We now sit about halfway through the season, and right now, the Penguins are on a five game losing streak. This is the longest losing streak that they have had to face all season. It seems like there’s been a little bit of everything. Like all slumps, it can’t be attributed to one factor.

Both the offense, and the defense has had its bad days. Their last 6-2 loss against the Panthers was mainly the defense, and the 2-0 shutout by the New Jersey Devils was the offense (second goal was on an empty net).

However, during this stretch, the Penguins have only faced one injury. That’s Gonchar, and he’s questionable for Tuesday’s game against Atlanta. My point is, that the Penguins have not had to face the same amount of injuries that the rest of the NHL has, so that hasn’t been a serious problem.

The question is how much of Pittsburgh’s winning was the result of intimidation, and whether or not that intimidation is gone.

Intimidation is a part of the game. Every great team with great players had intimidation going for them. The Soviet Union with its lineup of legendary players, or the 2002 Detroit Red Wings with their lineup of all star players (voted the team of the decade). It’s definitely a benefit of being a great team.

The Penguins will always have intimidation as long as they have this all star roster. With strong players that are destined for the hall of fame, and an outstanding goalie in between the pipes, it’s definitely puts other teams in awe.

Do you remember the beginning of the season? The Penguins were rolling over everybody. They ended up finishing October with an 11-3-0 record.

At the same time, I can remember news stories about the “Penguins’ Unbeatable Lineup” or the “Team of the Decade”. This is something that the other NHL teams had to have heard, and the Championship Rings on their fingers only added to the show.

How much intimidation do you think stories like that added to the minds of opposing players?

Obviously, 11-3 in a month is very good, and you don’t expect those numbers for the entire season. However, you also don’t expect a five game losing streak out of an “Unbeatable Lineup”, especially a few losses against teams that aren’t even in the top eight.

It’s interesting that at the same time the media hype shifts away from the Penguins and to other things like Brodeur and the Winter Classic, that the Penguins start to fall in the standings. They’re no longer the top team in the Eastern Conference.

However, I don’t really think that that had much of an effect on the game itself. I think that more intimidation was lost when the Penguins fell into fourth place, and stayed there. They have been replaced as the top team in the NHL. They have been replaced by a few teams that are struggling for the top spot like San Jose, Chicago, New Jersey, and Washington.

Now, when teams play the Penguins, they believe they have a chance. That’s just because the Penguins have slipped out of the top of the standings, and have been kept out of the top of the standings.

If the Penguins want to regain that intimidation, they have to start winning games. If they’re going to win games, they can’t let other teams think they have a chance. Right now, that’s not happening, and it’s definitely making the Pens’ lives harder.

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