Things That You Truly Just Hate To See: The Pittsburgh Penguins Are 1 Game Away From Getting Swept In The 1st Round
I know. I know. There’s an aggressively strong chance that I just mushed the sweep with this blog. But you know what? I’m okay with that. Because no matter what ends up happening in game 4 of this series, the fact still remains that the Pittsburgh Penguins are officially DEAD after getting absolutely smoked at home in game 3 yesterday.
Through the first 3 games of this series, Evgeni Malkin has a goal and 2 assists. Phil Kessel has a goal and 1 assist. Sidney Crosby has just as many points in the playoffs so far as I do. This team is one loss away from getting swept out of the 1st round of the playoffs, and they have a combined 2 goals out of their three superstars. Yikes! I may be one of the biggest Penguins haters on the internet but even I hate to see that.
It’s just not good for hockey, ya know? I mean here is this team that used to be considered the greatest team in the sport. 3 Stanley Cups with Crosby/Malkin/Letang. 2 of them with Trilly Kessel on the roster. Say what you want about those guys but the 2015-17 Pittsburgh Penguins were a couple of the greatest teams ever assembled. And now they’re about to get swept out of the 1st round by a team that just lost John Tavares for absolutely nothing over the offseason. An Islanders team that nobody had making the playoffs at the beginning of the year. This, of course, coming just one year after the Penguins had finally surrendered their playoff dominance over Washington. Is this the beginning of the end of the Pittsburgh Penguins as we’ve once known them? Are they about to enter another 10 year period where they are god awful and on the verge of relocation until the NHL gives them the 1st pick in the draft to take a generational superstar? That would truly be such a shame.
All I’m saying is that maybe it’s time for the Penguins to look themselves in the mirror and start asking themselves some difficult questions. I mean just look at what this Islanders team has been able to accomplish so far this year, and this is coming after they just lost their leader and biggest superstar in John Tavares. Could the Penguins benefit from doing the same? Should they look into trading Crosby or Malkin or Kessel? It’s worth considering, at least.
P.S. – I know there are going to be a ton of butt hurt, mayonnaise guzzling Penguins fans rushing in here to say shit like “have you ever seen the Flyers win the Cup” or “1975” or whatever phrases they all love to repeat considering none of them are capable of coming up with their own thoughts. But let me say this–the Flyers have absolutely nothing to do with this. I’m fully aware that they had a horrifically shitty season this year but what does that have to do with anything about the Penguins getting bounced in the 1st round, and potentially swept? The Flyers are completely irrelevant to this conversation so I’m not sure why Penguins fans would concern themselves over them instead of being overly concerned that their team is falling apart.
P.P.S. – I just hope my guy Mark is having a wonderful Monday.
Tiger won the Masters. The Penguins are 1 game away from getting swept out of the 1st round. The Steelers are in complete chaos. And I often forget that the Pirates are a team that exists. It’s gotta be pretty brutal right now in Pittsburgh but if anybody can persevere and stay strong through these troubling times, it’s my guy Mark.