On the surface, Monday's bizarre 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Rangers at CONSOL Energy Center seemed to be an unsightly blemish on the Pittsburgh Penguins' already pockmarked season.
The Penguins scored twice in less than a minute to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead with 1:53 left in regulation, only to surrender the tying shorthanded goal and the overtime winner on blatant defensive errors. These unique circumstances contribute to the idea that it might place a long-lasting mental burden on the team.
Even though the Penguins' home record remains at 3-5-1, and the point they squandered to the Rangers kept them from winning three in a row, a look through the wide-angle lens reveals that Pittsburgh is much closer to "getting to [their] game," to use coach Dan Bylsma's pet phrase.
At 9-8-2 entering Wednesday's game, Pittsburgh is seven points behind Philadelphia for first place in the Atlantic Division, but the Black and Vegas Gold is far from in serious trouble. Their 20 points place them fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Standings aside, the Penguins have recovered nicely from last Wednesday's third-period implosion that resulted ...
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Article written by Matt Gajtka
Pittsburgh Penguins Are Close To “Getting to Their Game”
November 17th, 2010 by Matt Gajtka Leave a reply »
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