With Saturday evening's 4-3 loss to the Flyers on Saturday evening at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins are now 1-9 on the season in shootouts. Only two teams have zero shootout wins -- the Mammoth and Oilers, but the Mammoth have yet to play in a shootout this season and the Oilers are 0-3.

The Penguins' 1-9 mark is far and away the worst among all 32 NHL teams. In an Eastern Conference race that's tightening up, the Penguins are giving away precious points. But, just as important, it's taking a toll on the team's mentality.

"Yeah, I think it might be," Rickard Rakell said after the game. "I mean, everybody knows it. Everybody wants to score in the shootout. But, it might be one of those instances now where you're gripping the stick a little bit too tight and not really doing what we want to."

Rakell was one of the Penguins' three shooters, all failing to score. He, Anthony Mantha and Egor Chinakhov were denied by Dan Vladar or the right post while Trevor Zegras scored the only goal needed for the Flyers:

In shootouts, Penguins shooters have scored on just seven of their 27 attempts and their goaltenders have stopped 10 of 25 shots. It'd be one thing if they were failing just one way. But, this has been consistent throughout the season. Arturs Silovs has been scored on 13 times in 20 shootout attempts, the most among Penguins goaltanders. But, Sidney Crosby is 1 for 6 in shootouts and Bryan Rust is 1 for 5. In fact, Chinakhov is the only Penguins skater that has more than one shootout goal this season (2 for 4). 

Shootouts may not be real hockey, but they are causing real anxiety and real points for a team that's clinging to second place in the Metropolitan Division. If they can't find a way out, it could be the difference between making the playoffs or missing out altogether.