Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse wants to turn down the volume during Penguins games.
Not the goal horn. Not the PA microphone. Not even the constant banging of Iceburgh’s “Let’s Go Pens” drum.
Muse isn’t bothered by any of those things.
It’s the constant buzzing of opposing players around the net, the ringing of iron off the cage and cries of tension by the fans whenever the other team has the puck in the Penguins’ zone.
“The quality is too high,” Muse said of opposing scoring chances lately. “It’s just too loud.”
Muse may have been using a sonic reference to paint a visual image after Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to Colorado. But it sure does get the point across.
“It’s not chances where it’s to the outside,” Muse said. “It’s plays into the slot. Guys are open there. Some of them are odd-man rushes, whether it’s a breakaway, or some of the other ones that we’re giving. We’ve got to do a better job there in terms of cleaning that up.”
Calling this play The Pitt because it was SURGICAL ???? pic.twitter.com/zTrRQ1KYLz
— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 24, 2026
He’s right. Things have been way too noisy in Pittsburgh’s end of the ice recently, and he’d like to pump up the volume on the offensive end a little bit as well.
“Both sides of the puck, we’ll keep looking at the quality (chances) that we’re creating, and what we may be doing better to convert on those, and quieting down some of the chances we’ve given up,” Muse continued.
The coach isn’t alone in his assessment. His players’ ears are ringing too.
“I don’t think we’re giving up more (chances) than we have in the past. I think some of the plays we are giving up are the big plays,” forward Justin Brazeau said after Tuesday’s loss. “It’s such a good league, if you give guys like that opportunities, they are going to capitalize.”
In the case of Tuesday night specifically, it’s guys like 46-goal scorer Nathan MacKinnon and 34-goal scorer Martin Necas who ended up burying some of those good looks. In the case of Necas, he did so twice.
“That’s a fair assessment,” winger Bryan Rust said. “For the majority of the games we are playing well, but when we do give up chances, they’re really, really good.”
Some of the numbers underscore Rust’s point. Since the Olympics ended, the Penguins have been allowing an average of 27.8 shots on goal per game. Over the Penguins’ most recent stretch where they have dropped three of their last four, they’ve allowed 31.3
That’s an increase, but not a dramatic one — especially when you consider two of those games went to overtime.
However, the team has allowed 5.3 goals against in that time, as opposed to 3.7 per contest since the Olympic break and 3.03 on the season.
Granted, the goaltending needs to be better. Neither Arturs Silovs nor Stuart Skinner has been good enough lately, but they aren’t getting much help either.
“It’s not one thing. It’s not how I’m seeing it,” Muse said. “We’re in the offensive zone. We’re trying to make a play. They pressure. They get it. They get a breakaway. Sometimes those types of things will happen. I think it feels like they’re happening too often.”
Pocket = Picked
Corner = Picked
MacKinnon = HIM pic.twitter.com/R0p7RnC5cq— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 24, 2026
Right now, Muse seems to be trapped in a remake of “Spinal Tap.” Every team the Penguins face has the amps “turned up to 11.” And with only 11 games left in the season, it’d be nice if the team could make its playoff push without having to deal with such a bad case of tinnitus.
Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer talk about the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins.