Nobody saw this coming.

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the Stanley Cup playoffs as the odds-on favorite to win it all. One week and three heart-wrenching losses later, the Pens must become the fourth team in NHL history to erase a 3-0 series deficit.

If not, they’re history.

There are many reasons for the meltdown. To describe the defense as pathetic would be generous and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury isn’t making up for the mistakes. The Penguins have certainly played a physical brand of hockey, but reckless aggression doesn’t help the scoreboard much.

Through three games, the Philadelphia Flyers have simply been the better team. And maybe, we should have seen it coming. After all, the Flyers took four of six from the Pens in the regular season.

More importantly, the Penguins’ best hockey was already behind them.

No matter the sport, the top teams make the playoffs and the hottest team wins the championship. It’s all about peaking at the right time.

The NFL’s New York Giants were 9-7 in the regular season and needed a strong finish just to make the playoffs. Once the postseason hit, the Giants were on a roll and rode the momentum all the way to the Super Bowl.

In baseball, the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals weren’t too different. The Cards were left for dead at the beginning of September and it took an epic collapse from the Atlanta Braves for St. Louis to claim the NL Wild Card. A few weeks later, the Cardinals were spraying champagne in a championship celebration.

No one tabbed the Dallas Mavericks as the favorite when the NBA playoffs started last year. However, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs were blazing hot and beat the talented Miami Heat into submission on the way to a title.

Last but not least, the Boston Bruins weren’t on anyone’s radar to win the Stanley Cup when the playoffs began a little over a year ago. Yet, the Bruins put together their best stretch of hockey at just the right time and knocked off the Presidents’ Trophy winner Vancouver Canucks in the final.

This year, the Penguins were considered the favorites after putting together a two-month stretch of championship-caliber hockey. From Jan. 13 to March 17, the Pens were 22-4-1 and clicking on all cylinders.

Too bad it was two months too early and it’s nearly impossible to sustain that kind of pace.

The Pens slowed down a bit as the playoffs approached, finishing the regular season 6-4-1 in their final 11 games. Despite two months of brilliance, the Penguins were due for some turbulence.

It’s not like this team was incapable of going into a funk. Just before the 22-4-1 run from January to March, the Penguins had lost six straight and everyone was asking, “What’s wrong?”

Well, the Penguins are finally scuffling again and their timing couldn’t have been worse.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.