Tim Benz: Penguins players grasp recent struggles — now it's time to follow their own advice

Is Fenway Sports Group really sure it wants to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins? Based on the way things have gone on the ice of late, principal owner John Henry might want to keep his money in his wallet.

If Henry does still feel like spending, though, maybe he can buy a win. Or at least a couple of goals. Because the Penguins can’t seem to buy those things on their own these days.

A frustrating 2-1 result at home against the struggling Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night was the Penguins’ latest defeat. It was their eighth loss in 10 games. It came on the heels of a weekend that saw them fall twice by a combined score of 12-4 to the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators.

The Senators are the worst team in the Eastern Conference, with just nine points. The Sabres (16 points) had lost six of seven before beating the Penguins. Now head coach Mike Sullivan and his players see themselves in seventh place of the Metropolitan Division, nine points out of one of the top three automatic qualifying playoff slots.

In theory, the 2021-22 campaign is still fresh. Five and half months and 67 games remain for the Penguins. But the players are of the belief that it’s getting awfully late on the calendar to argue that it’s still early in the year.

Rightfully so.

“None of the guys in the room are saying ‘It’s only November.’ There’s not one guy who thinks that,” forward Jason Zucker said after the loss to Buffalo. “We are a team that wants to win and takes games in October and November as seriously as we do (in) March and down the line. For us, we want to win these games as badly as any. For us, this isn’t acceptable.”

Zucker’s comments were preceded by similar opinions from fellow veteran Jeff Carter. During a four-minute Q&A session with media members following the game, on three occasions, Carter emphasized the team’s need to gather points when they are within reach.

And the need to start immediately.

“If you look at our division, it’s pretty tough,” Carter said Tuesday. “A lot of good teams in there. We don’t want to fall too far behind. We are only (15) games into the year. But we need to start racking ‘em up.”

On many occasions this year, the Penguins have played well enough to earn two points but have failed. Like outshooting that flailing Sabres team 46-19 but losing 2-1. Or blowing a late 4-2 lead at the end of regulation and losing at home in a shootout to the Minnesota Wild back on Nov. 6.

Or doing the same thing on the road in Florida in the second game of the season. Or failing to even get an overtime point despite being tied with the mediocre New Jersey Devils with three minutes to go in regulation on Oct. 30.

Not to mention games when the Penguins were facing an opponent that — on paper — deserved to be a decided underdog. That loss against the Devils (17 points) came at home in Sidney Crosby’s much anticipated return from wrist surgery. New Jersey has just one other road win on the season.

The recent losses to Ottawa and Buffalo came in regulation. So the Penguins couldn’t even get a point when it appeared two points were easily attainable against clubs that are stumbling every bit as much as the Penguins have been.

Leaving a point on the table in a shootout loss against the 4-9-2 Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 9 comes to mind as well.

“Next game (in Montreal Thursday night), we have to get off to a good start,” defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “Start with that desperate feeling we had in the third (against Buffalo). Because we are a good team when we play that way.”

Sullivan says he doesn’t like the use of the word “desperation” when trying to push his players. “Urgency,” sure. A heightened “assertiveness” befitting the circumstances, OK. But not “desperation.”

“It suggests you are not in control,” Sullivan said of using that word with his team. “That is a vision we don’t want for our players. But what (the players) are alluding to is playing the game on your toes with a lot of urgency. Playing an assertive game when you ratchet up your intensity level.”

Fair enough. But let’s avoid getting bogged down in semantics. The Penguins need to start scoring goals and winning games on a more regular basis. To underscore the points that Zucker and Carter made, knowing that this team will still be playing regular season games after Easter shouldn’t be part of the equation right now.

Yes, the Penguins can live with a slump in October and November when they win only two of 10 games. But there better be a stretch or two when they win eight of 10 in December or January, or else those games in April won’t really matter in the standings.

The old NHL axiom of “you can’t win a Stanley Cup before Thanksgiving, but you sure can lose one” exists for a reason. Because it’s true. These Penguins are flirting with being another case study to prove it.

A chance to reverse momentum presents itself Thursday night in Montreal against a Canadiens team that has just 10 points so far this season. That’s ahead of only Ottawa in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Penguins should feel desperate to grab two points in that one — whether Sullivan likes that word or not.

Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network joins Tim Benz to talk about the Penguins’ struggles of late and the looming sale of the franchise.