Another Third Period Collapse, Another Penguins Defeat
I confess, Tuesday night’s ugly 6-5 OT loss to the Bruins left me feeling angry and frustrated with our Penguins. You may have noticed when reading my game summary.
However, following last night’s come-from-in-front 6-3 skewering at the hands of the Sabres, I have a decidedly different emotional reaction. I mostly feel bad for our favorite team and the coaching staff.
Indeed, as the camera panned to Mike Sullivan at the end of the game, I felt a tug on my heartstrings. You could sense how troubled he is by the team’s unexpected malaise and how much he cares.
“This one stings,” he admitted afterward. “Without a doubt.”
Call me crazy, but I thought our Pens deserved a better fate. For most of two periods we played the way we need to play. I’m not enough of an X’s and O’s guy to know if Sullivan and his staff made any adjustments, but we were playing “the right way” to coin a phrase. Guys were in better position and were supporting each other and the puck. The forwards were backchecking with diligence and helping out the defense. The ‘d’ was doing their best to keep the sightlines clear for Casey DeSmith.