Penguins fans blast Erik Karlsson after defensive blunder

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson may be the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the League's best player at the position, but most fans know that he's never been known for his defensive play. 

And unfortunately, that was glaringly obvious during this evening's game at PPG Paints Arena against the visiting New York Islanders. Karlsson flubbed a pass attempt to defensive partner Marcus Pettersson, leading to the puck coming right out in front of the net, where it was banged past goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic by Simon Holmstrom. 

And immediately afterward, frustrated Penguins fans began targeting Karlsson on social media: 

Karlsson was also recently called out by head coach Mike Sullivan for not playing at the level that is expected of him in a rather frank assessment. 

“Obviously, he’s an elite player and a really talented guy, and a guy that drives a lot of offense whether 5-on-5 or the power play,” Sullivan said of Karlsson. “That’s what he’s done in his body of work in the league. That’s what he’s done for us. You know, I still think there’s another level of Karl that we’re trying to unlock here; I think it’s an important element of us having success moving forward.”

Needless to say, Karlsson's defensive blunder tonight was not among his finer moments. Though the Penguins would eventually fall behind by a 4-2 score but battle back to tie things up, the Islanders would emerge with the win thanks to an overtime goal from Adam Pelech.

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