Forecast Friday: Penguins Moving Up in Metropolitan

On Forecast Friday’s, we will take a look at the Eastern Conference standings, and see more particularly how the other games are affecting the Penguins.

The Penguins

For Pittsburgh, things could not be going better. After two straight wins the Pens find themselves as third in the Metropolitan Division. This is a team that at the beginning of the week was not even in the wild card, sitting just outside of it. The Penguins currently hold a two point lead over the Islanders in the division.

Where It’s Sunny

It is hard to ignore what is going on in the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams hold the top two point totals in the NHL, and the Lightning are currently 9-0-1 in their last ten games. It would be a strong argument to say that these are currently the best two teams in the league right now, and their records definitely show that.

Things are also still bright in Washington, as the Capitals are 7-3 in their last ten games. They have a big game tonight against Buffalo, and it will be interesting to see how they perform after a tough loss to Pittsburgh.

Where It’s Raining

Nobody is necessarily blowing things recently, but a few teams have been struggling as of late. Both Detroit and Carolina have 3-5-2 records in the past 10 games. Detroit will take on Florida in their next game, another struggling team, and it will be interesting to see if either team can build some momentum in that one. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, will take on the Penguins tomorrow.

Penguins Forecast

Overall, this has been a solid week for Pittsburgh, and they have a great opportunity to move that win streak to 3 games if they can take down a struggling Carolina team. While they are ahead of the Islanders in the Division, they still have a lower point total than the two current Wild Card teams. Looking ahead, the Pens will take on Detroit next Thursday, before going on a three game road trip.