? I would never trade Staal. But is it possible to keep him?
One change is necessary: The coaching staff needs a power-play specialist and a bad cop. The players aren't lazy, but signs of entitlement are certainly present. And there's no excuse for not molding Crosby and Malkin into a killer power play after years of inconsistency.
Hire ex-Pen Rick Tocchet. He'd provide both elements required. He'd also be a head coach-in-waiting if the Penguins further falter under Bylsma.
This is the first off-season in many where the fertilizer is really going to fly. The Penguins were coming off a Cup when Montreal upset them in 2010. They were wracked by injury when Tampa Bay upset them last season.
But now the Penguins have again lost early. They lost to their bitter rival. They're easy to play against. They have significant contracts soon coming due. They're saddled with some deals that are potentially crippling (Paul Martin, three more years at $5 million per and Zbynek Michalek, three more years at $4 million per). The further the Penguins get away from their previous coach, Michel Therrien, the more their discipline lapses and the worse Bylsma looks. It doesn't seem a team on the brink of success.
Tough questions must be asked ... and answered.
The key? Get something trending on Twitter, of course.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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