Team plays great for two periods and change.

Nolachari of all people turns to the inside of the rink,

defensive blue line, hands the puck to one of the world's premier players.

Nikita Kuturav goes in all alone on a breakaway against Tristan Jari.

And there goes the tie game.

There goes the entire game.

And yeah, good morning to you.

On that happy note, good Monday morning, I'm Dan Kovato, which of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports.

This is Daily Shot of Penguins. It comes your way bright and early every weekday.

If you're into football and or baseball, I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Pirates that are just about as cheery these days.

Lightning 5, Penguins 2, not sure that the Penguins have had a more impressive overall performance in a loss all season,

but that and zero points will still get you zero points.

Achari took it hard.

Achari took it personally.

Achari showed every bit of accountability you'd want to see from a veteran.

But this result, when coupled with getting absolutely bombed by the senators 24 hours earlier,

yeah, this is starting to take on the feel of a team that needs something to push it through,

that needs some nudge to get it across the line to be a whole lot less like the Ottawa game,

a whole lot more like the Tampa Bay game, and ultimately, you know, putting up results like the Edmonton game.

Is it there? Yeah, I mean, I'm going to continue to insist on this. I'm not suggesting that the

Penguins are some sort of cup contender or whatever. They ought to be in the playoffs. Once you're in

the playoffs, especially in a conference that's, you can call it mediocre, I choose to call it tight,

...