by Rob Rossi , Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Less than two minutes into the second period, the Penguins were missing five players that had combined for 43 percent of their 2009 playoff goals.

To borrow a song from legendary Bay Area band Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Penguins could see a "Bad Moon Rising."

"We were depleted at the end," coach Dan Bylsma said, "but I don't think where we were at had to do ... with the depleted lineup."

Winger Matt Cooke refused to use a lengthy list of injured Penguins as an excuse for their first back-to-back regulation losses in Bylsma's 42 regular-season games, but ...

They began this game without the playoff MVP and their leading scorer over the past two seasons.

Also missing was their top defenseman and a couple of wingers that scored three of their four goals in the Cup Final.

By midway through the first period, they were without another defenseman ??Kris Letang ? and early in the second, their starting goalie was yanked ? rendering Marc-Andre Fleury the luckiest guy employed by the franchise last night.

At least Fleury is not hurting, save for perhaps a bruised ego after allowing three goals on 14 shots and playing only a minute and 41 seconds into the second period before being pulled in favor of Brent Johnson.

The contest had already been decided by then on scores by Sharks winger Jamie McGinn and center Joe Pavelski in the first period, and defenseman Dan Boyle in the second. San Jose winger Dany Heatley bested Johnson less than two minutes after Boyle's goal, and a third-period tally by center Manny Malhotra capped the onslaught.

San Jose (12-4-2, 26 points) allowed only three second-period shots to set a tone despite the Penguins finishing with 27.

The Penguins (12-5-0, 24 points) missed 20 shots and finished with 12 penalties totaling 41 minutes, including a third period fighting major and misconduct foul by defenseman Jay McKee.

They have lost consecutive games for the first time this season, and this was the Penguins' second shutout defeat.

Oh, and they are 1-2-0 on road trip that will end Tuesday night at Boston ? and at the rate the injuries are piling up, they'll probably be thrilled to face the Bruins with anything other than a M*A*S*H unit.

Bylsma could not provide an update on Letang, who did not return against San Jose after landing hard on his right side midway through the first period ? leaving the Penguins with only four healthy defensemen, because Alex Goligoski dressed, but has been battling an illness.

Goligoski was forced to play 27:01, and defensemen Brooks Orpik and Mark Eaton combined to play 50 minutes and 11 seconds.

"(Letang's injury) obviously did tax us on the back end," Bylsma said.

Letang, who will be evaluated by doctors today, played only three minutes and 38 seconds against San Jose after he fell near the Sharks net on a Penguins' power play. San Jose defenseman Kent Huskins was near Letang when he fell, but it was not clear if Letang was pushed, tripped or fell on his own accord, as tried to push a puck toward the net.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said that injuries cannot be used an excuse for diminishing results, but the Penguins are 4-4-0 since top defenseman Sergei Gonchar's left wrist was broken at home against St. Louis on Oct. 20.

In the weeks since, they've lost superstar center Evgeni Malkin, who missed a fifth-straight game last night because of a strained right shoulder, and top goal-scoring winger Tyler Kennedy, who has not played in 5 pf 6 because of an undisclosed injury that is believed to be of the lower-body variety.

The Penguins have yet to deploy versatile forward Max Talbot, whose eight playoff goals ranked third on the club. Talbot said he expects to miss at least two more weeks because of recovery from offseason surgery on his left rotator cuff.

Another way of looking at what they were missing in the final two periods last night: five players that combined to tally 34 of the club's 79 playoff goals.

Crosby, whose 15 playoff goals paced them, has gone a career-worst four straight games without a point ? and the Penguins' power play is 0 for 21 over the past five contests.

Fleury, brilliant over his first 12 starts, has allowed seven goals on his past 26 shots, including 4 on 12 in the final period of a loss at Los Angeles on Thursday.

"We all know at least one of those he'd like to have back," Bylsma said of Fleury's first goal allowed against San Jose, a short-side squeaker to McGinn only 3:27 into the game. "(Pulling Fleury) was a change of scenery and trying to stop the bleeding."

To get by with all these injuries, the Penguins will need all the guts and blood they possess.

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