PITTSBURGH - For more than a decade the Pittsburgh Penguins have made 'pond hockey' a way of life. It is a style of play that concentrates solely on skating up and down the ice and scoring as much as possible while taking a devil-may-care approach to defense. A little more than a month ago Pittsburgh changed its entire philosophy. The Penguins began adhering to their defensive responsibilities, backchecking, taking a check to clear their own zone and worrying more about keeping the puck out of their own net rather than depositing it into the opposing cage. That philosophy helped Pittsburgh dispatch the Washington Capitals in six games and open up a 2-0 series lead against Buffalo. But in the last two playoff games against the Sabres, Pittsburgh has altered its play again. Now instead of worrying about either scoring or preventing goals, the Penguins have opted for a third alternative; skating aimlessly around the ice and expecting to win. Needless to say it hasn't worked. A Pittsburgh team that once had an opportunity to sweep Buffalo right out of the Stanley Cup playoffs is now deadlocked and has watched as the Sabres have taken emotional command of the best-of-seven series. 'That's what happens sometimes when you try to do something different and you don't play a system,' Pittsburgh defenseman Darius Kasparaitis said. 'We've got two days before we play the next game and we have to figure out how to beat this team because they're playing good hockey right now.' That could be more difficult than it appears on the surface. Pittsburgh was in the exact same position in last year's playoffs against Philadelphia. The Penguins won the first two at the First Union Center, but came back to Pittsburgh and dropped consecutive overtime games to the Flyers. Philadelphia won the final two games as well, sending Pittsburgh packing. 'We were a team that was under pressure because we won two games in a row then having the history from last year,' Kasparaitis said. 'We were kind of expecting to change history but it didn't change.' Aside from the fact that Buffalo won both games in regulation, it appears that Pittsburgh is right on track for another playoff disappointment. For the first time in the series Wednesday night Pittsburgh played dispassionate hockey. The Penguins were content to let the Sabres take the play to them, forcing the issue in the Pittsburgh zone and controlling the tempo throughout. This does not bode well for Pittsburgh, especially considering the fact that the Penguins rely quite a bit on infusing fear in their opponent. With five of the top 30 scorers in the NHL, that's usually simple, but not when those five players combine for two shots in the third period of a game they're trailing. Pittsburgh needs to find a fix and find it fast. Either that or a replay of its 2000 flop is inevitable. 'We're desperate right now,' Kasparaitis said. 'We can't think we lost the series already.' Even if destiny awaits. Keith's Korner is written by Leader Times Sports Editor Keith Barnes, who covers the Penguins and can be reached for comment via e-mail at KMB0915@excite.com .

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