It was an unforgettable weekend if you were a Pittsburgh Penguins, or maybe just a Jaromir Jagr fan. In preparation for the Penguins to retire his #68, Jagr spent the weekend in town and even skated with the team on Saturday during practice.

But that was just the appetizer to what was an absolutely amazing ceremony. From start to finish, the Penguins put together a fantastic event for Jagr, who capped it all off with a hilarious and heartfelt speech.

Then, it was time for the moment everyone in the building (and at home) had been waiting for: the official raising of Jagr’s numbers up to the rafters.

The full ceremony, courtesy of the Penguins, can be found here.

The team all wore his #68 (the last time anyone here will ever wear it) and Jagr-style mullets for warm-ups, and the man of the hour himself even joined the team on the ice.

Yeah, he’s still got it. And I’m convinced that if he wanted to, he could have suited up for the team tonight and been better than some of the options the Penguins are currently using.

But I’m not here to discuss that, not today anyways. Now, to the game itself:

As for the people who are actually on the roster for the Penguins this season, the team started out rather slow. Somewhat to be expected after a lengthy pre-game celebration throws off the rhythm, the Penguins came out flat, sloppy, and uncoordinated as the Los Angeles Kings put the pressure on early.

Tristan Jarry was the only Penguin who came out ready to play on time. He kept the game scoreless as the Penguins slogged through the first three quarters of the first period, making several stops to deny the Kings attack.

To their credit, the Penguins did score a late goal in the first period, off the stick of Sidney Crosby, who sliced through the Kings’ penalty kill unit. But of course, as has been the case all year, the power play did far more bad than it did good for the Penguins in this game.

Early in the third period, with the Penguins still up 1-0, the team was set to go back on the power play with a beautiful chance to go up 2-0.

Pittsburgh had been merely holding on to their lead since the second period. They were not in control of this game; they could not keep their foot on the pedal. Instead, they were clinging to their limited chances, and just praying the Kings wouldn’t score.

The third period power play was awful. No good chances, no good looks, no real drive or killer instinct. Like so many power plays before it, it ruined any momentum that the Penguins could have generated off it.

The Kings did find a way to score, with Adrian Kempe ripping a shot that just glazed off Rickard Rakell. The slight change in direction was enough to put Tristan Jarry just out of position, and give Kempe the goal.

Sadly, I’ve seen this movie before. I know I sound like a downer, but I’ve simply watched the same outcome happen too many times. As soon as LA tied it, I knew this game was as good as over for the Pens.

However, this one has a particular sting to it. With just over five minutes left in the game, the Penguins got another opportunity on the power play. LA’s Trevor Moore was penalized for shooting the puck over the glass, and that gave the Penguins a chance to take the lead back.

The worst possible result ensued.

Another god-awful power play that saw the Penguins put on a clinic for what not to do when on the man advantage took place, but this one somehow ended far worse than the previous one.

With the second unit on the ice, Lars Eller commits a brutal turnover, and the Kings go the other way. Kempe has the puck with a 2-on-1, and rips it underneath Tristan Jarry for a shorthanded goal for the Kings.

Any remaining air in the building was instantly let out as that horror film we’ve all seen before just aired its latest sequel before our very eyes.

The Penguins fail to score with the empty net, and a third period lead turns into a 2-1 loss as Pittsburgh watches the playoffs disappear.

It was all too predictable, too.

As I said before, the Penguins had been playing simply just to hang on to that one goal lead. They weren’t driving the play or even generating any kind of attack. Way too many passive plays and dump-and-chases helped doom yet another two points.

Thanks to this power play, the Penguins have once again lost a game. I know I would just be repeating myself and virtually every Penguins fan in existence, but I truly do not understand how Todd Reirden still has a job.

A power play unit with as much top-end talent as the Penguins boast should not be ranking 30th in the league. It should not be the single greatest factor holding this team back from the playoff race.

I was thrilled when Kyle Dubas became general manager this summer, but his lack of action has been staggering. Dubas has been asleep at the wheel for far too long now, and his inaction has grown from concerning to full-on problematic.

There are some rumors that he does not have full control over coaching staff decisions, and that the overlords at Fenway Sports Group are very much against specific changes.

While I would believe that any ownership group would not be thrilled to fire a coach who still has three and a half seasons left on a contract he signed, I would not believe that the same level of caution would be granted to Reirden.

Not only would Reirden cost far less to fire (i.e. pay to not coach here), he also has far less term on his contract. When the Penguins extended him back in the summer of 2022, they gave him a two year extension.

Firing an associate coach with less than a full year left to possibly save your season made plenty of sense in say, December, but makes even more sense now. The fact that the Penguins refuse to do it speaks volumes.

It’s such a simple attempt to try and solve a problem that is actively keeping the team out of the playoffs.

But while we’re talking about things that will never happen, Sydney Sweeney just asked me out. Congratulations to me!

(Featured photo by Chaz Palla/TribLive)