Peter Diana, Post-Gazette The Penguins' Nils Ekman battles for a loose puck in front of Panthers goalie Alex Auld last night at Mellon Arena. Click photo for larger image. More Penguins Penguins Notebook: Staal scratched for first time NHL to maintain scheduling system

This isn't a skid anymore.

It isn't a slide. Or a slump.

More like a free fall.

And there's not much reason to believe it will end anytime soon.

Not when the Penguins' 3-2 loss to Florida at Mellon Arena last night -- a defeat that leaves them 1-4-2 in the past seven games -- came against an opponent that was 0-5-1 in its previous six and is one of just two clubs trailing them in the Eastern Conference standings.

Not when the Penguins, who have won just once in their past five home games, are about to go on the road for three games, all against opponents they're looking up at in the East.

Not when the Penguins, playing what many of them touted as the most important game to this point of the season, performed with no obvious urgency for much of the evening.

Forget desperation. A little perspiration was the most a lot of them gave on this night.

"We didn't have the effort from all the players," coach Michel Therrien said. "We're not the type of team that is going to have success if the effort is not there."

The loss dropped the Penguins to 11-11-4, and featured the latest in subpar performances by their penalty-killers, who gave up two goals in six short-handed situations.

"The penalty-killing didn't do the job," said Therrien, who suggested he might reconfigure his short-handed combinations. "We're giving up goals and goals and goals."

The game attracted a season-worst crowd of 12,511, most of whom probably were second-guessing their decision to show up until Sidney Crosby manufactured one of the most spectacular goals of his career.

He got the puck from defenseman Sergei Gonchar and carried it through the neutral zone, then burst between Florida defenseman Joe Bouwmeester and Ruslan Salei before swiping the puck past goalie Alex Auld while falling to the ice to tie the score, 2-2, at 10:58 of the third period.

Linemate Mark Recchi called it "a great goal, a great effort," but it only provided a temporary reprieve, as the Panthers got the winning goal less than four minutes later.

Penguins forward Ryan Malone played for the first time since breaking his forearm Oct. 21, working with Evgeni Malkin and Nils Ekman on the No. 2 line and getting some work on both special teams.

He logged 17 minutes, four seconds of ice time and reported no major problems.

Malone drew a hooking penalty from Bouwmeester just seconds into his first shift, and Panthers defenseman Branislav Mezei picked up a double-minor for high-sticking him at 7:10.

The Penguins did nothing with the first of those power plays, but capitalized on the second when Erik Christensen jammed his own rebound between Auld's legs at 7:43 for his third goal in the past three games.

Ekman had a chance to add to the Penguins' advantage at 12:46 but shanked a shot wide of the right post, and Gary Roberts pulled Florida even by backhanding in a loose puck from the crease at 14:35.

The Penguins failed to exploit another opportunity with the extra man when Salei was caught holding at 5:32 of the second, although they did have the kind of puck movement and pressure the power play rarely has shown in recent weeks.

But when Florida got a chance with the extra man after Ekman was called for hooking at 12:19, the Panthers generated something even less common during a lot of Penguins power plays lately -- a goal.

Jozef Stumpel scored it at 13:20, capping a scramble around the crease by chipping a backhander over goalie Jocelyn Thibault to put Florida up, 2-1.

The Penguins survived a one-minute five-on-three for the Panthers at the start of the third, then failed to threaten during their own 19-second try with a two-man advantage a few minutes later.

After Crosby tied the score midway through the period, Olli Jokinen put Florida on top to stay with a power-play goal at 14:53, as he lashed a slap shot past Thibault from above the right circle.

"You work so hard to get a win, to keep the score 2-2," Thibault said. "You give up a goal, and that's heartbreaking."

It also is part of the reason the Penguins are even closer to losing visual contact with the Eastern playoff field.

"I don't really have the answer for what it's going to take to turn it around," Christensen said. "But we have to find something fast."