Pittsburgh Penguins' Deepest Issue Exposed as Their Season Hangs in the Balance

Any spark of hope about a desperate playoff push by the Pittsburgh Penguins was snuffed out Tuesday night, not by the New York Islanders, that team synonymous with Penguins disappointment by beating them, but by the Penguins.

The players and coaching staff admitted they beat themselves. And with that, their already slim playoff hopes vanished.

There's a lot of blame going around, with coach Mike Sullivan being criticized for his lineup choices. But the biggest issue? The Penguins' defense is a disaster.

Since trading Marcus Pettersson, the blue line has been a liability. Tuesday's game was a must-win, and the Penguins went for it.

But when you're relying on Kolyachonok, who struggles with defensive zone coverage and has seven giveaways in seven games, you're playing with fire. He hasn't been reliable, and his soft defensive play is costly.

General manager Kyle Dubas constructed a defense corps that wasn't hard, physical, or even defense-minded. Instead of fixing it at the trade deadline, he likely made it worse, as per Dan Kingerski.

Kris Letang, at his ripe old age, is being forced to play more defensively, Conor Timmins has to play heavier, and Matt Grzelcyk can't be the only physical body alongside Letang or Erik Karlsson (who we know isn't a very physical defender).

A big reality check here is that the Penguins are not a good team, and no amount of coaching adjustment can make up for a roster that is inherently flawed.

They need grit and scoring depth from their bottom six, and recent signings and additions there are not accomplishing anything for them. Connor Dewar, Noel Acciari, and Blake Lizotte aren't hitting, and aren't providing much of a scoring presence.

Lizotte had just seven goals and 15 points last season, and while many expected a turnaround this season, he has only nine goals and 17 points up until now.

Acciari has an abysmal eight goals in 125 games with the Penguins, well below expectations.

Dewar also went goalless in 31 games this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Penguins, where he hasn't fared all that much better.

Now the million-dollar question is whether head coach Mike Sullivan adapts his system for a team that simply isn't built to play the way he wants, whether Kyle Dubas makes roster changes to help the team, or whether next year is yet another bust.