Penguins 2012, failure?

           Pittsburgh's 5-1 defeat in Game Six was an unexciting, boring game that pretty much summed up the whole series.  The Penguins entered the playoffs second in the Eastern Conference, yet with the current playoff formatting entered as a four seed. This ultimately set up a date with the hated cross-state rival, Philadelphia Flyers. Philadelphia has undoubtedly had the Penguins' number the past two seasons and has owned Pittsburgh in their new digs, the Consol Energy Center.  Still with all these factors, Pittsburgh came reeling into the playoffs with a modest three game winning streak against the Eastern Conference elite, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.  The Penguins seemingly had all the tools necessary to make a run at the Cup.  The Defense seemed to be sure, and a healthy Kris Letang made everyone feel pretty comfortable about the situation.  Marc-Andre Fleury posted 42 wins in the regular season and had to be a workhorse with Brent Johnson's injuries, so goal-tending also seemed to be right on par. The offense, obviously is the strength.  The Penguins have the ability to score eight goals a game and think nothing of it.  Evgeni Malkin put up an MVP type season, James Neal looked to be the power forward Pittsburgh has coveted all along, and well Sidney Crosby was back and playing fairly well. This team had it all on the outside, yet did they have it altogether as it seemed?
         Pittsburgh's issues were clearly evident throughout the series.  Pittsburgh made too many mental mistakes. Penalties doomed this team from the onset.  It came full circle when Matt Cooke took an interference penalty in the first period in Sunday's 5-1 defeat and allowed Philadelphia to take a 2-0 advantage, something they never looked back from. Pittsburgh was playing fine to that point despite the early Flyer goal, but the 2-0 deficit seemed greater than it really was. With many mental mistake (not counting the Game 3 debacle), the Penguins were put in uncomfortable situations all series long. The penalty kill was very flat and passive.  The Flyers were able to fire shots away and find the right angles all series long, and finished with twelve goals with a man advantage to Pittsburgh's nine. Pittsburgh actually had more chances on the power play, very much aided by the nine chances in game 4, but with all that talent on the Pittsburgh power play, they posted a 31% conversion rate.  Usually that number would be just fine, but the way the defense was playing it was imperative for Pittsburgh to take any chance they got, and they failed to do so.
            So with everything considered, did the Penguins flop this season?  Pittsburgh blew a 3-0 lead in Game One. They gave up lead after lead in Game Two losing 8-5, and took out their frustrations in an embarrassing 8-4 loss in Game three.  Pittsburgh did something right in Game 4 with an impressive, record tying 10 goals in a postseason game, and put off elimination in Game Five, but the same problems arose in Game Six. Fleury looked overwhelmed, the defense stayed passive, and the offense got bullied all over the ice.  Pittsburgh's run in 2012 was amazing. A Six Game losing streak in late December and early January had the city in panic, yet the Penguins followed that up with an eight game winning streak. The team rallied from the middle of the pack to nearly catch the New York Rangers during a magical 11 game winning streak down the stretch.  The second most points in the league, the league's best player this season in Evgeni Malkin, and the return of Sidney Crosby gave everyone hope that the cup may come back to Pittsburgh this summer. The Flyers put that notion to rest early. The Penguins did not play the same brand of Hockey they did the previous two months. I think with the talent they have, the series should not have gone the way it did. The Flyers deserve a lot of credit, but the more talented team did not come out on top. Dan Bylsma brought a Cup to Pittsburgh in 2009. His team has won lots and lots of games, but it is what it is. The Penguins have gotten out of the first round only once since the Stanley Cup season. The 2010 Penguins fell to Eighth seeded Montreal in the second round, The Cosby-less and Malkin-less Penguins squandered a 3-1 lead to Tampa Bay Lightning last year, and the heavily champion favorite 2012 bunch fell to the Flyers in Six.  These have not been ideal postseason runs, especially for a franchise that should expect better.  The Penguins arguably have the best players in the league when both are healthy and at full strength, and a slew of guys that hoisted the Cup not long ago. I do not know what the problem is, but Dan Bylsma is officially on the hot seat for 2012. Also with the way Hockey teams manage themselves, he may have a real short leash going forward. This team is more than capable of hoisting the cup next season, but they also were able to do the same this season. Changes in some form will be coming, they have to.