Penguins Update

I actually hadn't thought the Penguins needed an update until this point. Well, maybe the point where they needed me to pay attention to them in this spot passed a game ago. But, the key moment happened when the Devil beat us last night.

Up until that point, really, we could fall back on the excuse of, "Hey, we won the Stanley Cup, we're 12-XX, and we're leading the division." Now, the Devil lead the division. So, there is some cause for concern, but no cause for panic at this point.

At this point, they're not scoring goals. They suck on the power play. Fleury appears to be capable of failure, which is something that we hadn't seen from him since Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Crosby, as great as he is, can't carry this team on his own.

OK, there have been a lot of injuries. Like an inordinate amount for a hockey team. But, all teams need to deal with injuries. We can't use that as an excuse for getting absolutely housed for the past four games. Some of those guys may not be available later in the season, or in the playoffs. We need to adjust. That's what great teams do.

And, really, that's the bar for this team. It's a great team. Anything less is not acceptable. After the Penguins did a little thing like winning the Stanley Cup, anything below greatness is a letdown.

Here's the thing... it's a long season. It's nine freakin' months long. If we're going to "struggle" through injuries, now is the time to do it.

I rarely agree with Mark Madden, but he said something that I agreed with rather emphatically after is was announced that Malkin would miss 2-3 weeks. He said, "I don't know what this team will do once the postseason starts. I do know this: This team will not be in tenth place in February." I agree with that. That's a sound statement. The playoffs are a weird, winding road. Any team can overcome a 2-0 deficit and end up winning a series outright.

But, this season, the Penguins have set themselves up for success. They have the Eye of the Tiger. They will not allow themselves to fail. Dan Bylsma will not allow them to fail. They're too strong. They're too talented. They have too many pieces that make up a successful team.

So, listen to Douglas Adams and Don't Panic.