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The Pittsburgh Penguins lost last night in Columbus. It was their first loss in eight games. The last time the Penguins lost in regulation was on February 22nd in Washington. They are 9-1-2 under an Bylsma and they currently sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
It was less than a month ago that this team was considered dead.
On Feburary 14th the Penguins suffered an embarrassing 6-2 defeat in Toronto. Coach Michel Therrien was fired the next day. Since then a completely different Penguins team has emerged.
But is this team good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup?
The 2008-2009 Pittsburgh Penguins started the season with one of the best starts in franchise history. They then collapsed during the winter only to reemerge recently. Consistency has not been a Penguins’ trait this year.
The team definitely has the talent to compete with the best teams in the NHL. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are certainly two of the greatest players in the NHL. The additions of Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin have added some much needed grit and the return of Sergei Gonchar has led to slightly more success on the power play. Marc-Andre Fleury is stepping up his game as well. The mood has changed from anticipating a high first round draft pick to predicting a favourable first round playoff match up.
Can the Pittsburgh Penguins compete with the elite of the NHL’s Eastern Conference?
The Penguins greatest challenges will definitely come from the top three seeds in the conference. Boston, New Jersey and Washington have all had outstanding seasons. Each team has had their ups and downs, but all three are without a doubt the cream of the Eastern Conference crop. The Penguins are 1-2 against the Bruins this season, 2-3 against New Jersey and 1-3 against Washington. That leaves them with a rather unspectacular 4-8 record against best in the conference. Regardless of their first round match-up the Penguins will have to go through at least one – and possibly two or three – of those teams if they hope to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.
It is definitely going to be difficult.
Even during their recent winning streak the Penguins have relied on overtime and the shootout to provide victories. Such close games could go either way and any of the three top teams in the East could easily pounce on an unfocused Penguins team and end their season.
Perhaps the Pittsburgh Penguins would have the best chance against their cross-state rivals; the Philadelphia Flyers. In order to see this match-up in the first round the Penguins would have to finish either fourth or fifth in the conference. That in itself will be a tall task. A series against the Philadelphia Flyers would definitely be a very physical and emotional challenge for the Penguins. However, they do have a 5-1 record against the Flyers this year which is better than their record against any other playoff-bound team.
Regardless of their opponents, should the Penguins make the playoffs – an outcome that is still very much uncertain – it can be almost guaranteed that they will not storm through the Eastern Conference with a 12-2 record like they did last year. The road to the Stanley Cup will definitely be a lot more difficult this season.
Can they do it?
Rick Moldovanyi is a freelance journalist from Toronto. He covers the Pittsburgh Penguins at Penguins Experience and has written for several publications in the Toronto area.
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They should have fired Therrien earlier. Obviously the team wasn’t responding to Michel. But, at least they’re playing well now, and will hopefully qualify for the post-season. I’d love to watch a Flyers/Pens playoff series. That would be epic.
I like the Kunitz acquisition. He’s been playing well. Shero looks smart, Guerin too.
I think they’ll call up Satan for the playoffs.
Enjoy your writing.
Cheers.
Thanks!
I think the Penguins would call Satan up from the AHL for the playoffs as well.
But where would he fit in? He didn’t work on the top two lines earlier and he doesn’t really play a style that would fit on the third or fourth lines, but he would be a good addition to the playoff roster.