Pittsburgh's front office is well aware of the areas on the roster that would benefit from a personnel upgrade ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 21. But in case they had somehow forgotten, the Penguins PPG Paints Arena provided them with more reminders after their 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
Two troubling issues were contributing to the loss: a lack of scoring from the bottom three lines and Tristan Jerry's few lost fights around the crease.
The Panthers' first three goals in some form or fashion were tied to the Penguins' subpar net-front defense. Two runs were scored from the inner slot and the second came when the defensemen could not clear the way for Zari to see a point shot.
After the Penguins were once again behind in the first period, top-line talents Brian Rust and Jake Guenzel brought them back into the game in the second. But more firepower was needed on Tuesday to topple the league's highest-scoring squad. Coach Mike Sullivan shortened his bench in the third as well, to no avail.
Carter Verheghe scored in a 2-on-1 run to put the game out of his reach.
The Penguins have now lost two games in a row after their big win in Tampa Bay, perhaps their most complete performance of the season. All three games were measuring stick matchups with other top Eastern Conference teams.
So, Sidney Crosby, how do you think the Penguins stack up this week?
“It is disappointing that we lost two out of those three matches. But at the same time, we also did some really cool things for a good portion of those games. That's why we are there,” said their captain. "We still have some areas to improve."
The Panthers took a two-goal lead during the fast-paced first period. Uncontrolled Sam Reinhart batted into the chest-high puck in the slot to make it 1-0.
Brian Dumoulin was one of the few penguins to have a good view of Reinhart's effort. He acknowledged that net-front defense has been an issue in recent weeks.
“It is a main focus for us. It is something that we have to improve, especially when we are playing against teams that love to go there,” he said. “We are playing with very good teams. . They are a good team... because they work hard at the nets."
Nearly two minutes after Reinhart's opening goal, Panthers blue-liner Aaron Eckblad fired a long shot through a screen that went over Jari's right shoulder.
John Marino deserves some degree of blame for his second goal. Trapped in another inconsistent campaign, the third-year rescuer found a poor read behind his net, allowing the Panthers to maintain possession. Merino then quickly ran forward, but Maxim could not get Mamin out of Zari's sight.
Sullivan said of the team's front effort, it was "sporadic".
“We have to defend that area with numbers. We have to defend that area more,” he said. “On the point shot goal, we got a chance to meet the guys early and deprive them of the ice. ... it just boils down to the details and then a certain competition level. In the first round, I didn't think we did a very good job."
The Penguins scored two quick goals and leveled the score at 2-2 at the start of the second period. Rust scored his 19th goal of the season while skating in his 400th career game, when his pass attempt collided with Ekblad's stick. Nine seconds later, after a one-off victory by Crosby, Guenzel defeated Sergei Bobrovsky.
Once again, Pittsburgh's line was doing the heavy lifting of the offensive. In the last 21 matches, Gwentzel, Crosby and Rust have scored 33 of the team's 68 goals.
Anthony Duclair soon scored on a power play to put the Panthers back in front. The Penguins lose track of him after Jerry initially stops Alexander Barkov.
In the third period, Verheghe dodged Jerry at 2-on-1 to put the Panthers 4-2 ahead. Crosby scored with 2:09 but a comeback bid fell short.
"We're putting ourselves in a tough position, going up against a good hockey team like that. There's no big explanation. We just have to get better," Crosby said. "We've come back several times in the second period. It's still tough. You're putting yourself in a tough spot, have to keep doing that."
Sullivan, looking to spark another Penguins comeback, trailed Kaspari Kapanen, Ivan Rodrigues and Dominic Simon for the majority of the third period.
"We felt we needed to achieve more throughout our lineup as far as more threats from different lines," the coach explained. "We'll see where it goes next. But we're trying to find combinations that we can put together that gives us balance. ... Everyone, including Cappy, has to take ownership. "
Those three forwards have scored just four goals in the last 21 games, making clear the need for at least one more productive mid-six winger.
Penguins general manager Ron Hextall and President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke watched the damage closely. They would love to add to a top-10 team in the standings. But they have little space with salary range and lack of future assets. Also, they don't want to tamper with the team chemistry.
But Tuesday's defeat put the Penguins' shortcomings in the spotlight again. Their performance over the next 10 days could inspire Hextol and Burke to act.
Pittsburgh's Homestand continues Friday when Vegas tours the PPG Paints Arena.