PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Sidney Crosby understands the price of disappointment. And while others — namely Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma — will likely face the consequences following another early playoff exit, the NHLs brightest star isnt shirking his share of the blame. The way Crosby sees it, Pittsburghs failings lie with the guys who pull the sweaters over their heads. "At the end of the day we feel responsible," Crosby said Thursday. "We are the guys that go out there and want to perform and want to win and we have that expectation." Ones that werent met for a fifth straight spring after the Penguins frittered a 3-1 series lead in an eventual seven-game loss to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. A half-decade after hoisting the Stanley Cup in Detroit at age 21, Crosby and the franchise he represents are still searching for a bookend. "Its difficult to win and I dont think theres been any lack of effort from players, coaches, anybody in the conversation," Crosby said. "I dont think its been a lack of trying." There has, however, been a lack of doing. The Penguins have been a marvel during the regular season under Bylsma, who is 252-117-32 since taking over for Michel Therrien in the late stages of the 2008-09 season. Yet all those regular-season triumphs havent prevented Pittsburgh from being knocked out of the playoffs by a lower-seeded team five straight times. Pressed on what needs to change, Crosby didnt point to the coaching staff but instead a shift in mindset, particularly when the post-season begins. "Maybe we need to adjust the way we play a little bit better and play more physical," Crosby said. Its a challenge the Penguins have faced relentlessly during the Crosby era. The leagues leading scorer and likely MVP scored just once in 13 playoff games — a career low — and spent plenty a month on the receiving end of punishment from Columbus centre Brandon Dubinsky and New York defenceman Marc Staal. Crosby insists he wasnt rattled, even if at one point in Game 6 against the Rangers he found himself on the bottom of a dog pile with New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist squirting him with a water bottle. Not exactly the best position to ward off a comeback. "Im not saying I cant be better," Crosby said. "I dont think my focus was lost. ... You can go back to the years we won and youre not going to see anything different but we won and thats a big thing." And it will be the focus going forward regardless of who is in the front office or behind the bench. While Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will have their numbers hanging in the dressing room when the club reconvenes in September, there could be plenty of new ones hanging alongside them. Forward Jussi Jokinen — whose seven playoff goals led the Penguins — is an unrestricted free agent. So is Lee Stempniak, who never quite meshed with Crosby after being brought in near the trading deadline. Defenceman Brooks Orpik, the teams longest tenured player, may be done in Pittsburgh after 11 seasons. Matt Niskanen, arguably the teams best defenceman all season, will hit the open market and may command too high a price to stick around. Then theres goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who played steadily throughout the playoffs but knows he could be expendable with one year left on his current deal. "I really hope I stay," Fleury said. "Its my team here. Its where I want to play." Its a sentiment echoed throughout the locker room. For all the misery that accompanied the stunning fall against New York, Pittsburghs talented core remains in the midst of their primes. Crosby is 26. Malkin is 27. So is defenceman Kris Letang. Fleury is still months away from turning 30 and bounced back from a miserable 2013 post-season by holding the Rangers to just 15 goals in seven games. "I dont know if theres many problems," forward Brandon Sutter said. "I think its more little things that arent really huge. Maybe fresh ideas can change that. I dont think theres much that needs to be fixed, maybe a few things shaken up. Theres a few different ways. It doesnt necessarily mean anyone has to leave." In theory, perhaps. The Penguins know they are constructed to raise championship banners, not flame out in the post-season. Yet it keeps happening. "Expectations are high," Crosby said. "If you dont deliver you have to own up to that as players and as an organization. We all understand that. Well see what happens from here." NBA Jerseys Outlet . The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night. Stitched NBA Jerseys .75 million contract for the 2014 season and avoided arbitration. The team announced the agreement on Tuesday. