It’s hard to believe that this is the same team that started 6-0 and demolished Notre Dame 9-1.
Penn State lost 4-1 to No. 4 Ohio State Friday, and frankly the scoreline should’ve been much worse.
It’s not like the Nittany Lions haven’t faltered lately, and a defeat to a top-five team — the Big Ten’s best team by a wide margin — shouldn’t be damning.
It’s how it happened that’s worrying.
You could point to the five stick penalties, or the lackadaisical approach in the defensive zone, or the five unsuccessful power-play attempts in the last two periods, or the inability to string together passes — both complex and basic.