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Matt Cooke Show: Pens' Effort Against Rangers 'Unacceptable'

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have dropped two straight after reeling off 15 wins in a row, and Penguins winger Matt Cooke joined Vinnie & Cook to react on Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan.

As for why the Penguins came out flat in a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, Cooke said, "I don't know if there's an answer for that. Obviously, it's unacceptable, and we're not going to sit here and just take it. We weren't good enough last night, and they were the more desperate hockey team."

While Cooke realizes that General Manager Ray Shero has brought in plenty of new faces, he hopes it doesn't take long for everyone to get up to speed.

"There's not a lot of time to sit around and wait and hope that things gel," Cooke said. "We only have 11 games left. The whole goal for the process this season was to be have our game where it needs to be when playoff time comes."

One of those new faces is Jussi Jokinen, who was brought in from Carolina to help the Penguins while Sidney Crosby recovers from his broken jaw. But, Cooke reminds Pittsburgh fans to temper their expectations for the newest Penguin.

"I don't think it's fair for us to sit here and say that Jussi Jokinen is going to come in here and be Sidney Crosby. That's not realistic, and that's not pressure that Jussi needs coming in here. It needs to be everyone in the room. We've done it before in the past," Cooke said.

For more on the Penguins, hear the rest of Matt Cooke's chat with Vinnie & Cook! The next edition of the Matt Cooke Show is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10.

Matt Cooke Show

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