Looking at the incredible 8-3 score line, you’d be hard-pressed to believe that the opening 25 mins of the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals was a competitive affair. Both teams scored a goal a piece, but it all fell apart for Sidney Crosby’s team in the second period. The Capitals scored four goals, with Jakob Chychrun beating goalie Alex Nedeljokvic twice within five minutes.

Despite Alex Ovechkin not scoring a goal, shoddy defense and goaltending cost the Penguins dearly. Naturally, the uninspiring performance invited criticism, and ESPN’s P.K. Subban didn’t pull any punches. “This is a poorly built team. They’re undersized, undermanned, they’re soft, they’re set up to fail,” Subban said about the Penguins after the match.

However, Subban wasn’t equally harsh toward everyone on the team. Having watched Crosby lead Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off title, he demanded justice for the Team Canada captain. “Crosby deserves way more than this. At the level that he’s playing at, where he’s at right now in his game, this is not enough for Sidney Crosby to do some damage,” said Subban.

“He needs a better team around him,” added the analyst. It’s difficult to argue otherwise considering Crosby’s recent form at the 4 Nations Face-Off. In fact, the 37-year-old slipped the puck through Logan Thompson’s legs to equalize the scoreline at 2-2. Unfortunately, that was the final competitive moment of the game, as the Penguins’ defense crumbled under the pressure.

The blame, however, did not fall on the players. Instead, Subban fired all his shots at the Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas for not building a better team. “For me, it’s on Kyle Dubas,” said the former NHL defenseman-turned-analyst. The 35-year-old added that Dubas better pull up his socks and build the team around Sidney if that’s the president’s plan.

A massive loss is the last thing the Penguins needed after their playoff chances had already dwindled ahead of the 4 Nations break. Naturally, the disappointment in Sidney Crosby and coach Mike Sullivan’s voices was palpable during the post-game interviews.

Sidney Crosby and Coach Sullivan opened up on what went wrong

“Up until about six minutes left in the second there, we did a really good job,” Crosby confessed in the locker room. “Then I think we just we beat ourselves. We made some mistakes that were great opportunities for them,” said the 4 Nations Face-Off winner.

Coach Sullivan went more micro in his assessment. In fact, he remembered the turning point down to the seconds. According to the 56-year-old, the dynamic changed with “5 minutes and 43 seconds,” left in the second period when Chychrun fired his second goal to give the Capitals a 2-goal advantage.

“We chased offense. And when you chase offense, and when you don’t have a recognition of risk-reward, you give your opponents easy offense. And as a result, we beat ourselves in so many different ways. That’s the most disappointing part,” Sullivan said after the devastating loss. SI had cited a report by moneypuck.com in January saying the Penguins had a 1.9% to make the playoffs.

However, that chance took another hit after the disaster against the Capitals. The Penguins now sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan division with 55 only 55 points from 58 games. So it’s no surprise that P.K. Subban went off on the Pittsburgh Penguins administration. Yet, what do you think? Will Sidney Crosby and Co. somehow make it to the NHL playoffs? Write your views in the comments.