It's the economy blue line, stupid.

Maybe we are all paying too much attention to the forward lines and who is in and who is scratched and young guys is somewhat young guys and 30 year olds and old guys.

No one is talking about the blue line, and how undisciplined and just bad they continue to be.

This whole roadie has been packed with unforgiveable defensive blunders left, right, and center. Could it be any more obvious than the fact that in each game, we gave up a goal or HDSC within 30 seconds of puck drop?

Let's start with the worst and work our way down:

Declan Carlisle - my brother in christ if you were playing for the other team, I'm not sure you could make tape to tape passes to the slot better. @ chi, they dump the puck in. All he has to do is play it up the boards, or he could reverse it. Instead, with one pressuring and one in support, he plays the puck between his own feet while be put to the boards, hands possession in front of our goal while every penguin is moving to one of the passing lanes to exit. Just horrid. Last night - 2nd goal against. Shot from the point, Carlisle has inside position. Rebound comes right to him. He does not play the puck. Instead he tries to back into the guy behind him, leaving the puck loose in the blue paint as the guy behind him, just reaches over and flips it in with ease. This is another unforgivable at the NHL level breakdown. 4th goal last night - DC gets walked at the line. Do we even need to talk about when he checked Silovs in the Caps game to cause a goal? Av's game, first goal against, look who got walked from the blue line, allowing that set up? The 3rd goal - oh, he chases a guy out of the corner, then when that guy passes, chases the pass, which is pushed right back through him to the wide open guy in the spot that he just vacated.

EK may be producing offensively, but he's doing so both ways. He had nearly an own goal last night on the 5th goal, which decided the game. Silovs made a great save, with no help from EK, but EK decided to push the puck back to the opposing forward beside him so he could try again. If he literally left the play, Silovs has the save and freeze. He's consistently shit at his own net. See VEgas' 3rd goal, where EK couldn't be bothered to cover the back door.

Tanger - oh, man. It's hard. He wants it so much, plays with such heart, but man, I wish he'd play with his brain more. He had a handful of headscracthers on this road trip, but not the central problem. Still, I've never seen a player shoot into the opposition's shin guards more - if the stat were counted, I would bet he's lead the league for 15 years. Regardless, stats bear out, he's not getting outchanced.

KK - middling, but he is one of two D who do not get owned at their own goal mouth, so maybe a pass?

Stastney - shockingly ok. he's been very ok to good. He's also made Tanger his best version when paired together.

Girard - the guy we doubted most this offseason, has been surprisingly ok. He's not lighting it up, but he's not getting lit up.

Solovyov - glad he didn't destroy his knee on that terrible uncalled trip/slew/kickout. I hate that play so much, and it was clearly intentional. Anyway, he's as expected. He's in position, he doesn't get walked, he's physical, but he's not great with the puck and he's not elite defending. Still, serviceable, solid 3rd pair/7th guy.

Worst pairing this season at even strength - Well, most would say Girard-Letang, whch has 2 against, and none for, but adv stats bail them out a bit. Other competition - EK-Carlisle - 11 goals against at even strength. 8 goals for. Not good. A slight advantage in scoring chances, but a deficit in shots. This cannot be your top pair. If your top pair is getting outscored 11-8 at even strength, you're lucky to be 3-5-1.

Girard & KK are sadly at 8-10 in scoring, but their adv stats are notably better across the board.

Best pair so far this season - Letang & Stastney - in 48 minutes together, C&F are both over 61%; GF 1, GA 0; SCF 68%; XGF 70%; HDC 77%. Let's roll this pair and break up the others permanently.

So, what's the solution???

1. Break up EK - Carlisle. It's too high event - sure they score, but not as much as they give up. Enough is enough. The problem: with Girard 32%XGF. With Stastney 44% with similar figures at Fenwick Corsi, so given Stastney's fit with Letang, don't. He's only got 28 seconds with Solovyov, but I would try it. I don't love putting Solovyov out for those minutes, but... it's time to learn.

However, the solution probably is not in Pittsburgh. You could give Owen Pickering a run - he's been defensively sound, at a +6, playing good minutes, or you could reward Jake Livinavage and his hot start at a point per game pace. Personally, I'd lean toward Pick and let Jake continue to cook for a bit longer.

Crosby shrugged his shoulders after the game when asked about the play. He knew he had a good look incoming, but also knew that Kindel made the right play.

The hockey gods weren’t about to reward the Penguins with a point or two, not after this performance, and not after a dismal 0-4 road trip.

“Yeah,” Crosby said. “Yeah. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in.”

Crosby is well aware that the Penguins’ 2026-27 season is already in significant danger. That’s what happens when you only win one of your first 10 games in regulation and when you go 1-5-1 in your first seven road games.

After their shutout win to begin the season in Philadelphia, the Penguins have allowed 38 goals in nine games, a pace of 4.2 goals per game against. Only the Vancouver Canucks have allowed more (45).

“We haven’t been playing well enough to win,” Crosby said.

I know everyone is a bit down lately with the recent team performances, but Karlsson is quietly at around a 90 point pace. It’s really awesome to see him producing at this level, I hope he is able to keep it up!

Josh Yohe rushed to break specifics on Ben Kindel’s medical episode, wrote that an anonymous source said it was a seizure, and then quietly walked it back.

Can we ban this guy’s slop from here once and for all.

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

1971-1972
(LW)
Games Played: 6
Goals: 1
Assists: 1

Genuinely while I don’t like we sent hallender for him. I do think the trade wasn’t that bad he has looked consistently decent when he’s on the ice.