The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't doing themselves any favors as they try to climb back into postseason contention in a competitive Eastern Conference in 2023-24.
On Monday night, the Pens were down by a single goal to the Arizona Coyotes in the third period, and on the verge of receiving a powerplay and an opportunity to get back into the game. Instead, Kris Letang made a ridiculously dangerous pass with Tristan Jarry out of the net, Evgeni Malkin was unable to corral it, and without doing a thing, the Yotes were up 4-2.
It was an abysmal own goal that has reflected an abysmal season for the Penguins.
Letang tried to explain the decision after the 5-2 loss at Mullett Arena on Monday night.
“I should know better, I guess. I guess I’ll learn from that,” said the three-time Stanley Cup champion, per The Athletic's Josh Yohe. “If you look at it, my pass was going to the corner. It was not going in the net. But I should know better. I should not go backward when there is no goalie.”
Mike Sullivan laments lack of attention to detail
Obviously, Pittsburgh's head coach was not too happy with how the third period played out.
“I think we just have to have a heightened awareness that we don’t have the goalie in the net in that scenario,” Mike Sullivan said, per Yohe. “We have to avoid making plays in that area. If we have a heightened awareness, then we don’t fall victim to the bad bounce.”
But despite another brutal loss, Sullivan still has faith in his club.
“We have to dust ourselves off. Get back and fight. It wasn’t our best. It didn’t go our way. We have a lot of hockey in front of us. We have to figure out how we’re going to get our best,” the bench boss admitted.
“I believe in this group. We have good players. I believe we have what it takes to win consistently. Obviously, we’re disappointed in the last four periods. We recognize it’s not our best. But discouraged isn’t a word that should enter our dressing room. We have to get more determined.”
With just 38 games left in the campaign and currently five games out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, it's going to take a serious turnaround to get this roster back into the postseason.
If not, it'll be back-to-back playoff-less seasons in Pennsylvania for the first time since Sidney Crosby was drafted.
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