Things have not been easy for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.
They have had to deal with a bunch of injuries, have played a lot of inconsistent hockey, and at times, they have looked like a team that does not deserve to be in a playoff spot. With that said, however, the Penguins currently (Friday, January 27) find themselves clinging to the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 24-15-9 record and 57 points.
The team is one point behind the Washington Capitals (58 points) and three points behind the New York Rangers (60 points) for third in the Metropolitan Division. That is a good thing for the Penguins, as they can easily catch both if they find a way to get on a winning streak.
What is scary is that this team does not have a lot of room for error. The Buffalo Sabres are just two points behind them and are playing at an extremely high level right now.
When looking at all of the factors above, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the team can miss the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. That is something that has not happened in a really long time, so it would be really strange watching the postseason this year and not having the Penguins in them.
With that said, considering how good and consistent the Penguins have been over the last decade or so, it is more than likely that the Penguins will find a way to get into the postseason and may even have success in them. It starts with their head coach Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan is as consistent as they come. Since jumping behind the team’s bench during the 2015-16 season, the Penguins have averaged close to 42 wins per season.
In looking at that particular number, it’s almost like guaranteeing a playoff spot for the team prior to the season even starting. Going into each year, you know that Sullivan’s team is going to win a lot of hockey games.
Sullivan is also great at getting his teams to be able to deal with adversity. Year in and year out, the Penguins seem to lose their superstars to various injuries, but that does not seem to slow his team down.
Secondly, the team has a strong leadership core. Sidney Crosby, the team’s captain, along with Evgeni Malkin and Krist Letang, have experienced everything with this franchise.
Those players have won three Cups together (2009, 2016, and 2017), have produced when the team has needed them too, and have been guys that their teammates can lean on during times when things are not going so well. They know what needs to be done to win hockey games, and there is no doubt that they will get this team back on the right track.
Speaking of Crosby, he always goes above and beyond for the Penguins. He leads the team in goals (23), assists (35), and points (58) this season and has shown no signs of slowing down despite being 35 years of age.
It is going to be a dog fight in the Metropolitan Division for the rest of the season with teams like the Carolina Hurricanes (first place), New Jersey Devils (second place), New York Rangers (third place), and Washington Capitals (fourth place) all close in points to each other. With that said, if the Penguins can get back to playing the hockey that everyone knows they are capable of playing, there is no reason why they should not be a legitimate threat come playoff time.
