Picture this scene…

It’s tied 3-3, late in the third period between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Anaheim Ducks.

There’s just about two minutes left in the game. Just 11 seconds after Anaheim’s Mason McTavish was called for tripping, Sam Carrick gets called for a delay of game.

The Penguins are now standing with a 5-on-3 opportunity, for almost a full 2 minutes, with an amazing chance to go up late and win the game.

That’s the scene I watched play out at PPG Paints Arena last night, as the Penguins made pass after pass after pass, with the occasional shot, as Lukas Dostal (who came in for an injured John Gibson) held down the Ducks fort for what was probably a game headed towards overtime.

But in a horrible change of pace, Mason McTavish, fresh out of the penalty box, finds himself all alone on a breakaway. The Penguins need one save from Tristan Jarry, and they can’t get it. McTavish scores, and all the energy built up inside the arena dies in an instant.

A collective grown is let out, and the fans start bolting for the exits, as the Ducks take a 4-3 lead with 12 seconds left.

A stunned Pittsburgh team gets embarrassed at home, again, as they fall to Anaheim and plummet to a 3-6-0 record, good for dead last in the entire Eastern Conference.

Sitting in the seats that night, it was probably one of the most gutting losses (minus playoffs) that I’ve been to. Overall, it was such a fun game. Back and forth, hold-your-breath type action, and a general good pace made for an entertaining night of hockey.

But sadly, none of that matters on the scoreboard.

The building was about ready to explode, just sitting there waiting for this gift, this absolute gift of a 5-on-3 chance. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the Pens looked destined to win it. Everything had went their way, and they still lost.

That cannot happen for this Penguins team.

Not only should the Pens win every game where things go their way, they should stiull be in the running for wins in games where everything goes against them. A team with this many stars, this many surefire Hall of Famers can’t get that done, then I don’t know what to tell you.

It’s unacceptable for a team that came in entirely revamped in both the forward and defenseman categories. Kyle Dubas entirely re-worked this whole roster to try and turn the tides for this crew. He brought in 10 new faces, but the one position he left virtually untouched was the most important on the ice. The starting goaltender.

Tristan Jarry has never been a consistent enough goaltender, and we are seeing that play out once again this year. Dubas re-signed Jarry to a 5 year deal paying him north of $5.3 million. That’s the kind of money, but more importantly term, that you give to a starter that has proven you can rely on him all the time.

Jarry hasn’t given the Penguins that, ever. Not consistently enough, at least.

People sometimes associate Jarry criticism with Jarry hatred. Please don’t get me wrong, I like Tristan Jarry and I so desperately want him to succeed. I want him to prove me wrong on my opinions of his play and his contract.

But with every game this season, he is only proving people like me more and more right.

He has 2 shutouts, great. He also has a sub-.900% save percentage.

He blanked the Colorado Avalanche. He followed that up with getting pulled vs Ottawa on Saturday and allowing 4 goals (and a backbreaker with 12 seconds left) last night.

His pros have yet to fully outweigh the cons, and that proved problematic again vs the Ducks.

But it’s not just him.

The defense consistently turns the puck over.

The fourth line is still an absolute abyss.

The power play is so frustratingly bad.

The 5-on-3 at the end last night was the epitome of Penguins hockey on a man advantage. Far too many passes, not enough shots. They spend too much time looking for the perfect pass, or the perfect shot, and in the process they waste precious time for an angle that, more often than not, just isn’t there.

It’s too many problems that one single thing will fix. But that’s no excuse for sitting still and doing nothing.

Maybe one solution won’t fix all problems, but it might fix one or two. And almost anything is worth a shot for a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations coming into 2023-24. And with all of this, the lineup doesn’t change a bit. The Penguins roll out the exact same look every single night.

Something has to change.

But while we’re talking about things that will never happen, I’m going out with Margot Robbie tonight, so I guess I’ll see you suckers later.

(Featured photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)