Penguins got shellacked by the Canucks by a score of 5-0. It has been the third time in the past six games that the Penguins have failed to score a goal. Weirdly enough it was the fifth time in the past six games where one of the teams in a Penguins game has failed to score a goal.

The old problems that plagued this team are the same as the new problems. No depth. While it is unfortunate that Dupuis and Maatta are out for the year the Penguins brass have actively selected to go with some less than desirable solutions.

Blake Comeau coming back, while helpful, is not going to solve their problems.

Beating Edmonton was a given, they are almost as bad as Buffalo, especially without Taylor Hall and Benoit Pouliot out of the lineup.

Beating Calgary is a run of the mill victory. Despite their record they are paper tigers that are riding the PDO wave. They are a terrible possession team (27th 45.8%) that can't win without a shooting percentage that is through the roof (3rd 8.86%).

Even Vancouver is only so so with a Score-Adjusted Fenwick ranked 18th in the league, a team shooting percentage ranked 27th, and a team EVSV% ranked 20th.

An average NHL team is able to expose the current version of the Penguins because they only role out one and a half legit lines on a given night. They have no secondary scoring to speak of. Find me a Stanley Cup contender that didn't have secondary scoring.

The current Penguins 4th line of Craig Adams, Zach Sill, and Maxim Lapierre have a combined 135 games played in 2014-15 and only 17 points between them this year. If you can't provide offense you better be providing something else, but there is nothing else to be had with this grouping. All this supposed grit really doesn't add up to any tangible rewards, ever.

The Penguins don't play again until Wednesday night so they will have some practices in the coming days.

I'm just wondering how many Penguins are going to be pulled to the side in the next practice and be put through the same battle drills Beau Bennett had to take part in. What's fair is fair, right? Fact is we are seeing the same double standard in the current regime as we did in the last one. Young skilled players who don't throw meaningless body checks have to "earn" their spot while unskilled plugs don't need to produce a lick of offense as long as they barrel into the zone and hit a guy after the puck is gone. It is a dated philosophy and the results speak for themselves over the past few years.

There is one bright spot though. Derrick Pouliot continues to drive possession with Robert Bortuzzo as his partner. Derrick Pouliot is a full time NHL player. The Penguins found their Olli Maatta replacement so that is good news. It remains to be seen if they feel the same way.

Thanks for reading!

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