The last time out against the Kraken, so many things went wrong that it ended up getting the Penguins' $5M goalie put on waivers. So, yeah, not ideal.
Seattle rolled into Pittsburgh and struck for three goals in the third period to win 4-2 back on January 14th. It ended up being Tristan Jarry's final game before being waived. He gave up three goals on just 18 shots while the Penguins peppered Joey Daccord 33 times and came away with just two.
With today's afternoon matchup happening not even two weeks after the previous meeting, much remains the same.
The Kraken are 2-2-0 while and the Penguins are also 2-2-0 since last time. The difference is that the Penguins can't seem to put together any consistency for extended periods of time. Sometimes they look great, others they look awful.
What should Penguins fans even want out of this?
The Penguins have arrived at a fork in the road. The season is a wash, but simultaneously isn't not. There's good reason for some to believe it's time to throw in the towel, but there's also reason to believe the Penguins can still salvage this season.
Is it time for the Penguins to throw in the towel for 2024-25? Tell us why or why not?
— Pens Labyrinth (@PensLabyrinthFS) January 24, 2025
If you fall into the hopeful category, obviously the desire would be to win this game.
If you're not hopeful for the rest of the season, then losing this game would promote your side of the coin.
Right now, neither option seems right or wrong, which poses a conflict of interests to management on how to approach things.
What we know is that a loss would probably be the straw the broke the camel's back. A loss could see an asset traded very soon after, which could be for the best.
A win might delay the inevitable fire sale, but that remains to be seen. In the meantime, here's a cryptic tweet to get your toes tingling.
👀 @TheRealCally24 #HockeyX pic.twitter.com/44Lffdy4m6
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) January 25, 2025
Keys to win...or lose?
At this juncture, there isn't a lot of reason to want to win or lose if you're the Penguins, and as a fan, my suggestion would just be to enjoy the game for what it is.
Root for the Big Three. Root for Crosby points. Root for galloping Geno. Root for a Tanger bomb.
In a troubling, directionless time such as now, the best thing to do is appreciate the best parts of what have made the Penguins the Penguins for the last two decades.
It's a special thing to have such legendary talent all on a successful team. Not every franchise has that.
I desperately wish the Penguins were still on ROOT Sports. It was so much better. But perhaps looking at that simple word: "root" - maybe that's where Penguins fans need to be right now.
Enjoy the game. It's a 4pm game on a Saturday afternoon. There's no Steelers football on, so you don't have to worry about that. Enjoy the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sit back and enjoy while we have it.