Column: Do these Penguins even care?

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Pittsburgh Penguins v Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets’ Nick Foligno fires from center ice into an open net to complete his hat trick today. — GETTY

BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC

COLUMBUS, Ohio — There is so much that can be so easily explained, even excused about the Penguins’ current crunch or collapse or whatever you’d choose to call it.

They’re missing Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, two titanic NHL talents.

They’ve been banged up and beaten down, short-handed on the bench because of cap issues.

They’ve run into rotten luck, from bad bounces to an unsustainably low shooting percentage.

And yeah, the refs are out to get them.

No, really, maybe they are. I genuinely can’t dismiss that concept anymore. Not after all that’s been witnessed these past couple weeks and again this afternoon in the 5-3 loss to the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Referees Greg Kimmerly and Brian Pochmara were beyond awful in missing a dangerous boarding by Columbus’ Cody Goloubef on Blake Comeau and much else, including infractions by the Penguins.

But the cold fact remains that the Penguins’ 3-7-1 slide has suddenly, stunningly imperiled their Stanley Cup playoff position — the ninth-place Senators are just five points back in the Eastern Conference — and the one component that can’t can’t be explained or excused, one that can’t be justified in any way, is plain old not giving a damn.

And this team, or at least three-quarters of it, appears not to give a damn.

Here’s Brandon Sutter on the effort level today …

Not to pick on Sutter. He scored and performed better than most. But his general reaction effectively summed up the room: This was OK. Not OK enough.

Here’s Mike Johnston on the effort level today. He thought it was better than OK …

Oh, my.

But let’s not limit this to ice level. Because it’s ultimately Jim Rutherford’s call how to handle Evgeni Malkin’s injury, and he was held out of this game even though the team earlier this week described the injury as ‘slight,’ even though he participated in a full practice yesterday, even though Johnston was able to forecast two hours before faceoff today that will play tomorrow in Philly.

Understand, I’m not questioning Malkin or the veracity of an injury. But I feel plenty comfortable questioning what kind of message was sent to the players on this day and even more comfortable questioning how arguably the team’s most pivotal player — the Penguins are now 3-8-2 without him — was clearly deemed optional on this day.

Good luck explaining or excusing that one.

Seriously, does anyone even care right now?

Or at least care at a sufficient level?

Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist did. They were all over the Columbus zone, skating relentlessly pushing toward Sergei Bobrovsky’s crease and, as a result, taking the dominant majority of the pounding from the opponent. It’s not like the Blue Jackets didn’t figure out which players they needed to slow down.

Marc-Andre Fleury cared. Four goals never looks good on a goaltender in Gary Bettman’s NHL, but he made several stupendous saves, and all four goals came on egregious giveaways or guys just loitering around him.

Ben Lovejoy cared. I asked him about effort, too.

This one is a must-view …

It’s one thing to pipe up when you’re playing poorly. Lovejoy turned in his best performance since returning via trade, and it was his third-period goal — followed by an emotional outburst from him and his mates on the ice — that sparked the only semblance of energy in the final eight minutes.

Lovejoy was positively seething at his stall.

So were Crosby, Fleury, Rob Scuderi and a couple others. The rest zipped up their bags and rushed out before having to face any questions themselves.

That’s your 2014-15 Pittsburgh Penguins, I dare say. At least as currently defined.

They’re legitimately gifted enough to beat some of the league’s elite teams and, at the same time, legitimately unfocused enough to lose focus, lose three two-goal leads in the past six games and lose … well, possibly their whole season before long.

Who will change this?

It’s convenient to point to Johnston, and it might end up being fairest. Any lack of effort in any sport reflects terribly on the coach, and a display like this one, in this set of circumstances, looks that much worse. What’s more, when Johnston was asked to describe the mood of his players afterward, he replied: “I’m not sure. Usually, after games, I go into the room for … I’ll talk to them for two minutes, and then I’ll let the guys be on their own.”

OK. I’ve supported the coach and his system from Day 1, but a slow fade is settling in. No Xs and Os matter without corresponding passion and discipline.

So maybe it will have to come from above.

I spoke with a team executive before this game about the options the team has in Wilkes-Barre, notably up front, to replace currently unproductive — or worse, unmotivated — players. And suffice it to say that, while the ideal view remains that Malkin, Letang and Christian Ehrhoff regain full health, and that the supporting cast somehow revitalizes itself, management is very much open to overriding the latter players with less talented but more energetic options once the salary cap expires for the postseason.

That would stink. On many levels.

But what else to do when Nick Spaling has no goals in 22 games, Chris Kunitz two in his past 29 games, Maxim Lapierre none in 25 games since coming from St. Louis, Daniel Winnik two in 17 games since coming from Toronto, Blake Comeau one in his past 19 games, Beau Bennett two since Thanksgiving and Craig Adams none since Halloween?

And I’m saving special mention for David Perron, who, in addition to an Edmonton-esque giveaway that essentially turned this game toward the Blue Jackets, has no points in his past seven games alongside a flying Crosby and four goals in his past 23 games.

I’m not suggesting Wilkes-Barre cavalry could come across I-80. That won’t happen. The cupboard is close to bare, and Kasperi Kapaenen, the isolated scorer, apparently will be protected. But man alive, it’s not like any promoted players could be any less productive. It’s not like the forwards in the fold are out there showing off all that skill.

Four games remain. That’s it.

“I know,” Fleury was saying, somewhat symbolically still seated in full pads after most everyone else had left. “And if we keep playing like this, we won’t make the playoffs. We just won’t.”

Imagine the disappointment.

For a hardy few, anyway.