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Erik Karlsson drives offense but Pittsburgh Penguins finishing problem grows before NHL trade deadline
Photo credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Erik Karlsson scored 42 seconds in, but the Pittsburgh Penguins still lost 2-1 in Boston, and the NHL trade deadline hole is screaming.
The Hockey News called it out postgame: the best version of Karlsson showed up, and the finish did not.
Karlsson carries an $11.5M cap hit in 2025-26, so this team has to squeeze value elsewhere if it wants real deadline juice.
Tuesday was the snapshot, Penguins 31-16-13, Bruins 34-21-5, and the margin was basically one rebound and one shooter.
Jeremy Swayman shut the door after the early fluke, 34 saves, and Pittsburgh's push kept dying in the same spots.
That is why deadline talk sticks, even when the process looks fine.
Boston scored twice in 50 seconds, and suddenly every Penguins shift felt like it needed to be perfect.
Pittsburgh generated chances, but they lacked a clean, repeatable "one play" that turns zone time into a goal.
The need is simple: add a legit top-six finisher, someone who can win inside body position and still pick a corner.
Cap-wise, it's not hopeless, the Penguins are sitting on about $10.5M in projected space, but deadline prices burn fast.
Erik Karlsson keeps the Pittsburgh Penguins afloat
Pens fans can feel it right now, this team is good enough to matter, but one cold stick can wreck a whole night.
Karlsson's first-shot goal was a reminder that the blue line can still drive offense when the forwards get stuck in mud.
The "why" is hockey simple: when your rush dies, you need a net-front bully or a slot sniper on the next wave.
And with Buffalo coming Thursday, the answer cannot be only "shoot more," it has to be "shoot from better places, with better hands."
Friday's deadline is close, and Tuesday looked like the warning label.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
NHL trade deadline hit by new playoff cap rules, GMs call rollout bush league
NHL trade deadline hit by new playoff cap rules, GMs call rollout bush league
| POLL | ||
MARS 4|138 ANSWERS Erik Karlsson drives offense but Pittsburgh Penguins finishing problem grows before NHL trade deadline Should the Pittsburgh Penguins pay up for a true top-six finisher at the NHL trade deadline? | ||
| Yes | 120 | 87 % |
| No | 18 | 13 % |
| List of polls | ||