Pittsburgh Penguins Three Stars of the Week

Dishonorable Mentions

Jan 16, 2015; Uniondale, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing

(23) wants a penalty called against the New York Islanders as he yells at linesman Derek Nansen (70) during the third period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Islanders defeated the Penguins 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Downie– On Friday night against the Islanders, Downie was denied a late scoring opportunity when his stick was slashed and broken. No penalty was called and he went nuts, as only Downie can do. With the Penguins trailing by only a goal, Downie slashed Brock Nelson behind the play and gave the Islanders a power play. They capitalized and sent the Penguins packing. Imagine this scenario during a game six of the playoffs.

Puck Management– It’s been awful, especially in the neutral zone. The premise of the Penguins system is to have puck support that enables the easy play. It hasn’t been working and the Pens are forcing a lot of their passes. Even more concerning is that Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are two of the main culprits.

Metropolitan Division Woes– 6-8-3 against their own division. That’s a scary number being that the first two rounds will likely feature divisional opponents.