The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently resting in the 4th spot in the Metropolitan Division, a place where it feels like they have been almost all season long.
As the Capitals have started to spiral out of control, losing their last seven contests, it looked like the Penguins were going to be able to find a way to creep up to the top of the division. But, there schedule wanted otherwise, and the Pens managed to crawl out of their road trip with a 2-3 record, a overall strong effort by the team.
And while they may be sitting in fourth place, it certainly is not your typical fourth place in a division. The Penguins are only five points back of the Islanders for first place, and only two back of the Capitals, so things are definitely heating up in the Metropolitan unlike any of the other three divisions right now. While the other divisions all seem to have gaps between the top teams and the others, the Metropolitan does not follow the pattern.
All this being said, it makes for a very interesting three game home stand for Pittsburgh after the break, as those will be three games that they would like to get victories in. As we have stated before, the Pens have circled their meeting with the Lightning for a long time, and it will certainly be a great and exciting game to watch when the time comes.
One thing that Pittsburgh will not have to worry about is the teams behind them finding a way to catch up, as that appears to be highly doubtful. The Rangers and Hurricanes have had little spurts, but consistency has made them currently irrelevant. But again, Pittsburgh certainly wants to try to push themselves forward in the standings, and it is going to start with the aforementioned home stand that starts on the 28th with the New Jersey Devils.