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After all, they had reached the final the year before. There was no reason to believe that they would not reach it again and again and again. But while Crosby’s facial hair has become a bit fuller and thicker in the last six years, his playoff resume remains just as bare.

The Penguins, who only made it past the second round once in the last five years, have never made it back to the final. This year, they are no longer favourites to win the Cup. After losing 4-3 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, they might not even make the playoffs.

With two games remaining, the Penguins are still in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference standings with 96 points. They are only two points back of the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division, but are also just one point ahead of the Bruins and Senators for the final playoff spots.

Having lost their last four games — and with just three wins in their last 13 games — this could be the first time since Crosby’s rookie season in 2005-06 that Pittsburgh does not make the playoffs.

If that happens — if the Penguins cannot turn things around in their final games of the season against the Islanders and the last-place Buffalo Sabres — we could be talking about the end of an era in Pittsburgh. We could be seeing big changes. Sure, making the playoffs is getting more and more difficult. This year, the defending champion Los Angeles Kings could also miss, while the San Jose Sharks were eliminated from contention on Tuesday.