The Pittsburgh Penguins started off the NHL season on the wrong foot and the grass is not looking any brighter on the other side. The troublesome Metropolitan division is looking like a minefield for the hockey club in the Steel City. After an upsetting loss to the New York Islanders, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic sent a strong message to Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Penguins’ roster.
The Penguins have a 5-7-2 record over the first 14 games. Most concerning is the fact they’ve lost six games in a row over this inaugural stretch. Right when things seemed to be clicking for the team, carrying a two-game win streak and holding a 3-1 lead over the Islanders midway through the third period, the team collapsed again. The Islanders came back and won the game in a shootout.
The Penguins took home one point, too little a prize for the overall performance from the team. After the game, Nedeljkovic voiced his frustration and issued a wake-up call to Crosby and teammates.
“We played a great first two periods, I thought we took it to them… it’s a tough pill to swallow. Got a point out of it, I guess, try to take a positive away from it,” Alex Nedeljkovic told reporters postgame. “We got two more games left on this road trip to come away with a positive trip. So I mean, it sucks, but we got to put it behind us here.”
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins looks on during the first period Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on February 29, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.
“Teams are gonna push back obviously, and I don’t know if we handled it the best. We got away from what was making us successful the first two periods. It’s hard to play that way. It’s not like we were giving up a lot. It’s just what we were giving up wasn’t great.”
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Nedeljkovic and Crosby’s stats against Islanders
On the 4-3 loss to the Isles, Nedeljkovic posted a .885 save percentage (23 saves on 26 shots faced). The Penguins goalie was outplayed by the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin, who was the third star of the game with 32 saves on 35 shots faced (.914 SV%).
Crosby opened up the scoring with his sixth tally of the season. The 37-year old legend cashed in on a loose puck with his signature backhander. Crosby’s six goals are tied for the lead on Pittsburgh’s roster, and along with his nine assists (15 points), they place him second for the most points on the Pens.
Coach Mike Sullivan on blown lead against divisional rival
This loss is hurtful. It can be sugarcoated with any cliché such as “the season has a long way ahead”, or the standard, “put it in the back burner and move on”, but it lingers. Losing to a divisional opponent in this fashion pushes a button on any team. It’s left for the Penguins to decide whether they rise back up or they sink on the defeat. Head coach Mike Sullivan made his thoughts clear.
“We just need to play better. We should’ve played the way that we played in the first two periods and we would’ve been fine,” Sullivan said, via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think we weren’t as diligent with the puck. We weren’t as much north-south. Give the Islanders credit. They pushed back.“
Critical games to close out the roadtrip
In the jam-packed NHL schedule, teams don’t get much time to dwell on their defeats. Pittsburgh needs to have a short memory and focus on the upcoming games, which are no walk in the park for the struggling Penguins.
Up next, the Pens will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Thursday. And immediately after they will travel up north to D.C. for a new edition on the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry. Friday’s clash with the Washington Capitals will be the last game on the Penguins’ roadtrip before they hold a two-game homestand.
