BOSTON -- We're ranging close to uncharted waters for the Mike Sullivan-led Penguins, if we're not there already.
If you take away the four straight losses that started Sullivan's bench tenure, Friday afternoon's 4-3 defeat to the Bruins at TD Garden marked just the second time under the Boston-born coach that the Penguins have lost three straight games in regulation.
Pending the results of the evening's NHL slate, the Penguins could actually find themselves out of a playoff position by the time they wake up in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning. That hasn't been the case in nearly two calendar years, also in the early stages of Sullivan's stewardship.
From an individual perspective, Ian Cole was a healthy scratch Friday, a first for him since February 2016 and the first time this season one of the Penguins' 'core' players was consigned to the press box without an injury.
"Performance is always the dictator," Sullivan said, referring to Cole's banishment.
Unfortunately for the Penguins, the one part of all this that does feel familiar is how they began Friday's game: Chasing that little piece of black rubber.
Their generous nature in the first period empowered the young and frisky Bruins to walk all over them, building a 2-0 lead that Matt Murray did well to survive with his temper intact. If Wednesday's start against the Canucks was a little too loose for anyone's liking, then this one was a full-fledged spinout:
The Bruins' two early goals were only part of a 14-shot, 26-attempt barrage, but they tell the story nicely.
On the first, Jake Guentzel tries to pass through two sticks in the middle of his own zone, and on the second, Carter Rowney's blue-line turnover gives Boston's rookie defenseman, Charlie McAvoy, a chance to circle the net and scramble the Penguins' collective brain.
"We didn't show up," Kris Letang said. "No urgency to our game right off the bat. Get behind it and give (confidence to) a team that's young and skilled. It's tough after that to come back in a game and sustain energy."
Rally they did, though, netting three goals in an ice-tilting second period that sent the game to the final intermission tied, 3-3. The Penguins seem to have gotten past that early-season habit of turtling after sinking starts, not that it was any consolation to the visitors after David Pastrňák's breakaway goal went against the grain of a Penguins-controlled third:
Unlucky bounce? Maybe, after Letang's point shot was blocked and fell right at Riley Nash's feet for the long bomb ahead.
"I have to make sure I get it through," Letang said.
"It always goes with the result of the game," Letang said. "We can't string wins, so it's tough to have swagger going when you don't get wins. It goes like that. That's the way it is."
That sounds a little different from the 'just play' mantra espoused by Sullivan since Day 1 in charge. Process is king in his world, as he reiterated again Friday afternoon, even after admitting the loss was "disheartening" because of how well they responded to trailing by two twice.
As Crosby hinted, though, perhaps the Penguins' lack of traction in the standings could push them to conjure up the focus they've lacked. Another searching star in that locker room might agree.
"Yes, we have to build through the process and play well," Letang said, "but you look at the standings now and wins are important."