Back in December I published weekly rooting guides for Penguins fans interested in watching extracurricular games that didn't involve the Penguins. I wrote them under the impression that the Penguins would keep winning.
They didn't.
Now with just a month left in the NHL regular season, the purpose is clear for Pittsburgh: sink to the bottom.
The advantage the Penguins have is their games in hand. Their 66 games played is the most in the NHL, and games out of hand mean more chances for teams below the Penguins to win.
Here are four teams Penguins fans need to become fans of the rest of this regular season.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken recently lost to the Washington Capitals late and leapfrogged (or, whatever the opposite of leapfrogged is) the Penguins to get into the bottom five in the league. They have one game in hand and are two points beneath Pittsburgh.
This means that their pace is currently the same as the Penguins the rest of the way.
As for their schedule, they play Western Conference teams almost exclusively the rest of the way, which one could argue is not ideal for the Penguins with the Western Conference being a bit stronger than the East.
If you're compelled to buy a Kraken jersey to show your support, I wouldn't blame you. They've got pretty sweet sweaters.
Buffalo Sabres
Only one team stands between the Penguins and the bottom of the Eastern Conference: that sorry franchise from Buffalo.
The Sabres went on a heater not too long ago. They've since gone 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and are back to playing bad hockey. They sit four points behind with three games in hand in relation to Pittsburgh.
Extrapolate out a couple of wins and the Sabres would jump the Penguins. Understand, though, that Penguins wins would make this more difficult that it needs to be.
We need to communicate to Tristan Jarry that he doesn't have to turn into prime Marc-Andre Fleury now. In fact, it would be better if he didn't.
Nashville Predators
All of a sudden the Preds have won three straight and six of their last 10 games. Their unexpected tank this season is well on its way to being ruined if they keep this pace.
Right now the Predators have three games in hand and trail the Penguins by five points. Interestingly, though, their schedule is pretty cupcake the rest of the way.
They play San Jose, Anaheim twice, St. Louis twice, Philadelphia, and Utah twice. That's eight very winnable games for Nashville, and who's to say they can't beat Vegas once or twice as well.
Of all the teams on this list, the Predators are the ones to go full gung-ho for. They are a fun watch, I will say that.
Philadel...just kidding - Anaheim Ducks
If ever I publicly tell anyone to root for the Flyers, you have full rights to revoke my Pittsburgh card. The Flyers might be sinking faster than the Penguins right now, but don't worry. The Flyers always find a way to screw up, even when it comes to failing.
As for the Ducks, though, they've turned it on the last two weeks or so. They're 5-4-1 and are comfortably ahead of the Penguins in the league standings.
This is a lesser fandom assumption, but it's worth bringing up simply because we know the Ducks can roll over and lose five or six straight at any give time. Keep on quackin' boys. Stay the course.
Honorable Mentions
If you want to be a super-duper tank fandom rooter, you can whisk in the Blackhawks and Sharks into your temporary fandoms.
I'll warn you that your fandoms might be in vain, but more power to you if you want to try.
All these fandoms are based on the assumption that the Penguins keep their losing pace. After a dominating win over Minnesota on Sunday, the black and gold have a chance to get back to their losing ways tonight at 7pm EST against the Golden Knights.