How the Pittsburgh Penguins literally 'Flipped the Script'

Only a handful of people predicted that the Pittsburgh Penguins would return to the playoffs. It wasn't a confident take, let alone a guaranteed lock, given that the Penguins had missed the postseason for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, and 2025).

The team paid no attention to the negativity and thankfully, the 2025-26 season started strong. Their first game was against the Buffalo Sabres, and they won with 5-3. After that for the following games, they held a 4-game winning streak against Buffalo Sabres (5-4 OT), New York Rangers (3-0) and the New York Islanders (4-3), until the Rangers visited PPG Arena, and left with a 6-1 win.

After the first loss of the season for the Penguins, their playoff odds went down from 1.502 to 0.199, based on MoneyPuck's chart. Safe to say after that game, their playoff chances went up on October 21 with a regulation win against the Vancouver Canucks with 5-1.

Their playoff clinching odds went up and down, the lowest on November 28 with a -3.953 chance. It went up early December, but of course, nothing is guaranteed with hockey.

In mid-December, the Pittsburgh Penguins went on their longest losing streak of the season—an eight-game slide from December 7-20. The stretch included losses to the Dallas Stars (3-2 SO), Anaheim Ducks (4-3 SO), Montréal Canadiens (4-2), San Jose Sharks (6-5 OT), Utah Mammoth (5-4 OT), Edmonton Oilers (6-4), Ottawa Senators (4-0), and a second shutout loss to Montréal (4-0).

Doubts lingered across the Penguins Fan Base. Many worried the team would struggle to clinch a playoff spot, especially with the season pausing for the majority of February to give way for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

However, during the Men's Ice Hockey quarterfinals between Canada and Czechia, Sidney Crosby was forced to leave the game. A collision with Czechia's Radko Gudas resulted in a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee, not only making him miss the Gold Medal Game, but also 11 games back home in Pittsburgh. Thankfully, the Penguins won their first game after the Olympics against the New Jersey Devils with 4-1.

On March 5th, following a game against the Buffalo Sabres, forward Evgeni Malkin was suspended for five games as a result of slashing Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the head. The slash occurred after Malkin took a couple of cross-checks from Dahlin; officials ruled the play an intentional stick swing. He forfeited $158,854.15 in salary for what was the third suspension of his career.

The suspension couldn't have come at a worse time for the Penguins. With the team's captain and veteran forward out, their playoff odds kept dropping.

Sidney Crosby finally returns to the lineup against the Hurricanes last March 18, which ended in an OT loss with 6-5. It was going fairly well for the captain until the match at Ottawa, where he left the game due to a lower-body, according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe. Some feared it was Crosby's right knee that suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain.

Thankfully, the Penguins won the match against Ottawa in a shootout that ended 4-3, earning them a much needed 2 points to go up the Metropolitan Division, in hopes to clinch a playoff spot.

A month before the postseason, several players beyond the well-known veterans stepped up. Defenseman Erik Karlsson tallied 9 goals and 15 assists, while right-winger Bryan Rust found the back of the net 8 times with 12 assists. They were joined by fellow right-winger Anthony Mantha, who scored 9 goals and added 5 assists, helping the Penguins skate to victory.

Not only did the players step up, but the team's playoff odds did as well. Their wins against the Red Wings and the Islanders helped push them higher up the standings to secure the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.

The city of Pittsburgh finally got what it had been waiting for since 2022. On April 9, the Penguins officially punched their ticket to the playoffs, defeating the New Jersey Devils 5–2.

With the first-round matchups confirmed, the Penguins are set to face the Flyers. Known as the 'Battle of Pennsylvania,' this first round promises to be an intense showdown between the state's two biggest rivals, as fans already predict that the Penguins will sweep the first round clean.

Despite the ups and downs and injuries sustained by the team's star players, the Pittsburgh Penguins proved the doubters wrong, and definitely flipped the script.

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