Pittsburgh Penguins In For Rough Ride Against Columbus Blue Jackets

Marc-Andre Fleury has been one of the few bright spots for the Pittsburgh Penguins so far in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. No, this is not a misprint.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have split the first two games of their first round match up with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets won the first playoff game in their franchise history with a 4-3 double overtime win last Saturday night.

They are lucky they are not down 0-2 in the series. The Penguins' big guns have fallen silent. Paul Martin and Matt Niskanen lead the Penguins with four points each. Brian Gibbons has two more goals than Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combined. When Crosby's and Malkin's points totals are combined, they are only one point higher than the team leader.

If not for Marc-Andre Fleury, however, the Penguins would be down 0-2. He hasn't been absolutely stellar, but he is erasing the ghosts of playoffs past. He has faced an average of 40 shots in two games. He stole game one for the Penguins and very nearly stole game two. The winning goal in game two was evidence of the defensive lapses he has had to contend with...making two saves before Matt Calvert capitalized on the third opportunity. All the while, his defence was non-responsive, letting Calvert bang away at the puck in their crease. While there is still an element of shakiness in his game, he is not to blame for the situation they now find themselves in.

Missing Offense

Crosby and Malkin combined for 176 points in the regular season, yet only have five points between the two of them in this series. Sniper James Neal had 27 goals in the regular season, but has yet to register a point in these playoffs. Both he and Crosby are also -2. Defenseman Kris Letang has been abysmal in this series, his defensive carelessness has been costing the Penguins dearly.

Arrogant Mentality

The Penguins are a team that seem to believe its own hype. They walk a fine line between confidence and arrogance. They have seemed to overlook the Blue Jackets entirely in this first round, looking ahead to round two. This disdain for their opponents has translated into a devastatingly fragile team psyche. It is a mindset that expects their opponents to roll over and play dead simply because the Penguins are on the ice. It is a mindset that almost screams, "How dare they play hard against us??" It is an attitude that exhibits itself in the constant looks of incredible disbelief every time they are touched and there is no call in their favor. It is similar to the mindset that derailed the Penguins in 1993 against the Islanders. History is doomed to repeat itself if the Penguins do not take lessons from their past playoff failures.

Not Too Late

It's not too late in the series for the Penguins to reverse their current trend. One also cannot take away the fact that the Blue Jackets have played the Penguins almost to perfection. They have exploited their mental weaknesses and have driven the likes of Crosby and Malkin to distraction with their hard, on the edge, physical play. Full marks must be given to Columbus for how they have approached this series. Winning game two has only given the Blue Jackets confidence that they can play with Pittsburgh.

But Pittsburgh is vastly superior in the talent department. If the Penguins can match the Blue Jackets' intensity, their talent should prevail. But if history is any indication, there is little to suggest the Penguins will shrug off their arrogance and settle in to play a playoff-style system.

Barring a complete turnaround, the Penguins look to be facing another early playoff demise. So far, this is not a collapse that can be blamed on Marc-Andre Fleury.