SOUTHPOINTE, Pa. — One of the longest running and least meaningful clichés in the world of hockey-speak involves the need to “play a full 60 minutes.” A team either wins or loses games based largely on the number of minutes a coach deems the team played on a given night, if you choose to believe that philosophy.
During the Stanley Cup playoffs, sometimes it’s not enough to play a full 60 minutes. This isn’t the regular season. Games aren’t decided by shootouts after five minutes of overtime. That effort needs to translate into a full 80, 100 or perhaps even 120 minutes in order to earn a victory at this time of the year.
That lesson seems to be lost on the Pittsburgh Penguins during these playoffs.
With their 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Penguins fell to 0-3 in overtime during this postseason and have lost five straight overall. Dating to the 2012 playoffs, the Penguins are 2-6 when games extend beyond regulation.
How can a team that is so talented and has been among the NHL&rs ...
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Article written by Dave Lozo
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Struggles in Overtime Could Prove Costly in Postseason
May 3rd, 2014 by Dave Lozo Leave a reply »
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