'You can't rely on Philly': Pittsburgh Penguins fans down after season falters

Brandon Kocent, a diehard Pittsburgh Penguins fan, was deflated like many others in Western Pennsylvania after the team’s push for a playoff spot fell apart before the final game.

One of the scenarios for the Penguins to sneak into the postseason called for the Washington Capitals to lose against the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night. The Flyers did not deliver.

“You can’t rely on Philly for anything, even when you need them,” said Kocent, 44, of Dayton, Pa.

The Penguins will take to the ice one more time this season on Wednesday for a meaningless game at the New York Islanders.

Kocent said he believes the Penguins had many missed opportunities.

“We were in the driver’s seat there for a minute,” he said.

Rooting for the Philadelphia Flyers

For Mark Volkwein, the confirmation Tuesday night was disheartening, especially after he witnessed the team make a run toward the end of the season.

Rooting for the Flyers felt very awkward, he recalled, while laughing. His 8-year-old daughter even asked him if he was feeling all right.

Volkwein, 40, of Slippery Rock, was a partial season ticket holder this year. He was really looking forward to the season. However, he believes the team had the same struggles as last season.

“The power play was absolutely horrendous the past two years,” he said. “I definitely think that we should have a different approach when it comes to the power play.”

He doesn’t believe it was a coaching issue — but rather, a goalie issue. The coaching staff shouldn’t be changed at all, Volkwein said. He believes goalie Tristan Jarry did not live up to expectations and should depart Pittsburgh.

Will coach Mike Sullivan stay?

For Kocent, a change in coaching might be a good idea. Coach Mike Sullivan was hired by the Penguins in 2015 and has led the team to two Stanley Cup championships.

“I normally don’t like to immediately blame the coach, but at the same time, sometimes things get stale,” Kocent said. “Would a change in the management shake things up? Maybe.”

Despite the team’s staleness, Kocent said he respects Sullivan.

“I respect the man and his hockey IQ,” he said. “But something’s not working.”

Throughout the season, Kocent said it seemed there were times the Penguins almost had it figured out, but kept falling short.

“It was almost like one step forward, two steps back,” he said. “That’s not a winning formula for sure.”

Another fix for upcoming seasons, Volkwein and Kocent said, would be to get a younger and faster team and surround the Penguins’ core players.

“Our success back in ‘16 and ‘17 was absolutely the speed game,” Volkwein said. “A lot of the team isn’t up to par to be able to contend with these other teams who are getting younger.”

Future for Crosby, Malkin

Though center Evgeni Malkin is now 37, Volkwein still believes he’s an asset.

“He brings a lot of energy to the room from what I understand,” he said.

Kocent said he believes Malkin’s age is definitely apparent.

“I know that there (were) interviews where he said he was going to adjust his game style to make up for his lack of speed and agility that he did show at an earlier age,” he said. “But I did not see that change.”

Captain Sidney Crosby isn’t going anywhere, Kocent said.

“He does not look like a player who wanted to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row,” he said. “Ride his coattails as long as you can.”

Years ago, Kocent turned his mother into a Penguins fan. Her basement is filled with Penguins memorabilia.

“She’s now diehard,” he said. “I think she cried last night when the Capitals won.”

Lisa Kocent, 63, of Dayton, said she has been in a “major depression” since Tuesday. She loves watching the Penguins in the playoffs.

“It just makes your heart race, and I just love the adrenaline rush,” she said. “I really, really thought they had a chance this year, at times I did not … it was kind of like up and down, up and down.”

Lisa Kocent believes it might be time to change some players and/or coaches around — anything to add a “spark” to the team.

David Cunningham has been watching the Penguins for more than 25 years, and he was bummed with the outcome of Tuesday night’s games.

He said he doesn’t want to place blame on any individual Penguins player or coach for the outcome of this year’s season — as people never know what’s going on behind the scenes.

“We don’t know all the ins and outs,” said Cunningham, 54, of Erie.

However, he agreed with Volkwein in that the Penguins’ power play needs work.

“Nobody wanted to get in front of the net,” Cunningham said. “(There were) too many unforced errors … (they) couldn’t get to (the) neutral zone without turnovers.”

Once the team acquired forward Michael Bunting, the power play improved, he said.

And Cunningham would love to see Jake Guentzel, a two-time 40-goal scorer in eight seasons with the Penguins, return from the Carolina Hurricanes. He was traded in March.

What the Penguins need is a smaller-scale rebuilding process so the team is able to contend in future seasons, Volkwein said.

“Obviously, we’re very, very fortunate to where we did have a team for all those years that was as successful as the Penguins were — even whenever it came to contending for the Stanley Cup in the playoffs,” he said.

Volkwein said he will still follow the NHL playoffs, but he definitely won’t be watching as much as if the Penguins had earned a bid.

It might be time to switch sports for the time-being, Brandon Kocent said, as the beginning of the Pirates’ season has proven to be exciting.

“We might have something to look forward to this summer,” he said.

As for the Penguins, Brandon Kocent said he’s looking forward to watching the team build upon the end of this season. He hopes the team finds a better role for Malkin.

“I don’t see him going anywhere,” he said. “I wish they would not rely on him so heavily.”

The defining moment in this season going downhill, according to Brandon Kocent, was the 6-0 loss to Washington right after the trade deadline.

“There was no heart — there was no soul,” he said. “That span right there might’ve cost them their chance. I don’t know what went on behind the scenes.”

Brandon Kocent said he’d love to see the Penguins be a more abrasive team moving forward.

“They know how to win,” he said.

Though it wasn’t the outcome she wanted, Lisa Kocent said she planned to watch the Penguins’ last game, as well as the NHL playoffs.

“I usually do watch it to the end because I like hockey, and I like to see who wins,” she said.

Cunningham will still be watching despite seeing the Penguins’ season be cut short. The offseason for Pittsburgh should be interesting, he said.

“Hopefully, next year’s better.”