It has been a couple days now since the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs, but it still doesn’t feel true.
Everyone knows that this was an up-and-down season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. And we also know that the Pens were extremely inconsistent, and many times had us thinking how a team with such talented players could struggle so much. But even with all that being said, something seems off. Something just isn’t adding up.
It feels almost as if we are in a dream… actually, a nightmare. A nightmare that is so perplexing that it is inconceivable in every sense of the word. Getting swept to the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs? If you told me that before this season started, I would have chuckled and carried on with my day. But, as we all sadly have to understand and realize… it happened.
I think the problem is not even that they were eliminated in the first round, but rather the manner in which they lost. This is a team with star power up and down the lineup, yet they can’t find a way to win even one game? Coach Sullivan spoke to media recently and was criticizing the dedication that this team had. And while it can be a tough pill to swallow, maybe he is on the right track.
A fair portion of this roster was comprised of guys that have done it before, that have won the Stanley Cup. But to tell me that Sidney Crosby and company could not make a better effort… perplexing to say the least.
This offseason will be one that is interesting to watch play out. You can sense that changes will be made, some larger than others. Either way, this season leaves us with questions all over the place, most of which we will never know the answers to.
What we do know is that this sequence of events has left a sour taste in the mouths of most Pens fans, something that is unusual for this Penguins franchise. This sport is filled with highs and lows, and right now this team just has to keep moving forward, and ride it out.