Thursday, January 15, 2009

A Game of Losses

Not only did the Penguins suffer a punishing 6-3 loss last night against the Washington Capitals, they lost Sidney Crosby and the confidence gained in the win against Philadelphia.

Crosby left the game, but then returned, after failing to get out of the way of a sliding Capital. Pens fans did enjoy a sigh of relief when the captain came back down the runway and played the rest of the game. It was announced today that Sid is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury.

As far as the game was concerned, it looked as if the Guinos were going to continue Tuesday's strong effort right through last night. A couple of bad bounces, however, sacrificed the Pens' early lead and put them in a hole. From my standpoint, the Penguins missed several key chances that could have put the game out of reach, before the tides had their chance to turn.

The tides in need of changing, are the ones controlling the Pens season. Every accomplishment, every feat, every small stride forward is negated by inconsistent play and missed opportunities. And, although the Pens have shown flashes of their Conference Champion selves, they have appeared consistently like one of the league bottom-dwellers.

One thing is for certain; the Pens need to play consistent hockey, because the road to the playoffs is more difficult every day. Crosby being out day-to-day will not affect the ultimate outcome of the season, but for the Pens to make the playoffs, the Kid will need to be an even bigger contributor to the team. Hopefully, for his sake and the team's, Crosby will be back on the ice in no time.

Let's Go Pens!

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