Low-scoring games aren't kind to Penguins

Coach Dan Bylsma celebrated the three-year anniversary of his hiring as Penguins coach by seeing the evening derailed by an old teammate in a game that was most certainly not classic Dan Bylsma hockey.

Teeme Selanne, who played with Bylsma for a year more than a decade ago, scored the winning goal as the Ducks skated off with a 2-1 win Wednesday.

Like most losses in the Bylsma era, the Penguins lost a low-scoring affair. When the Penguins are at their best under Bylsma, they prefer up-tempo, high-scoring games. This game was anything but the pond hockey affairs that saw the Penguins thrive over the weekend.

The Penguins rarely get outshot, but they did Wednesday. Perhaps more disturbing for Bylsma, who was not pleased with his team's effort, was that the Penguins managed just 13 shots on net.

For whatever reason, the Penguins seem to have more trouble in defensive, tight-checking games. Teams like New Jersey, which always play that style, give Bylsma's teams more trouble than others. Anaheim put together such a game plan to perfection, and perhaps its coach had something to do with this. Bruce Boudreau, who has enjoyed enormous regular-season success against Bylsma, figured out a way to handle Bylsma's team, which is still playing without star Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins return to action Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

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