After doing all they could to hold on in the playoff race for one more day, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been eliminated from postseason contention.

Both games that Pittsburgh fans were watching today went against the team, but in the end, only one mattered.

Washington was able to take advantage of an ultra-desperate Philadelphia Flyers team, and secure a 2-1 win in regulation. The Flyers, if they were to have any hopes at snagging the second spot, needed to win in regulation. As such, even though the game was tied 1-1 late in the third, the Flyers pulled their goalie.

Unfortunately, they picked the absolute worst time in the game to do it, and the Capitals scored almost immediately.

Meanwhile, in Montreal, the Canadiens had iced the puck with 7.7 seconds left, up 4-3. Detroit definitely milked the call for icing (which is controversial but savvy), and with a faceoff in the offensive zone, they scored to tie the game. Eventually, they won in a shootout, but thanks to the Washington result, it was all for not.

The Capitals, despite having a -37 goal differential, clinched the second wild card spot in the east, setting up a first round matchup with the New York Rangers.

The Penguins, who still have a game to play, will finish the season for the second straight year playing an absolutely meaningless game. They take on the New York Islanders on Long Island tomorrow night.

Their late season push was nothing short of incredible, but the reality was that their first ~70 games simply weren’t good enough. Lack of defense, a truly god awful power play, a coaching staff that mismanaged the lineup, and questionable goaltending at times from the starter. All the things we’ve heard (and said) before.

There are a lot of questions for this Penguins team, and Kyle Dubas has a lot of trust to re-gain from the fanbase this summer. He made a ton of changes in his first year, but rarely did they end up working for the better.

You could also argue the biggest decision was one he did not make: the coaching staff.

However, he started to repair some things with the Jake Guentzel. Very few of us saw the trade working out as well as it did, in getting Michael Bunting back the other way. Plus, you may see what kind of game Vasili Ponomarev brings to the NHL level.

It was nearly impossible to win a Guentzel trade, and the jury is still out for the long-term decision. In the meantime though, it ended up looking rather good for the Penguins, who were dealing from a position of weakness.

Regardless of what your opinion is on Dubas, the coaches, the players, or what kind of pizza is the best, the saddening end for the Penguins’ season does bode well for an interesting offseason.

Is the goal to still be competitive and go for it next year? With Sidney Crosby still around and dragging this team the way he did this year, the answer is probably yes. So how do you go about that? It cannot be the same way the Penguins tried this year.

All those conversations and more can be found right here on Fifth Avenue.

(Featured photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports)