Following Tuesday night’s 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff chances are not on solid ground like they once were.

Team captain Sidney Crosby’s four-week absence due to injury was when the team was supposed to prove that they could be a strong contender in the playoff race, even without their captain. But things began to look shaky for the team after Evgeni Malkin, who was supposed to step into the role of captain, received a five-game suspension due to a major misconduct.

Since then, the Penguins have shown the same inconsistent play that has been so familiar to fans throughout the past few years. Their recent performance does not at all reflect the team that they seemed to be pre-Olympic break.

Even with their captain back, they still can’t seem to find the chemistry they so desperately need.

Their game against the Avalanche on Tuesday highlighted the aspects of their play they struggle with.

They displayed poor communication and struggled to make any real offensive play, especially when on the power play. They were on the power play four times, but failed to score, while the Avalanche were on the power play three times and scored once.

Notably, their defense was also extremely faulty. In the past nine games, the Penguins have allowed 40 goals, with five of these games being regulation or overtime losses.

According to Tim Benz of the Trib, both Penguins goaltenders, Artus Silovs and Stuart Skinner, have save percentages under .900 for the season. In addition to this, they have allowed an average of 3.57 goals per game in the games following the Olympic break.

If the Penguins continue to play this way, fans cannot count on a real playoff run from this team. Or worse, they could risk not making the playoffs at all.