Despite their lukewarm performance over the last few games, it is safe to say that the Pittsburgh Penguins are in real playoff contention for the first time in several seasons. The team is a foremost example of a rebuild gone right. Even though the joy of a resurgence is unmatched, the Penguins are lacking in one department.
The latest defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes has laid bare a rather concerning pattern this season: the Penguins just cannot win shootout games.
Pittsburgh Penguins’ 1-10 Shootout Record Among Worst in NHL History
Notwithstanding ups and downs and a particularly turbulent eight-game losing streak in December, the Penguins have steadily held on to the upper rungs of the Metropolitan Division. Even though the team has suffered considerable losses in the past few games, it is still tied for second in the division with 79 points.
Unless the remainder of the season takes a sudden and unprecedented turn for the worse, the Penguins have secured a playoff berth after years. The Penguins’ comeback is admirable and tells a story of determination and grit. However, shootouts remain a significant cause of concern for Sidney Crosby and company. The team’s latest 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes marked the 10th shootout loss of the season.
According to DK Pittsburgh Sports, only six teams have suffered more losses in a single season in the history of shootouts in the NHL.
“The loss was the Penguins’ 10th loss in a shootout this season, falling to 1-10 on the season. In the two decades since the shootout was introduced in the NHL, only six teams have lost more in a single season. No team has lost as many as the Penguins have in the last decade. They’re only three losses away from tying the all-time single-season loss record, set when the Devils dropped 13 back in 2013-14,” DK Pittsburgh Sports shared on X.Â
Whether it be due to the increased time and energy a shootout inevitably demands or the heightened pressure to perform, the Penguins have struggled in this respect enough to be considered one of the team’s cardinal deficiencies.
The showdown between the Penguins and the Hurricanes was by no means an easy win for Carolina. The Penguins, despite being thoroughly dominated in the first two periods, struck back in the final minutes of the third period. Noel Acciari scored with just over two minutes left, and Bryan Rust ultimately pushed the game to overtime as he equalized the scoreboard 4-4 with 36 seconds to go.
Pittsburgh had almost had it, until it did not. Andrei Svechnikov and Jackson Blake scored for the Hurricanes in the shootout, sealing the Penguins’ fate. Goalie Stuart Skinner, who put up an impressive performance and registered a save percentage of .907, shouldered the blame for the team’s shootout struggles.
“I’m gonna blame myself on it. I think when you face three shots, you can’t be letting in two. It just kind of deflates your own team on the bench and kind of puts the pressure on our own guys, which as a goalie you never want to do. So I had to do a better job in the shootout,” Skinner said.
With the Penguins’ shootout woes coming to light, the players and the coaching staff ought to come together to find a solution to this pesky issue before matters get out of hand.
