In what seems like the cruelest trick the Penguins' schedule possibly could have played on the team, the Pens have to play the Boston Bruins again on Saturday. The Pens were struggling to score without Sidney Crosby, and were in the midst of a two-game losing streak that they looked poised to snap when they played the Bruins on Monday, but the Bruins scored four goals in the last four minutes of the game to beat the Pens, 4-2.
That game harked back to another embarrassing collapse to the Bruins back in November, in which the Bruins scored five goals in the third period to beat the Pens 7-4.
Just as they look like they're breaking out of their mini-slump, with a 5-2 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday, the Pens have to play the Bruins yet again. Saturday's game between the Bruins and Pens starts at 1:00. The Ravens/Steelers matchup doesn't start until 4:30, so regulation of the Bruins/Penguins game will probably be over by then. That's good, because I can't imagine a Pittsburgh sports fan tuning out of the hockey game midway through the third period and feeling comfortable, no matter how many goals the Pens lead by. The Pens will still be without Crosby, so they'll continue to need to find offense from other sources.