Sidney Crosby Reveals One Thing the Penguins Must Fix to Start Winning Again

The new NHL season has just begun, and a number of teams are hoping to rebound after a poor performance last season.

Among them is Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins, hoping to regain their status as strong competitors after losing their second game this season, yesterday to the Anaheim Ducks.

The West Coast road trip for Dan Muse's team came to a disappointing start, but the game itself was closer than most anticipated. A crucial surge, specifically execution on the special teams, swung the pendulum the way of Anaheim.

The Penguins' catalyst in Crosby, remarked afterward that the Penguins need to play a consistent game and also play better on special teams if they want to turn the tables.

At 2-2 to start the season, the Penguins are trying to strike a balance between optimism and urgency.

The veteran trio of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang continues to anchor the lineup, but the team's identity has shifted from perennial Stanley Cup hopefuls to determined playoff hopefuls after missing the postseason for a third straight year.

A new coaching staff behind the bench and new faces throughout the summer have the Penguins hoping a combination of experience and youthful energy will propel them back into the mix.

With the details locked in tight now and the Metro Division battle about to heat up, the emphasis is on refining the details from the special teams to the defensive system.

Ahead for the Penguins, each game has additional meaning. The test is obvious: create early consistency and show that this season's "retooling" will, for the first time, permit cautious optimism to blossom into a real postseason drive.