Bourque, after Pittsburgh lost 2-1 to the Blue Jackets on a late shorthanded goal by Brandon Dubinsky, took them to task for Thursday’s and an overall lack of effectiveness over the last month or so.
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Some background: The Penguins are now fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They’re also 7-11-4 against divisional opponents, which is a problem, given that they’re highly likely to face one of those in the first-round of the postseason.
The power play is a problem (scoreless in nine games and its last 19 opportunities), as is as lack of point production from Sidney Crosby (six points in nine February games) and Evgeni Malkin (three in eight February games).
So, here’s Bourque, via the Penguins’ website:
There’s a lot to unpack here, and we’ll have that opportunity over the next however many days, but it’s impossible not to agree with Bourque. The Penguins are a top-heavy team, even in a best-case scenario. They don’t need puck possession from their top two lines — they need points. And that’s not coming right now. Things devolve from there, because the bottom six isn’t capable of carrying the load.
Throw in the fact that they look off in a way that belies underlying numbers, and frustration on the part of guys like Bourque is beyond understandable. Things can turn around quickly — talent has a way of winning out, and the Penguins, shallow as they may be, certainly have enough to make the playoffs — but the last month has been undeniably ugly.
It should be something of a wakeup call, though; again, their success is predicated on points from Crosby, Malkin and the power play. If any three of those go in the tank, things are going to get dodgy. If all three do, things are going to get worse. It’s what happened during playoff losses to the Rangers and Bruins, and it’s what happened this month.
