As the Pittsburgh Penguins skid toward one of the worst records by any non-expansion team in pro sports history, maybe the 1989-1990 Quebec Nordiques offer some hope and encouragement.
Les Nordiques were the role models for losing, a miscast group of stars-to-be (Joe Sakic) or stars who no longer were (Guy Lafleur) that won only 12 of 80 games. None of the team's goalies had a goals-against average below 4.61, and the Nords finished 70 points behind division-winning Boston.
The Penguins probably won't quite reach a Nordiques-like level of ineptitude -- they must lose all but one of their final 20 to do so -- but their rapid fall from grace has been steep and almost without rival in recent NHL history.
PHOTO: AP
Three years after reaching the Eastern Conference finals and 11 years after winning a league-record 17 straight games, the two-time Stanley Cup champions haul an 18-game losing streak into Wednesday's game at Phoenix. No team in NHL history has lost so many in a row.
Just don't look for the streak in the NHL's record book. The Penguins' 3-2 loss in St. Louis on Feb. 14 came in overtime, which in the NHL is different from losing in regulation. But technicalities can't cover up what's going wrong with the Penguins, and that's a lot. They have lost 14 straight at home -- yes, that is a record -- and have won just twice over their last 26 games.
"Obviously, we're getting sick of losing," rookie forward Ryan Malone said.
"We keep losing the same way over and over," rookie defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "It's frustrating. It's disheartening."
To put their losing in perspective, their .192 winning percentage (when overtime losses are counted and ties are discarded) is below the .265 of last year's hopeless Detroit Tigers (43-119). It's above the impossibly low .110 of the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers (9-73), but not as good as the most renowned losers ever, the 1962 Mets (40-120, .250).
That's where those 1989-1990 Nordiques come into play.
Just like these Penguins, who have won only 66 of 226 over the last three seasons, the Nordiques' losing wasn't confined to a single dreadful season. A succession of poor finishes allowed them to draft a stream of stars (Sakic, Mats Sundin, Adam Foote, Owen Nolan, Eric Lindros) who became the foundation of their two Stanley Cup-winning teams in Colorado or were traded for others who did (Peter Forsberg).
The Penguins, who quickly disintegrated after they could no longer afford to pay their former stars (Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Robert Lang), have already drafted goalie-of-the-future Marc-Andre Fleury. A last-place finish would give them a nearly 50-50 chance of winning the draft lottery and getting the No. 1 pick, almost certain to be Russian star Alexander Ovechkin.
Landing Ovechkin, just as drafting Mario Lemieux did in 1984, might accelerate the Penguins' rebuilding effort by years. So could a more franchise-friendly collective bargaining agreement.
First, the Penguins must put this season behind them, and that won't be easy. They must win five more games -- no lock for this team -- to avoid setting a franchise record for fewest victories, currently held by that 1983-84 team (16-6-58).
No matter how quickly players such as Malone (18 goals) or Orpik develop, their play can't disguise the forgettable years by Kelly Buchberger (no goals or assists in 56 games), Rico Fata (a minus-38 rating) or Aleksey Morozov (33-game goal drought).
Clearly, the season is wearing on first-year coach Eddie Olczyk, who gets high marks from opposing coaches for always having his team ready to play. It's how they're playing that's the problem -- opposing players constantly left alone in prime scoring areas, checks that aren't delivered, key power plays that never seem to get killed, makable saves that repeatedly become gift goals.
"It's almost a broken record," Orpik said. "The coaches can yell and scream all they want but, if we don't start figuring it out ourselves, what are we going to do?"
Perhaps they don't want to know the answer.
"The young guys here are going to remember this for years to come," Malone said. "We're going to try to finish the season hard and take everything we can out of it."
As long as that doesn't include any more NHL records.
"We want to be better," goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin said. "But it's not easy."
Canadiens 4, Rangers 1
Jose Theodore made 31 saves to snap his five-game losing streak, and Saku Koivu had a goal and two assists, helping the Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers 4-1.
The Canadiens, tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference, lead the 12th-place Rangers by 13 points. With 20 games remaining, it appears New York will miss the playoffs for the seventh straight year.
Theodore was 0-5 with an .873 save percentage since playing in the All-Star game.
Panthers 2, Bruins 0
In Boston, Roberto Luongo made 38 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, handing Boston its first regulation loss in 13 games. The last Bruins defeat in regulation was a 2-1 home loss to the Panthers on Jan. 24.
Darcy Hordichuk and Andreas Lilja scored for Florida, 4-2-2-0 under new coach John Torchetti.
Boston has been shut out seven times this season, with six at home, a franchise record.
Lightning 6, Capitals 3
In Washington, Martin St. Louis sparked Tampa Bay's four-goal third period with a goal and two assists. St. Louis, who also had an assist in the first period, helped the Lightning take command in a third period where they outshot Washington 14-2.
Fredrik Modin and Dave Andreychuk scored power-play goals 73 seconds apart in the third period to give Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead. The Lightning was on a power play after Washington's Rick Berry drew a five-minute penalty for spearing Martin Cibak -- plus a game misconduct -- with 17:12 left.
Hurricanes 2, Maple Leafs 1
In Toronto, Ron Francis of the Hurricanes scored his 545th goal, surpassing Maurice Richard for 20th place on the NHL's career list.
Erik Cole also scored a power-play goal for the Hurricanes, who have won just two of their last 10 games.
Carolina went 2-for-3 on the power play after entering the game in a 0-for-11 slump. The Hurricanes are the worst ranked power-play team in the NHL.
Red Wings 1, Oilers 1
In Edmonton, Alberta, Nicklas Lidstrom's goal midway in the third period lifted the Red Wings into a share of first place in the overall NHL standings with the idle Ottawa Senators.
Jason Chimera scored in the first period for the Oilers, who are 10th in the West and in an uphill battle to qualify for the playoffs.
The Red Wings gave Marc Lamothe his first NHL start in four years and only the third of his career so they could rest goalie Manny Legace.
Mighty Ducks 1, Coyotes 1
In Glendale, Arizona, Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 37 saves in his season-high eighth straight start.
Jason Krog scored for the Mighty Ducks. Daymond Langkow scored and Brian Boucher made 23 saves for the Coyotes, who are 2-9-2-1 in their last 14 games. Phoenix's 10-13-5-2 home record and 27 points are the worst totals in the Western Conference.
Sharks 4, Blue Jackets 2
In San Jose, California, Jonathan Cheechoo scored the first of his two third-period goals on a penalty shot. Marco Sturm and Alyn McCauley scored first-period goals for the division-leading Sharks, who returned from a six-game road trip for their fourth victory in five games. Evgeni Nabokov made 24 saves.
San Jose also extended the Blue Jackets' road winless streak to 11 games (0-8-3). Columbus hasn't won on the road since a 3-2 overtime victory at the Shark Tank on Jan. 8.
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