from Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

If the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t have a good, hard think about doing what’s needed instead of what they prefer, they could be buried by Thanksgiving. No playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The Penguins are too old, not fast enough and not good enough to play a high-octane blitzkrieg attack style for 60 minutes vs. every foe every night. It’s not 2017.

The blown leads confirm that. So do the turnovers. So does the general sloppiness. The list of problems is lengthy. The stench is overwhelming.

Indulge ego, go splat. That’s what’s happening.

It’s not an arrogant form of ego. The Penguins, particularly their coach and core, sincerely believe they can operate as they always have. They’re convinced, not conceited.

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