What Went Wrong

I could list a legion of things that went wrong in the Pens' first round playoff loss, and I will. However, as I list these things that went wrong, I want to focus on how what worked during a wonderful second half of the regular season stopped working in the playoffs.

• What happened to the Penguins' third and fourth lines? Throughout their 14-0-2 point streak, the Penguins regularly rolled four lines, and they could count on timely goals from their third and fourth lines. Their third and fourth lines helped them to gain many points in the standings.

• How did the entire Ottawa defense, not known for its' scoring prowess, (Present Day Note: Ottawa's offensive defensive explosion continued through the conference finals, so this wasn't just something that happened to the Pens uniquely), manage to outscore 2 defensemen who topped the regular season defensemen scoring leaders? Where was the offense that Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar so regularly provided during the regular season?

• Where, oh where, was Evgeni Malkin? Exhausted from the long season? Unaccustomed to the frenetic pace of NHL playoff hockey? What happened to the league's rookie scoring leader in the first round of the playoffs?

• What happened to the power play that was ranked fifth overall during the regular season, the power play of which Ryan Whitney said, "We have the talent to score against anybody." How did the power play that had helped the Pens win so many games suddenly go so cold at exactly the wrong time?

• What happened to those magical regular season comebacks? Spot the other team a goal or two, and always manage to mount a comeback. What happened to the team that could seemingly score at will for most of the regular season?