While the Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to clearly signal to the rest of the National Hockey League (NHL) on Friday that they were in the sellers' camp, they achieved their coup with a bang this weekend, at least on the ice.
Sidney Crosby's gang has come a long way from their glorious era, which was particularly marked by two consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. His visit to Alberta has likely just spelled the end of his hopes of qualifying for the playoffs, and he risks missing a second year in a row.
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Above all, it's the nature of losing and its demoralizing side that doesn't lie. In a 4-3 loss in Calgary on Saturday, the Pens let a two-goal third-period lead squander while giving the Flames the game-winning goal on a silver platter, the result of a widespread mixup in the zone. Defense with 50 seconds left. The next day, Pilot Mike Sullivan's players suffered a 6-1 defeat against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, in a meeting in which they offered no resistance.
Regardless of the explanations of the team's hockey players, the team appears to have given up, about ten points behind a playoff spot. General manager Kyle Dubas could therefore liquidate some assets before the trade deadline.
“Obviously we’re fighting for the playoffs,” Sullivan told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the end of another setback. With every missed opportunity, the scope for action shrinks. This puts more weight on our shoulders. We understand the circumstances and must respond.”
“We took a tough setback on Saturday and I don’t know if we did everything we could to move forward,” Crosby said. We have to find a way to get out of this.”
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Mission impossible?
The Penguins will try to pull themselves together by hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, but it will take a lot more than a triumph at the expense of the Eastern Conference's worst team to get back on track. Pittsburgh is ranked 12th and the rumors are getting louder. The name of Jake Guentzel, who is eligible for full autonomy this summer, remains at the center of speculation. Lars Eller could also be an asset to competitors looking for an experienced player capable of performing at the right time.
But as they wait for their CEO's decisions, the club's standard-bearers try to focus on everyday life, as sad as it may be.
“I'm not really thinking about it at the moment. [les transactions]. All I can think about is how disheartening that meeting was. It really hurt us,” said defender Marcus Pettersson.