For a while now, I’ve held the opinion that the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be clear underdogs against whatever team they play in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

That thought became further entrenched when it became likely that goaltender Tristan Jarry was going to be out — or at least compromised with a lower-body injury — to start the playoffs.

Now, after a 4-1 loss to the lowly Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, it feels like just a matter of time (and opponent) before the Pens drop a fifth-straight playoff series and exit the postseason in the first round for the fourth-straight year.

In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X isn’t feeling very good about the Penguins’ chances either.

“The last three years in a row I have picked the Penguins to win their first-round series and have been disappointed,” Madden said. “This year I will pick them to lose their first-round playoff series. That will apply no matter who they play.”

Madden says he was particularly displeased by the lack of emotion put forth Sunday in Philadelphia.

“The Penguins had a lot on the line,” Madden said. “Cling to third place. Build some legit momentum with a third straight win. And they gave minimal effort. It was an embarrassing loss, a depressing loss. I think it defined their season. At least how they are playing in the late going of the season. There was no ‘there’ there. They just looked disinterested. How can you look disinterested while you are trying to stake out turf as the playoffs beckon?”

Madden stressed that third-string goalie Louis Domingue should not be blamed.

“I don’t think it was Domingue’s fault at all,” Madden said of the goalie’s 39-save performance. “Their pressure, their opportunities, everything they did with the puck was just minimal. I mean you are playing a Philadelphia team that is just awful. Fourth-worst in the league. And you soil the bed.”

As the regular season draws to a close, Madden said watching the Penguins right now has a very familiar feel to what we saw in Pittsburgh during last year’s NFL season.

“The Penguins feel very much like the Steelers did at the end of this past season,” Madden said. “Yeah, they were able to sneak into the playoffs. But you knew there was no hope in the playoffs. It feels like there is no hope for the Penguins in these playoffs. And it’s not just because Jarry’s hurt, although many will use that as the excuse. They wouldn’t have a chance with Jarry in net the way they are playing. And that goes for any team they could play.”

Also in the podcast, Madden and I talk about the Penguins’ lack of scoring depth, the potential opponent the Penguins could hang around with the longest in the first round, and what club Madden thinks will win the Eastern Conference.

We also discuss the Steelers’ decision to re-sign safety Terrell Edmunds, what the franchise may do in the draft, the passing of Guy Lafleur, the Pirates series in Chicago, and discussions about changing the NHL playoff format.

Listen: Tim Benz and Mark Madden talk Penguins and the playoffs

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