PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was something Evgeni Malkin said after the 5-2 loss to last place Chicago that was a harsh reality of where the Penguins are as a team right now.
"I think we tried so hard," Malkin said. "We tried everything. I tried to play hard every game. The league is young, a new generation is coming. We tried to play the game hard."
A decade and a half ago, the Penguins organization dubbed its team with Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury as a new generation. They used their speed and skill to catch the old guard, most notably Detroit, and take over as the leaders of the NHL.
Are the Penguins no longer good enough, or young enough, to compete at an elite level?
Malkin said it, 'a new generation is coming'. Those new, young teams include the New Jersey Devils-the third youngest team in the league. The Pens were 0-4 against them and outscored 16-6. The last game, a 5-1 loss on April 4, the Devils skated circles around the Pens. Maybe they are just too old.
"We should win here at home," Malkin said. "We understand how important tonight's game is, huge. We did not play bad. They played smart. We made three mistakes and they scored three goals. It's all about us. We play at home. They play back-to-back, we should win."
Malkin said they did not play bad. The effort was there, they played hard. They just weren't good enough.
"Anybody can beat anybody in this league, that's the reality," said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. "There is such a fine line between winning and losing. You've got to be at your best every night. When you are not, you are going to run the risk of getting beat."
But when they used to play hard or near their best they found a way to win. Sure, they didn't have enough bodies in the paint the first couple of periods and the third goal allowed was wonky. Was it really that or something else?
The Pens used a dozen players Tuesday who were 30-years-old or greater. That's ancient for a hockey team to have around two-thirds of your roster that old. More than 25% of that roster is 35 and older.
"I think if you look at the first 40 minutes, we missed so many chances," said defenseman Kris Letang. "We had opportunities to get up in the scoring, we didn't. I think in the third we got frustrated and imploded. It's a tough one to swallow."
Could it be the reason they didn't finish their opportunities is because they just don't have the legs at this time of year. That's not to blame Sidney Crosby, Malkin or Letang for the season. They were all above average to great this year, but as a group of 12, 30-somethings. Can you win consistently over the span of an 82-game season with that much age?
Evgeni Malkin's questioning it. Sullivan said it's a fine line between winning or losing, have they crossed that line because they are just too old?
Of the teams that were elite 10 years ago-the three division champs in the East-the Pens, Montreal and Washington-only the Pens have an outside chance to make the playoffs. The three division champs in the West in 2013-Chicago, Anaheim and Vancouver-all will miss the playoffs this year.
Malkin said if they don't make the playoffs this year, they want to try again with this group. The Pens haven't won a playoff series in four seasons, they are on the verge of not even qualifying this year.
Age, and poor roster management, has caught up to them. The Pens are no longer elite.
