Pittsburgh Penguins Need To Dig Deep To Get Back on Winning Track

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After being shut out for the second game in a row, the Penguins players need to look within and challenge themselves to step up to a higher level.

With a rash of injuries to key players, the wheels seem to be falling off the turbo charged wagon that was the Penguins. The power play has been disastrous and disorganized. The shots on goal have been less and weak.

No one seems to want to step up and shine during the absence of Malkin, Gonchar, Talbot, Kennedy, Letang, and now possibly Orpik. Now is the perfect time to bring your game up to the next level as Malkin did last season during Sidney Crosby's absence.

The coaching staff isn't immune from blame. It is easy to coach a highly-talented team of players when they are healthy and clicking. The true talent of a coaching staff shows when they can motivate their players to step up and make necessary adjustments with the players they have available.

The team, as a whole, looks disorganized and lost. The forecheck has almost disappeared and playing physical has stopped altogether. Let's not even talk about the lack of a power play.

Now is the time for Staal, Kunitz, and Guerin to elevate their play and help Crosby to lead on the ice as well as in the locker room. It is also the time for some of the call ups to prove that they can play at the NHL level and that they are the future of this hockey club.

It is time to go back to the basics of playing physical, put the puck on the net, crash the net, get people in front, and work hard in the corners—something we haven't seen in the last three games. Get that first goal and good things will happen.

It has been said that great teams find a way to win. In my opinion, a healthy Penguins team is the best team in the NHL. Now is the time for this team to pull together and find a way to win.

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