I thought it would be a fun idea to take a closer look at the Penguins' current four game winning streak and observe some microcosms of the team's success.
In any streak of games, some players are hot, other players are cold. Who's who for the Penguins right now?
Who's Hot?
Rickard Rakell
Once Rakell managed to stay in black and gold after the NHL Trade Deadline, top line production has been exceptional.
Ricky scored his 30th goal of the season against the Blues last Thursday and has two goals and four assists in the winning streak with a +7 rating.
Kris Letang
This might come as a bit of a surprise, but Kris Letang has been quietly leading the winning effort. He's doing it with a full 200 foot game.
Letang has three assists and a +3 rating in the winning streak, but his defensive effort might be more impressive. He had seven (7!) blocked shots against the Blues along and 16 in the last four games. That's an absurd mark, and it shows that Tanger is still willing to put his body on the line for the boys.
Sidney Crosby
He needs just 7 more points to break the PPG record, but he wants more than that. He wants to get back to the playoffs.
Sid had back-to-back two goal games against Minnesota and Vegas, then he logged three assists between the two games against St. Louis and New Jersey. The Kid has been on a heater.
#Pens Sidney Crosby records multi-goal game against NHL-record 31st different franchise (only missing Utah Hockey Club and Penguins) #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/0lkkXgCcfM
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) March 12, 2025
Connor Dewar
Sean McDonough gave Dewar comparisons to Mario Lemieux after his game against New Jersey. I can't even begin to say how heretical that is.
He had the right idea, though. Dewar has been a maniac on the forecheck and scored three goals in two games after not having a single goal in 33 games prior. Since he came to Pittsburgh, he's been excellent.
Erik Karlsson
He's still not without his occasional really-bad-pass-that-should-never-be-made, but Erik Karlsson has turned on the offenseive production recently.
His overtime winner against Vegas was amazing, and, please, watch this power play goal he had against New Jersey. It'll make your day.
Filthy toe drag release by EK65 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/uopBgh6621
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 15, 2025
Conor Timmins
Timmins and Dewar have been welcome additions to the lineup, and Timmins continues to display a steady defensive presence at the blue line for the Penguins.
He scored his third goal of the season (first with PIT) against the Blues and logged two assists against New Jersey to the tune of a +7 rating and the most effective Penguin on the ice in the winning streak based on advanced metrics and game scoring.
Tristan Jarry
Four games. Four wins. 111 saves on 120 shots for a .925 save percentage. Enough said.
Who's Not (Hot)?
Evgeni Malkin
Malkin's stats are fine - a goal and two assists (one very important one) in four games. However, the eye test makes it plain to see that Geno has something going on in between the ears.
A couple really bad penalties in bad spots and some problems connecting passes have made the negative seem to outweigh the positive in the recent games.
That's not to say he hasn't looked like he has an extra step. Ever since his overtime winner against Philadelphia, Geno has been noticeably quicker. However, he does need to figure out how to win the mental battle in the coming games if the team wants to enjoy more sustained success.
Matt Grzelcyk
This is a weird one. Grzelcyk has an assist and a +7 rating in the winning streak. So why is he in the not hot list?
Well, he's been fairly unnoticeable on the ice recently...but that might be a good thing.
Gryz has enjoyed a career year offensively this season and has been an power play quarterback for a revitalized unit from last year. However, he was strangely quiet and even, perhaps, ineffective on power plays last week. Might just be a blip, but it's worth noting.
Vladislav Kolyachonok
After a really impressive first few games in black and gold, Kolyachonok has slowed down a bit. His speed is not as noticeable, and he's among the lower on the plus/minus rating for Penguins in the winning streak.
Kolyachonok is still super young and likely was enjoying the highs of a new opportunity when he first arrived. He'll settle in.
The Penguins as a group look to stay hot tonight in a must-win home game against the New York Islanders. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm EST.