The Pittsburgh Penguins had moderate success this past week (March 9-15), playing three times and earning three of six possible points. They did this while playing all three games on the road and still playing without captain Sidney Crosby (injury) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension). They will start this week (March 16-22) on the road with two games before returning home to finish off the week. They will need another strong week to keep themselves in the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Penguins Need Consistency in the Defensive Zone
For the majority of the season, the Penguins have played a more well-rounded game on both ends of the ice than last season. But this past week, the 2024-25 season play shone through a bit. They gave up a total of 10 goals in their three games, while being able to pull off a comeback win in Utah against the Mammoth on March 14, they need to tighten things up on their end of the ice, both defensively and in the net, to keep themselves on track as the playoff push continues.
Head coach Dan Muse has instilled strong offensive and defensive strategies, and obviously, there will be points in the season when things get sloppy and not 100% in sync, but the Penguins cannot let this trend continue, especially at such a crucial point of the regular season.
Karlsson Stepping Up Offensively
Throughout his career, Erik Karlsson has been known as an offensive-minded defenseman. This has helped him win three Norris Trophies (the NHL’s top defenseman), the most recent of which came following the 2022-23 season. He has shown flashes of being that player during his time with the Penguins, even as an aging player, but he has really stepped up his game over the past week-plus in the absence of Crosby and Malkin.
In his last five games, Karlsson has played over 26 minutes of ice time a game, while also putting up seven points, with three of those five games being multi-point games. He has really helped elevate the offense over the past few games, and with him starting to hit his stride at the right time, it could bode very well for the rest of the regular season for the Penguins. He will need to continue that trend this week when the Penguins take on some stiff competition, squaring off against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche.
Playoff Push Hitting a Crucial Time
With Malkin returning this week and Crosby hopefully returning in the near future, the playoff push is hitting possibly the most crucial period. The Penguins find themselves tied with the New York Islanders in points for second place in the Metropolitan Division (the Penguins have a game in hand on the Islanders) and will need to stay on track to keep ahead of the Islanders. They have gotten points in four of the last five games, have been pretty consistent overall, and will need more of that this week.
Related: Yegor Chinakhov Proving to Be Part of Penguins Future
With the depth of the forward grouping, including Anthony Mantha, Yegor Chinakhov and other veteran players, and the added help from Karlsson in the offensive zone, the Penguins’ offense continues to look strong, and if they can clean things up a bit in the defensive zone, they should find themselves in a good spot as the regular season winds down and in a position to end their two-season playoff drought.
Penguins Schedule March 16-22
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time | Game Notes |
| March 16 | @ Colorado Avalanche | Ball Arena | 7:30 p.m. (EST) | First matchup of the season vs. Colorado |
| March 18 | @ Carolina Hurricanes | Lenovo Center | 7:00 p.m. (EST) | Third matchup vs. Carolina (1-0-1) |
| March 21 | vs. Winnipeg Jets | PPG Paints Arena | 1:00 p.m. (EST) | Second matchup vs. Winnipeg (5-2 loss on Nov. 1) |
