“Free Sidney Crosby”: NHL fans react to Penguins' embarrassing 6-2 loss to Blue Jackets for their third straight defeat

Fans reacted as Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 6-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, marking their third straight defeat. The loss came against a lower-ranked Metropolitan Division team, making it their 11th defeat in 14 games.

The Blue Jackets ended their six-game losing streak, while the Penguins' struggles continued. Fans shared their disappointment on another loss for Sidney Crosby. One fan wrote:

"Free Sidney Crosby," showing sympathy for the Penguins captain.

Another said:

"We might land the first overall pick at this rate man. Yikes……"

Criticism also targeted coach Mike Sullivan. A fan commented:

"The 3rd line of grinders.. Pulji-DOC-Poulin noticeable every shift together, but Sully didn't lean on them this game.. #FireSully."

"LOSERS!!! Sullivan better be fired before tomorrow’s game — this team has 100% quit on him and his style!!!" another fan commented.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"I'd say we're close to the green light to start calling up some younger guys. ...and to getting rid of Jarry," a fan said.

"This is worse than expected But the fact that so many of you seem to think a front office change would magically turn things around haven’t got a clue," another fan said.

"All that talent and the Penguins suck! Going to be a very long season and no playoffs, again!," one fan commented.

"Can’t wait for Sullivan to say how he was proud of how they battled through adversity tonight," a fan said.

---

Sidney Crosby asks for consistency after Penguins' loss

The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2. Zach Aston-Reese scored first at 2:20 of the first period. Zach Werenski made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 8:39.

Anthony Beauvillier responded for the Penguins at 11:51, batting the puck in from behind the net. Michael Bunting made it 2-2 at 12:06 on the power play, but Mathieu Olivier put Columbus back in front at 16:27.

In the third period, Dmitri Voronkov extended Columbus' lead to 4-2 at 1:56, scoring off his own rebound. Damon Severson added a goal at 9:49 from the slot before Cole Sillinger scored into an empty net at 15:32 to secure the win.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby stressed the need for consistency, saying the team must stay committed to their style.

“We’re looking for [consistency], obviously,” Crosby said. “We’ve got to commit to play the same way. That’s not always easy to do. There’s a lot of things that can affect that. We can’t allow anything to change the way we play.”

The Penguins play San Jose Sharks next on Saturday.