4 Takeaways from the Penguins’ 3-0 Game 2 Loss Against the Flyers – The Hockey Writers –

The Pittsburgh Penguins are right on the edge of a collapse. After dropping two straight at home to the Philadelphia Flyers, they now head into Game 3 on April 22 with their season hanging by a thread. There’s only about a 12.5% chance of coming back from a 2-0 deficit, and based on how this series has started, that climb doesn’t look easy.

Here are some key takeaways from the Penguins’ 2-0 loss to the Flyers

Historically Flat Start

The most confusing part of Game 2 was the lack of urgency early. After talking about needing more jump following Game 1, the Penguins came out and managed just two shots in the first period. That alone is rough, but it looks even worse when you remember they had three power plays in that stretch.

Nothing really clicked. They looked rushed with the puck, forced plays that weren’t there, and couldn’t settle into any kind of rhythm. It never felt like they were building anything.

Special Teams Nightmare

If there’s one area that has really hurt them, it’s the power play. They went 0-for-5 in Game 2 and are now 0-for-7 in the series. But it’s not just that they aren’t scoring; it’s how things are breaking down.

For the second straight game, they gave up a shorthanded goal. That’s been an issue all season, and now it’s showing up at the worst possible time. When your power play is hurting you instead of helping, it puts you in a tough spot pretty quickly.

Veteran Stars Under Fire

This is usually where your top players step in, and right now, that just hasn’t happened. Kris Letang had a tough night, especially on the shorthanded goal where he looked a step behind the play. He ended up with 14 penalty minutes, which kind of summed up the frustration.

Evgeni Malkin didn’t generate much offensively either and spent more time in the box than creating chances. Even Erik Karlsson looked off, struggling to keep up with the pace. Sidney Crosby was probably the exception in terms of effort, getting four shots on goal, but even there, the finish just hasn’t been there. You can see why people are starting to wonder if something physically is bothering him.

Wasted a Strong Goaltending Performance

The part that probably stings the most is that the goaltending was good enough to win. Stuart Skinner made 20 saves and came up with a couple big stops, including breakaways and a penalty shot. He gave them a chance.

There just wasn’t anything happening on the offensive side of the puck. No support, no push, nothing to really build on. It’s the kind of game where your goalie does his job and it still doesn’t matter.

What’s Next for the Penguins

Now they head into Philadelphia needing a pretty big response. If not, then they risk being on the verge of being swept, which is not ideal. Especially considering there isn’t much time left in the veteran stars’ careers.