"Sidney Crosby and Malkin need to be dealt": Pens fans voice frustration after falling to Panthers in shootout

Critics from the Pittsburgh Penguins fan base turned their lens on Sidney Crosby, acclaimed as one of the greatest hockey players of this generation, following a narrow 3-2 defeat to the Florida Panthers last Friday.

Although Sidney Crosby's contributions on the rink were significant, a last-minute equalizer by Evgeni Malkin could not ensure the Penguins' win at their PPG Paints Arena home ground.

Penguins followers, used to success, voiced annoyance on social media regarding the squad's latest difficulties. They highlighted Crosby's and Malkin's performances. The Penguins' captain displayed his skills but this didn't satisfy the fans expectations of the experienced player.

Malkin's tying goal in the third period wasn't enough to appease fans, as the team's overall shortcomings in recent games led to a wave of criticism on social media platforms.

Despite Sidney Crosby and Malkin's valiant efforts, the team's current three-game losing streak has ignited a storm of discontent among the fanbase.

The Panthers won due to the strong play of Sam Reinhart. He was a star during regulation and scored the deciding goal in the shootout.

The Penguins battle on, however. They have goals from two key players, Malkin and Jake Guentzel.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's efforts were not enough as Penguins fall to Panthers

The PPG Paints Arena witnessed an exciting game. Evgeni Malkin evened the score at 2-2. He did it brilliantly, using a one-timer from a backhand pass from Sidney Crosby. And all this was only 42 seconds before the game ended.

At the start, Jake Guentzel's power-play goal put Pittsburgh ahead. His goal at 1:51 came off a sharp pass from Bryan Rust. But the Panthers struck back quickly. Evan Rodrigues scored a power-play goal at 4:52. His clever backhand shot tied the game just outside the goalie's area.

As the match went on, it became physical. Aleksander Barkov had to briefly leave the game after a push by Kris Letang of the Penguins.

For that action and a trip on Rodrigues, Letang got penalized twice. Then, Sam Reinhart took advantage of these penalties. His strong one-shot at 11:49 made it 2-1 for Florida.

Near the end of the period, the Panthers racked up four penalties in the last 7:05. Even with extra power-play chances, Pittsburgh couldn't capitalize, scoring only once in eight tries.

The shootout saw the return of Reinhart as the star, helping Florida secure the win. The Panthers made two of three power plays count, doing just enough to beat the Penguins in an exciting battle.