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/. Anderson shook off some unusually poor shooting and hit two clutch 3-pointers in overtime that carried the New Orleans Pelicans to a 111-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic . The Raptors (15-15) posted six road victories last month and have won seven of their last nine games overall. Toronto visits the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Clearance NBA Jerseys . Rob Klinkhammer and Mikkel Boedker scored 63 seconds apart in the first period for the Coyotes, who handed the Kings their third straight loss and took over sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. Mike Smith made 36 saves.TORONTO – Dion Phaneuf typically only lands in the glare of Torontos spotlight when the team is mired in controversy (and there have been many) or when hes made such an obvious error that hockey hubs cant help but take notice. Sometimes it does seem like thats the only time that you want to talk to me, but Ive got no problem with that, said Phaneuf with a grin ahead of the Leafs sixth win in eight games, a 4-1 topping of the Calgary Flames. Truth is, Phaneuf has bounced back after a turbulent conclusion to last season. Less is typically more with the 29-year-old and with some changes to his deployment this season, Toronto is getting more from their captain. He came into Tuesdays action with a 47 per cent possession (Corsi), up substantially from the paltry 40.8 per cent mark of a year ago and a prime factor in the Leafs (mildly) improved possession as a whole this season. I feel good about the way that Ive been playing, but I feel good about the team and how weve been playing, said Phaneuf, who had two assists in nearly 24 minutes on Tuesday night. Phaneuf played some of the most difficult minutes of any defender in the league last year, eventually crumbling under the weight of that burden down the stretch. But the Leafs have eased those pressures somewhat this year, employing him more like Ron Wilson did before his dismissal. For one, theyve not buried him in the defensive zone quite as often. Phaneuf had the lowest offensive zone start percentage of any defender in hockey a year ago – 22.7 per cent – but that number has risen closer to 30 per cent this year. His defensive zone starts, meanwhile, have dropped nearly five percentage points to less than 32 per cent. Thats meant just a few less onerous shifts slogging it out in the defensive zone against the likes of Crosby, Stamkos and Ovechkin and more opportunity for offence (though Phaneuf has just six even-strength points so far). Phaneuf still absorbs the lions share of matchups against opposing top lines, but the presence of Roman Polak as a secondary option has helped ease that burden slightly. Prior to going down with a strained left knee, the 28-year-old Polak was able to absorb some of the tougher minutes from Phaneuf and perform adequately in doing so. The Leafs didnt have that player last year, someone the coaching staff felt trustworthy in difficult situations, and set about landing Polak and 37-year-old Stephane Robidas for such a remedy. A different partner (and side) has also made a difference. Cody Franson, an analytics favourite, has found a nice, and perhaps unexpected, fit with Phaneuf on the teams top pair. Phaneuf is driving the play more often when he plays with the 27-year-old, a big change from last season, his performance mostly dipping with Carl Gunnarsson, who battled year-long hip problems. Up for unrestricted free agency next summer, Franson has blossomed with the increase in responsibility. I think Fransons emerged and played a stronger defensive game, Carlyle said. Phaneuf is also evidently more comfortable now playing the left side after a career spent mostly on the right. The Leafs have additionally tried to use their captain just a tad less – mostly at even-strength. Phaneuf was admittedly worn down by the time March came around last spring and the club has subsequently tried to tame those minutes early in the year. I think weve made a conscious effort to try not to get the 25-minute plus nights in there, Carlyle noted. Phaneuf is actually playing about the same amount on average – around 23 minutes – but not nearly as much as he did early in the season last fall. He was pushing 25 minutes a night from October through January, the club having no choice but to curb his minutes down the stretch of another untimely playoff collapse. The slight cut may not sound like much at this point in early December, but when the stretch drive rolls around, it will. [Its] not something you notice night in and night out, Phaneuf said, but I feel that over the long haul of a year and the amount of hockey that you do play, that it definitely probably helps. All of this doesnt change the sizeable contract – six years to go with an annual cap hit of $7 million – nor the question it poses for the club long-term, but its clear that by asking him to do less, the Leafs are getting more right now from their captain. Five Points 1. Habits Jonathan Bernier has stopped all but three of the 79 shots he faced in the past two games, including 32 of 33 against the Flames. Like he did against the Canucks over the weekend, the 26-year-old made a pair of key stops just before the Leafs jumped in front on Tuesday, first on Jiri Hudler in the slot and then on Johnny Gaudreau after that. Hes making a couple cross-crease saves every game that were on the bench going Holy jumpin, how