INSIDE THE IGLOO - Pens vs Flyers Edition

This Goal Illustrates the Strange Night for the Pens

After the Penguins lost in heartbreaking fashion last night to their arch rival Philadelphia Flyers, I realized it was time to get back "into the igloo" and talk about the top 5 story lines facing this team and their march towards a 4th Stanley Cup title.

- Team Defense / Composure Needs Work - After the game, Twitter absolutely exploded.  Fans were upset, and count me among those that were not happy with the way that game ended.  However, you can NOT pin this loss on one person...including Vokoun (I will get into that a little later).  The team defense was putrid last night, and that is something that at one point was a strength in this young and shortened season.  Paul Martin resorted back to his crappy 2012 form, and at times Derek Engelland looked like he was skating in quick sand.  Last night's contest was literally a flashback to the 1st round playoffs series of 2012.  The Penguins storm out to a lead, only to let the Flyers coax them out of their game plan and they end up losing in a heart wrenching fashion.  It isn't just the team defense that needs work, but also the team's composure.  How many times will it take Evgeni Malkin to learn that you can't always retaliate...especially after the whistle!  What ever happened to getting the guy's number and waiting to get your shot legally IN THE GAME?!  The fact that the Flyers are able to do this repeatedly to the Penguins tells me that not only do they lack the composure to beat the Flyers in a 7 game series (right now), but they also aren't learning from their past mistakes and fixing the problems.  Both are problematic for this team moving forward.

- How Will The Team Respond - The Flyers know how to get the worst out of the Penguins, but I am really interested to see how this team responds to the Flyers loss.  The Pens still have 2 more home games before hitting the road again, and 2 good chances to improve their home record.  Upcoming games are - Friday vs Florida Panthers and Sunday vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Both clubs will be coming into Pittsburgh carrying their 'A' game as the Pens are near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.  To me, this is where coaches make their money.  Getting your team over a devastating loss is just as important as getting them geared up for a big game.  Believe it or not, there were alot of positives that came out of that game last night.  The Power Play looked phenomenal (even though not always cashing in), and the team proved they can come back if necessary.  Finishing was the only thing the Pens didn't do last night, and it costed them at least one point.  This team needs to bounce back fast to get the bad taste out of their mouth from last night.

- Vokoun's Bad Day At the Office - As I eluded to this earlier, after the game last night Twitter exploded with hatred towards #92 of the Penguins...Tomas Vokoun.  Vokoun would admit that he had a bad game, but not all 6 goals were his fault.  Can you blame the goaltender when a pass deflects of his defenders stick over his shoulder?  Can you blame the goaltender when there are 10 bodies laying in the crease and the puck squirts out directly to a Flyer with an empty net?  Was Vokoun out of position ALOT last night?!  YES, but one bad day doesn't mean that he isn't a capable backup, or even a viable option to start if the Penguins need him to do that.  Fans were going nuts about the 6th goal.  Sure, it was soft, but go back and watch Marc Andre Fleury's playoff "Low" lights and you will see alot of soft goals just like Vokoun allowed.  Was I confused as anyone when Bylsma didn't play Fleury...yes...after all #29 has been hot recently.  At the same time, Vokoun had a chance to win the game, but the puck just didn't bounce the Pens way last night.

- All is NOT Lost - Penguins faithful, please pay close attention to the following statement - THE PENGUINS ARE NOT DOOMED AFTER ONE LOSS.  Read it again.  Take your time.  Sure, it always stings losing to your most bitter rival, but think about it in other sports...especially the NFL.  The Steelers have lost to the Baltimore Ravens on occasion and still gone on to win Superbowl championships.  The Penguins are still a very dangerous team that is still getting into their groove.  When I think back to the game there were alot of positives to take out of the game.  The Penguins were flying around and creating quality scoring opportunities.  The Power Play looked very solid, and the Penalty Kill looked like it has rounded nicely into form.  It was nice to see Tyler Kennedy and Brandon Sutter get on the board as well.  Penguins fans, don't flip out.  The Pens are still near the top of the Eastern Conference, and barring disaster, they will most likely stay there for the remainder of this lockout shortened season.

- Has Anyone Seen Kris Letang?? - Several of the players I have "called out" in my columns have started to pick up their game...except for Kris Letang.  It might be possible that Letang is still not 100% healthy after his "lower body" injury he suffered against the Washington Capitals earlier this season, but #58 is NOT playing up to the capabilities that we have seen him.  Sure, there have been flashes (the beautiful backhand pass through traffic to Pascal Dupuis to tie the game up in Buffalo on Sunday), but those have been few and far between.  Letang's slap shot resembles a man who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, and he seems to be OUT of position more than he is IN position.  Letang still has a skill set that will always have a roster spot ready for him...his speed, stick skills, and offensive prowess make him an almost unknown commodity in today's NHL, but he needs to get his crap together.  After all, he is the offense that the Penguins need from the blue line.  Engelland, Marting, Niskanen, and Bertuzzo are not going to provide the spark from the blue line that Letang is CAPABLE of...its time for him to live up to that capability.