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PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Sidney Crosby understands the price of disappointment. And while others — namely Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma — will likely face the consequences following another early playoff exit, the NHLs brightest star isnt shirking his share of the blame. The way Crosby sees it, Pittsburghs failings lie with the guys who pull the sweaters over their heads. "At the end of the day we feel responsible," Crosby said Thursday. "We are the guys that go out there and want to perform and want to win and we have that expectation." Ones that werent met for a fifth straight spring after the Penguins frittered a 3-1 series lead in an eventual seven-game loss to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. A half-decade after hoisting the Stanley Cup in Detroit at age 21, Crosby and the franchise he represents are still searching for a bookend. "Its difficult to win and I dont think theres been any lack of effort from players, coaches, anybody in the conversation," Crosby said. "I dont think its been a lack of trying." There has, however, been a lack of doing. The Penguins have been a marvel during the regular season under Bylsma, who is 252-117-32 since taking over for Michel Therrien in the late stages of the 2008-09 season. Yet all those regular-season triumphs havent prevented Pittsburgh from being knocked out of the playoffs by a lower-seeded team five straight times. Pressed on what needs to change, Crosby didnt point to the coaching staff but instead a shift in mindset, particularly when the post-season begins. "Maybe we need to adjust the way we play a little bit better and play more physical," Crosby said. Its a challenge the Penguins have faced relentlessly during the Crosby era. The leagues leading scorer and likely MVP scored just once in 13 playoff games — a career low — and spent plenty a month on the receiving end of punishment from Columbus centre Brandon Dubinsky and New York defenceman Marc Staal. Crosby insists he wasnt rattled, even if at one point in Game 6 against the Rangers he found himself on the bottom of a dog pile with New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist squirting him with a water bottle. Not exactly the best position to ward off a comeback. "Im not saying I cant be better," Crosby said. "I dont think my focus was lost. ... You can go back to the years we won and youre not going to see anything different but we won and thats a big thing." And it will be the focus going forward regardless of who is in the front office or behind the bench. While Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will have their numbers hanging in the dressing room when the club reconvenes in September, there could be plenty of new ones hanging alongside them. Forward Jussi Jokinen — whose seven playoff goals led the Penguins — is an unrestricted free agent. So is Lee Stempniak, who never quite meshed with Crosby after being brought in near the trading deadline. Defenceman Brooks Orpik, the teams longest tenured player, may be done in Pittsburgh after 11 seasons. Matt Niskanen, arguably the teams best defenceman all season, will hit the open market and may command too high a price to stick around. Then theres goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who played steadily throughout the playoffs but knows he could be expendable with one year left on his current deal. "I really hope I stay," Fleury said. "Its my team here. Its where I want to play." Its a sentiment echoed throughout the locker room. For all the misery that accompanied the stunning fall against New York, Pittsburghs talented core remains in the midst of their primes. Crosby is 26. Malkin is 27. So is defenceman Kris Letang. Fleury is still months away from turning 30 and bounced back from a miserable 2013 post-season by holding the Rangers to just 15 goals in seven games. "I dont know if theres many problems," forward Brandon Sutter said. "I think its more little things that arent really huge. Maybe fresh ideas can change that. I dont think theres much that needs to be fixed, maybe a few things shaken up. Theres a few different ways. It doesnt necessarily mean anyone has to leave." In theory, perhaps. The Penguins know they are constructed to raise championship banners, not flame out in the post-season. Yet it keeps happening. "Expectations are high," Crosby said. "If you dont deliver you have to own up to that as players and as an organization. We all understand that. Well see what happens from here." Los Angeles Lakers Store . A groundswell for raising the number of playoff qualifiers to seven in each conference figures to get plenty of support from the 32 owners. 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Martinezs ninth-inning sacrifice fly scored Torii Hunter with the winning run and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Sunday. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost goes to the mound, the pitcher normally goes to the clubhouse to start icing his arm. Yost visited Jason Vargas on the mound in the ninth inning after Kyle Seagers two-out double, but opted to leave him in the game. Two batters later Dustin Ackley singled home Seager with the go-ahead run as the Seattle Mariners beat the Royals 2-1. "Vargas said, Im in great shape. I can get us through this inning, " Yost said. He could not. After Stefen Romeros infield bad hop single, which second baseman Pedro Ciriaco bobbled, Yost thought again of removing Vargas before facing Ackley, who entered in the seventh as a pinch runner. "It is lefty-on-lefty and Ackley hadnt swung the bat all day," Yost said. So he again stuck with Vargas. "If it works out, you are smart," Yost said. "If it doesnt, youre the dumbest guy in the stadium. I was the dumbest guy in the stadium." Ackleys single to right on a 2-2 count scored Seager. Ackley is 5 for 10 off Jason Vargas (7-3), who took the loss. "He (Yost) just asked me if I could get him, and I said, yeah, Vargas said. "There wasnt a whole lot more than that. I felt fine, I felt great in the ninth inning. Just a little bit of bad luck got us and I think we all know what happened after that." It was 91 degrees and humid for the first pitch, but Vargas did not use that as an excuse. "I mean, its hot," Vargas said. "I dont think theres any other way around it. I dont think you can feel sorry for yourself out there just because its hot. You know what you signed up for. You know what Kansas City summers are like." After retiring the first dozen Royals, Chris Young yielded a home run to Alex Gordon to leadoff the fifth to tie the score at 1. Young gave up back-to-back singles to Salvador Perez and Justin Maxwell after Gordons team-leading ninth home run. Perez, however, was out tryinng to stretch his into a double.dddddddddddd "Hes really tough to pick the ball up," said Eric Hosmer, who went 0-for-4. "Hes throwing 84-85 miles per hour, but he has such a long arm and his release point is so close to you thats it really hard to pick up. Hes been real consistent for those guys." The Mariners bunched three hits leading off the third with Cole Gillespies single to centre scoring Brad Miller, who began the inning with a bunt single and stopped at second on James Jones single. Young, a 35-year-old right-hander who has had three shoulder surgeries including one last June, did not did not sign with the Mariners until March 27 after the Washington Nationals released him in spring training. He was pulled after seven innings, allowing only the run on Gordons blast and three hits. Yoervis Medina (4-1) replaced Young and worked a flawless eighth, striking out two to pick up the victory. He has not allowed a run and only three hits in his past 10 outings, covering 101/3 innings. Fernando Rodney worked the ninth for his 20th save in 22 opportunities, getting Hosmer to ground into a game ending double play. Vargas gave up 10 hits and two runs in 82/3 innings, losing for the first time since May 19. Robinson Cano went 0-for-4 to snap his 21-game road hitting streak, the longest in the majors this season. NOTES: The Royals purchased the contract of OF Justin Maxwell from Triple-A Omaha and placed OF Nori Aoki on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin. The Royals transferred LHP Bruce Chen, who has a bulging disc, from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. ... Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton, who helped Wichita State reach the NCAA Final Four in 2013 and to an undefeated regular season in 2013-14, took part of the ceremonial first pitch. ... The Mariners have won nine of their past 10 day games. ... The Royals have lost three straight after a 10-game winning streak ended Thursday. ' ' '