Fucking speechless......Fucking speechless

Wow, I never thought that the 2011 season could be surpassed in its seemingly infinite suckiness, but looks like 2012 will do just that, unfortunately.  First, the game, another 3-1 loss to a division rival. This game had the same sound as the last one.  The Pens jump out to a 1-0 lead after a strong first period, outshoot the opposition, give up a short handed goal, fizzle on the power play, and lose 3-1.  It is the Penguins' 4th straight loss, dropping their record to  21-15-4 for 46 points and are now clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference.  The Penguins did again outshoot the opposition, but most of the shots were perimeter shots, and not really strong scoring chances. It appeared as if the Penguins have lost their confidence, and don't react like we are used to when faced with adversity in a game.  It might be finally too much for this team to overcome an endless stream of adversity relative to injuries.  Crosby has missed 32 of 40 games this year, Kris Letang has missed nearly a quarter of the season, and is nowhere near a return.  Every member of their defense corps has missed games this year, and now they learn that have lost Jordan Staal for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury, and leading goal scorer James Neal for a similar amount of time.  Finally, there was news that Craig Adams left practice today with what looked like a significant knee injury.  This means the Pens will face at least the month of January without their two of their three top centers (Staal and Crosby), their top goal scorer(James Neal), two of their top penalty killers (Adams and Staal), their top defensman and Norris candidate (Kris Letang), and strong fourth line grinder and enforcer (Arron Asham).  That is a span of 15-20 games, many against Eastern Conference playoff contenders.  Scary scenario to add to the already ugly trend that was brewing.  As of 11/26 the Pens led the NHL with 32 points and were 6-3-1 in their last ten games.  Since then, the Penguins are 7-9, and have lost 4 straight. Now they lose Staal, Neal, Adams and Asham.  More alarming numbers include their montly record against playoff caliber teams.  In October they were 4-1, November, 3-4, and in December they were 1-6 against playoff caliber teams.  They have now started January 0-2 against those teams.  Many fans are now calling this the lost season, giving up on playoff chances, talking of the need to retool the team, and selling their tickets.  Brooks Orpik called the team out for sloppy, soft play, and Malkin for dumb penalties.  I can't argue with Brooks, and I do respect his willingness to speak out, but despite his status as a favorite of mine, 44 needs to look in the mirror as well.  His play has been soft as well this season, and he has been on the ice for some really bad goals.  He is probably suffering a bit from the loss of his D partner Letang,  but Orpik is supposed to be the conscience of this team, and he needs to step up as such.  I know that he will.  Evgeni Malkin conversely says that the team can play like it did last night and win.  I hope that something was lost in the translation there.  The Penguins had 42 shots last night, but they were mostly softballs that a goalie like Brodeur will eat up every time.  They did not get much traffic to the net, they gave up a short handed goal, and their power play was less than useless.  So, Geno, the first step in fixing a problem is acknowledging it.  Offensively, your team has a PROBLEM.  The person with BY FAR the MOST ability to fix it is YOU.  Time to take on the role of team leader, put them on your back and help them keep the playoffs in sight until the cavalry arrives off of the injury list.  If you think the offensive effort the past few games is enough to get this team to the post season then we are in big trouble.  The next person who can make a HUGE impact on the fate of this team is Marc Andre Fleury. He was a Hart candidate from last year's effort and started the season in a similar fashion this season.  His game has cooled a bit of late. He is 12th in the league at 2.31 GAA, and 26th in the league with .912 save percentage.  Despite recent woes, he remains third in the league in wins.  My issues with Fleury is not that is playing poorly, but he is not playing well enough to steal games right now.  His gaffe Friday night on the Stepan goal killed any realistic chance of the Pens coming back and tying that game, and it was one of the uglier plays I have seen from an NHL level goaltender.  Again, MAF made many stellar saves that night, and 5M man Martin's inability to corral a pass to the point from Kunitz led to the puck being in play as it was, but Fleury's play was as inexcusable as Martin's.   Fleury, like Malkin, has the ability to carry this team, and like last year, I believe MAF will answer that bell.  I think that the three above referenced leaders on this team have the ABILITY and RESPONSIBILITY to keep this team afloat during the next 4 to 6 weeks while the team HOPEFULLY gets healthy for the first time in a year and a half.  I will put my money on those guys to dig deep and find a way to keep the Pens relevant during this rough patch.  Everyone has to do a little more in turn to help out, but a few players in particular have been a let down thus far and need to really improve in the Pens time of need.  The first two in my opinion are Zybnek Michalek and Paul Martin.  I sat up in our condo on vacation in the Outer Banks on July 1, 2010 eager to hear what the Pens were going to do to improve their team.  I could not have been happier to hear that they signed both Martin (5M) and Michalek (4M) to four year deals.  I believed that these signings gave the Pens the best top two pairings in the NHL.  After a slow start last year, they played just like that in the second half of the year, helping to keep the Pens in a top 4 seed in the conference.  This year, they have both been at least disappointing, and in Martin's case, at times just downright brutal!  For 9M combined, these two players HAVE to play like the players we know they are to help the Penguins overcome this adversity.  If they don't, King Ray has to consider moving at least one of them for help upfront, or a more physical netfront presence.  Another player who has to step it up like last season is Tyler Kennedy.  The Penguins made Kennedy a priority over Jagr (and I agree with that call), but Kennedy was paid with the understanding that his 21 goal season last year was indicative of his abilities as a consistent offensive producer.  He did that by getting to the blue paint instead of his wrister from the circle at the goalies pads.  He needs to find that blue paint again, and create some dirty goals for the Penguins. His 7 power play goals last year were a factor down the stretch as well.  You could get SOME help from Dustin Jeffrey whose return seems imminent, and he may in fact be centering the second line for a spell.  He showed some ability to score in a stint with the big club last year, and for a team with a shortage of scoring, ANY extra punch would be welcome.  Also, Eric Tangradi may finally get an extended look in a top 6 role, and if he can go hard to the net, play a physical game, and chip in some dirty goals, the Pens will be far better for it.  Finally, in my opinion, the Penguins need to decide what Crosby's status is going to be this year.  If the chance of 87 coming back this year as a force is slim, it might be best both short and long term to shut him down for this year, and get some help up front.   It might make him more viable over the long run, and allow the Pens to react with some help that could make them competitive in the East again.  I am certain there are some UGLY times ahead for our flightless birds, but I trust in the leadership of the organization and the team to navigate through it successfully again.  I am totally sober by the way............