While this has been an up and down season so far for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they couldn’t have picked a better time to start playing their best hockey.
This season has been filled with so many twists and turns that it has honestly been hard to keep track of all of them. Injuries have plagued this team all season long, and at multiple points it looked like missing the playoffs was an actual possibility for a team that is usually a guarantee. Not to mention all the confusion at the goaltender position, where the fan base can never make a decision on whether or not they like Matt Murray.
But even with all that being said, the Penguins have (like they always seem to do) basically wrapped things up, and are set to head to the playoffs once again. A surprise… I don’t think so, but certainly a relief considering all that has occurred this year. Missing out on the Postseason could have led to a lot of scrutiny towards management.
The other great thing about this season is that the Penguins finally look like they are playing the hockey that they want to, and at the perfect time. Every team wants to be playing their best come playoff time… the Pens actually are. Add to that the return of Malkin that should be coming shortly, and the Penguins look like the dynamic threat that we all knew they could be.
Another key is that it looks like the Penguins are going to be able to avoid the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. It looked like for quite some time that the Pens would be stuck playing the best team in the league in the first round, but the recent push the Penguins have made has changed that scenario. If the season ended today, Pittsburgh would be taking on the New York Islanders.
The Penguins have three more games they can use to get ready for the playoffs. They will take on the Red Wings two times in a row before their regular season finale in PPG Paints Arena against the New York Rangers.