Penguins allow 4 goals in win, exposing a roster flaw Erik Karlsson keeps masking

The Penguins moved to 35-18-16, and Karlsson drove the result with two goals, including the third-period equalizer with 7:15 left.

That matters beyond one night because Karlsson's cap charge on Pittsburgh's books sits at $10 million through 2026-27, with San Jose retaining $1.5 million annually.

When your highest-paid attack driver on the blue line has to save you again, the story is not finishing power. It is structural leakage in exits, slot coverage, and game control.

Karlsson now has 18 points in 11 games this month, and that heater is covering for a team that still turns clean starts into track meets.

You can see the exact mood swing, early control, then panic, then a superstar bailout.

Pittsburgh scored twice in the opening 2:02, got 21 saves from Arturs Silovs, and still needed a shootout to escape. That is not contender management, that is survival hockey.

Fans should feel both things here, relief over two points and nerves over what the tape says.

Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell finished the skills contest, but the real takeaway is that Pittsburgh still needs Karlsson to be both first breakout and emergency offense.

That is a dangerous formula heading into Sunday's game against Carolina, a 44-19-6 club that sits eight points up on Pittsburgh in the division.

The next-game ripple is simple. If the Penguins cannot close the middle and get cleaner underneath their goal line, Carolina's forecheck will own the pace.

The bigger ripple comes later. A win over Winnipeg helped the standings, but it also sharpened the offseason question of whether this blue line is built to defend hard games, not just survive them.

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