Pittsburgh Penguins: Game Against Washington is Crucial

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 11: Matt Niskanen
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 11: Matt Niskanen

The Pittsburgh Penguins have just come off a 3-1 win against the Arizona Coyotes.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing moderately well in their last stretch. That western Canada road trip was not the prettiest, but it’s our time to bounce back now. We found success in Arizona, but we really shouldn’t pat ourselves on the back too much for beating a team with two wins.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins

Our real test will come tomorrow against the Washington Capitals. We have to be at the top of our game against our biggest divisional rivals. We’re doing well in the standings but we have to keep up the hard work.

We Need More Offence

Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin have been carrying a huge weight for us on the offensive front. They are one-and-two in scoring right now with 19 and 18 points respectively. Kessel has 15 points in the last 11 games while Malkin has 14 in the same span. To say the two have been on fire is an understatement.

But they can’t carry the entire load while everyone else sits back and watches. We need more scoring from all the other guys. If we can do this, we should be able to come up big against the Capitals.

Division’s Tight

Our division may just be the tightest division in the league. What separates the New Jersey Devils from overtaking our number one spot is one measly point. ONE. Only four points separate the number one position and the number seven position in the Metropolitan.

This game really is a crucial game. Not only are we stopping our divisional rival Capitals from coming within one point of our lead, but we’d also be assuring nobody else catches up to us. We really need these points to start gaining a comfortable lead.