The Penguins allowed five goals on the New York Islanders' first 10 shots en route to a 6-3 loss at PPG Paints Arena last night.
Goaltender Matt Murray allowed four goals on nine shots. He got pulled.
Casey DeSmith relieved, and conceded a goal on the first shot he faced.
Don’t blame the goalies. Coach Mike Sullivan said afterward that Murray got yanked because of the team’s shortcomings, not Murray’s.
With Kris Letang hurt and the Penguins adopting a defensive strategy akin to that used by France in the early stages of World War II, the Islanders got a plethora of Grade-A chances. Watch the video.
Of the Islanders’ six tallies, five were either point-blank conversions or weak-side tap-ins.
The Penguins’ defensive woes were a stink sandwich. Murray and DeSmith had to take bite after bite.
Penguins fans were giddy with excitement after that 4-0 swing through Canada. But last night was a real damper.
It’s amazing how badly the Penguins have hiccuped this season.
The Penguins have two wins and three losses at home. Those losses are to Montreal, Vancouver and the Islanders by a cumulative score of 14-6. None of those teams figure to make the playoffs.
That’s just the October blahs, and not symptomatic of a bigger problem.
I hope not, anyway.