Don’t panic Pens fans, this young team is fine

What are the Penguins to do? Losers of five straight games and winners of only four of their… What are the Penguins to do? Losers of five straight games and winners of only four of their last sixteen, the Penguins look like lost souls searching for answers. And the answer is a simple one for Penguins fans: Don’t panic! The team and its fans must take into consideration that this is still a very young team with an even younger core. The average age on the Penguins roster is about 27. With superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby checking in at 22 and 21 years old, respectively, fans must realize that the team is still going through some growing pains. And even though the team made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, the team is still young. That point can’t be stressed enough. So, fans, let the guys grow up a little before you are ready to sell the farm. Still, some things need to improve. Crosby and Malkin aren’t going to be traded and very well shouldn’t be with the success that each has been having this season. They are both in the top three in scoring despite the team’s goal-scoring woes, so that tells us one thing. The team is losing with Crosby and Malkin clicking at a high-end rate, so the other players need to step it up, and in order for them to do so, they shouldn’t panic. Ray Shero brought in Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko to help supplement the goal-scoring of the big two, but little has shown. They’re not alone, as Petr Sykora has scored 13 goals this season, but three were in a 9-2 victory and another two were scored in a 7-3 loss to Toronto. His goals are meaningless and quite untimely. One forward who is playing well beyond expectations is Pascal Dupuis. He beats opposition to pucks, puts his hard shot on target and is being rewarded on the score sheet, as he has tallied nine goals thus far. There’s only one main problem. Why put guys like Dustin Jeffery and Matt Cooke on the power play when you have a potent winger who is playing harder than anyone night in and night out? In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury is back from injury, so that should help the team. Even if he isn’t quite back to pre-injury form, it seems as if the entire team plays better in front of him rather than in front of Dany Sabourin. And as for Sabourin, he is one change that needs to be addressed at or prior to the trade deadline. He is completely off of his angles, and he should never stray from his net to play the puck (Fleury does this, too, but he makes the save after his gaffe). It is simple. The team plays much better in front of Fleury, so even if he is off of his game, you have to keep him because that is how you maximize your team’s efforts, and it isn’t like we have a backup like Chicago’s Nikolai Khabibulan. He is a 1B, whereas Sabourin is much like 4 or 5C. And don’t get me started on John Curry. He makes NHL97 saves with his unnecessary two-pad stacks and ridiculous, diving poke checks. Keep Fleury in, have forwards pick up the slack, and keep the play simple. And above all else, don’t panic. That is all that the Pens need to do. The team will be OK, considering that all great teams need to be put in their places. All that fans can hope is that this stretch is a building block rather than the dumpster shoot from the top floor.