The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to battle for position in the Metropolitan Division with little margin for error as the regular season winds down.
Tuesday’s matchup against the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche was always going to be a tough test against an elite opponent, and the Penguins indeed quickly fell behind and never recovered in a 6-2 loss at PPG Paints Arena.
The loss left Pittsburgh third in the division with a 35-20-16 record and 86 points in 71 games, just one point above the New York Islanders (85 points in 72 games) in the Metropolitan.
If the Islanders overtake the Penguins, however, Pittsburgh would find itself in the wild-card race. Those slots are currently occupied by the Boston Bruins (86 points) and Ottawa Senators (85 points), thus putting Pittsburgh in danger of missing the playoffs.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images
After the Avalanche game, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby did not deflect responsibility.
“Tonight, I was guilty of it, too,” Crosby said, per The Athletic's Josh Yohe. “I lose my check, they put one in from in front of the net. In those areas, we have to defend better. We just have to. I’ve got to lead the way on that.”
Colorado put Pittsburgh in an early hole, scoring four times in the first period. The Penguins have now been outscored 11-3 in their last two games, have allowed 48 goals over their last 11 games, and have conceded four-plus goals to each of their last four opponents.
“It’s all of us,” Crosby said. “We have got to make sure that we are defending better. We have to understand who we are playing against.”
Pittsburgh will return to action on Thursday when they visit the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m. ET.