is he doing this? said Peter Holland enthusiastically afterward. Thats huge for us. Its year two of Berniers bid to establish himself as viable no. 1 in the NHL and thats meant different habits on and off the ice from his days as a backup with the Kings. Its completely different, he said. When you pplay 10, 15 games a year, youve got to stay on after practice for more than an hour almost.dddddddddddd Rest is not what you need; you need reps when you dont play much. When you play a lot, you rely on [a] short practice or morning skate to stay sharp and obviously when you play that many games you dont really have to stay sharp in practice you just play so much right. Bernier, who made 54 starts total with Los Angeles, is on pace for nearly 60 alone this season in Toronto. To manage that workload, hes tried to get more rest where possible, cutting down on his practice time and opting out of some morning skates. Thats the time that you want to rest as well, he says. Bernier was making his ninth straight start Tuesday, which set a new career-high. 2. No. 1 Berniers track record is probably still too thin to gauge just how good he is or can be, but the numbers look promising in his brief Toronto tenure. Save Percentage from start of 2013-14 to present (entering Tuesday’s play) Goalie Save Percentage Carey Price .925 Tuukka Rask .925 Semyon Varlamov .924 Ben Bishop .922 Sergei Bobrovsky .922 Jonathan Bernier .921 Jaroslav Halak .921 Jonathan Quick .921 Roberto Luongo .920 Corey Crawford .919 *Minimum 50 games played Im feeling pretty confident, pretty comfortable in there, said Bernier after Tuesdays outing. 3. Still Dry He didnt have a shot on goal through two periods, but Phil Kessel did score for the third time in four games, an empty-netter that sealed victory and obfuscated what was another quiet night for the Leafs best player. It was just the second even-strength goal and third even-strength point for the 27-year-old in the past 11 games. His line, which came through with a power play goal from James van Riemsdyk, was the least effective of the four for Toronto – outshot and out-possessed badly by the feisty Flames. Kessel, van Riemsdyk, and Tyler Bozak were all held under 30 per cent possession at even-strength. Teams are pinning their best defencemen up against them and its difficult to get them away from the defensive matchup because if you dont win a faceoff, then the opposition has an opportunity to change, Carlyle said, citing a slew of lost faceoffs in the final period. Kessel continues to lead the Leafs in scoring, a good chunk of that production lately coming on the leagues 10th ranked power play. 4. Assertiveness Scoring for the seventh time this year on Tuesday night, Peter Holland set a new career-high – doing so in a dozen fewer games than last season. Joffrey Lupul, who extended his point streak to five games with an assist on Hollands goal, detailed the difference he noticed in the 24-year-old from year to year. Hes got a little more confidence, said Lupul, and I think hes a little more assertive physically, which is a tough thing for a younger guy in the league right when youre breaking in, to start battling from junior hockey and American League defencemen to NHL. But hes certainly a lot more assertive this year. 5. Winnik on the PK Occupying the role previously played by Jay McClement, Daniel Winnik is leading all NHL forwards in shorthanded ice-time this season. Winnik, who actually killed penalties alongside McClement in Colorado, is averaging nearly four minutes per game, just edging out Red Wings forward Drew Miller for the overall lead despite playing three fewer games. Lately, Randys been really trying to get me out there as much as possible on the PK, Winnik said. That would be an understatement. Winnik drew nearly eight and a half minutes on the kill over the weekend against Vancouver, pushing nearly six minutes a few nights earlier against Dallas. Hes been effective too, helping rally Torontos penalty kill from the doldrums of last season to a spot just outside the top 10 so far. You look at the team last year and they didnt have a great penalty kill and I knew that theyd want to improve on it and I knew by signing here that that would be my role is to help the penalty kill get better, Winnik said. Stats Pack 12-0-0 – Leafs record when scoring first this season, one of only two teams with an unbeaten mark. 8 – Points for Nazem Kadri in the past six games, including just his second on the power-play against the Flames. 3 – Even-strength points for Phil Kessel in the past 11 games. 9.71% – Leafs league-leading 5-on-5 shooting percentage entering Tuesdays play. 5-games – Point streak for Joffrey Lupul, who has eight points in that span. 7 – Goals for Peter Holland this season, a career-high. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-2 Season: 21.2% PK: 2-3 Season: 83.3% Quote of the Night Hes making a couple cross-crease saves every game that were on the bench going Holy jumpin, how is he doing this? - Peter Holland, on the recent play of Jonathan Bernier. Up Next The Leafs visit the Red Wings on Wednesday. ' ' '