PITTSBURGH — There is only one way to describe the Penguins' 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena:
It was the worst regular season loss of the Sidney Crosby era.
Go ahead, try to find a worse one.
Let me put it another way:
The defeat was so bad, the ticket holders who received the players' jerseys on Shirt Off Their Backs/Fan Appreciation Night probably wanted to give 'em back.
"We just didn't get it done," a glum Mike Sullivan said.
In some ways, the loss was stunning. The Penguins had been given unexpected life in the playoff chase Monday night when the Washington Capitals surprised the New York Islanders. They could have taken a big step toward their 17th consecutive postseason trip by beating a Blackhawks team that had played Monday night in Chicago and had lost 11 of its 12 previous games, all of the defeats by at least two goals.
But in other ways, this defeat was all too predictable. All season, the Penguins had been maddeningly inconsistent, good for a couple of games, bad for the next couple. They had played well in beating Minnesota on Thursday night and Detroit on Saturday afternoon. They appeared to be getting their stuff together at just the right time.
But, no.
The defeat means the Penguins need even more of a miracle to clinch the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. Their loss to Chicago meant the Florida Panthers clinched the seventh spot. Now, the Penguins need the suddenly alive again Islanders to lose at home in regulation to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. They then have to beat the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Thursday night.
Good luck with that.
Does it really matter, though?
Even if the Penguins somehow sneak into the playoffs, they would have to play record-setting Boston in the first round. That would be hideous.
The Penguins were quick to point out they dominated the Blackhawks in every way but on the scoreboard. There is no arguing the point. They attempted 81 shots, the Blackhawks 42.
But the big difference was goaltending.
Chicago goalie Petr Mrazek, who came in with a 9-22-3 record, a 3.71 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage outplayed Tristan Jarry.
How many times have we seen that movie this season, the opposing goaltender outplaying Jarry?
Still, it looked as if the Penguins might pull the game out after Evgeni Malkin chipped in a pass from Rickard Rakell for a power play goal that tied the game, 1-1, with 14:32 left. But, as has happened so often in this confounding season, the Blackhawks answered quickly with two goals :26 apart to build their lead to 3-1.
End of game.
End of season, in all likelihood.
"I think to a certain extent Chicago was opportunistic with some of the goals they got," Sullivan said. "We just couldn't find a way to find the back of the net. It wasn't because of a lack of scoring chances. I thought we had a significant amount. ...
"Anybody can beat anybody in this league. That's the reality. There's such a fine line between winning and losing. You've got to be at your best every night. When you're not, you're going to run the risk of getting beat."
Sadly for the Penguins, this was just one of many losses to inferior opponents. They lost at home to Detroit in December after leading, 4-0. They lost at home to San Jose in January. They lost at home to Montreal and Ottawa in March.
If the Penguins do miss the playoffs, they will look back with regret at their nine losses in games when they led after the second period. Two of those losses came against the Islanders in a four-day span in February.
How nice would a point or two from those Islanders games look now?
This much seems certain:
The Penguins will have only themselves to blame if they are home watching the playoffs for the first time since Crosby's rookie season of 2005-06.
