from Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

After the Penguins’ 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center — their sixth in seven games following that terrific Canadian road trip — Malkin preached, above all else, togetherness.

“We understand we’re a great team,” Malkin said. “We need to be shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. We go back home. We have a couple practices. We just have to keep working.”

Malkin has a point.

The Penguins did not lose to the Devils because they’re an inferior team. Far from it. They also did not lose to the Devils because they failed to turn in the proper amount of effort. They did, although the consistency could use some work.

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The Penguins have scored 9 goals in their past six losses.

Game highlights below.