As Jimmy Dugan once said in A League Of Their Own: “It is supposed to be hard. If it was not hard, everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great.“ The Pittsburgh Penguins are about to get a lesson in that over the next few games.
After an incredible come-from-behind win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday, the Penguins managed to take three out of a possible four points this weekend even though they played without captain Sidney Crosby (injury) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension). While you would have liked to have seen them get the win on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers, you would have absolutely signed up for three out of four points going into this weekend given the circumstances.
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They got them.
It does not matter how. They do not ask you how when the playoffs begin. They just ask if you got them.
That win gives the Penguins a five-point cushion over the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are the first team on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and a one-point cushion over the New York Islanders for the second in the Metropolitan Division while still having a game in hand on them.
Now they have to get into the truly difficult part of this March schedule, beginning a five-game road trip this week against five likely playoff teams and several Stanley Cup contenders. It is going to be a challenge.
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If there is a positive to take from this: The Penguins have been able to rise to the challenge repeatedly this season. There is also a very good chance that Crosby returns to the lineup, and perhaps even as soon as Tuesday night. He is skating. He is practicing. He is close.
Overall, it is hard to ask for more than what the Penguins have been able to do without him since returning from the Olympic break. With this weekend’s games in the book, the Penguins are 3-2-2 without Crosby, earning eight out of a possible 14 points in the standings. That is .571 hockey. Considering that they played two games (and realistically, two and two-third games) without Malkin as well, that is more than acceptable. They were always going to lose some of these games. They just needed to find a way to get some points to keep their pace going and maintain their lead in the playoff race. They have done that. Now they have to find a way to keep scratching out a few points when they can.
The week and the road trip begins on Tuesday night with a Metropolitan Division game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, and always seems to give the Penguins problems, especially in recent years. But the Penguins have not only played exceptionally well within the division this season, they also won the first meeting with Carolina by a 5-1 margin at the end of December. It was one of the Penguins best and most complete games of the season, and also one of the games that really started their post-holiday break surge.
Carolina is also going to be playing the vaunted “first home game back after a long road trip,” which always seems to give teams fits for some reason.
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After playing in Carolina, the Penguins travel out west to play the Vegas Golden Knights to complete their season series with them. Vegas should be a Stanley Cup contender on paper, but it has not quite played like it so far this season, and especially not recently. Goaltending is their big issue right now, and they are still playing without veteran winger Mark Stone who was injured in the first game with the Penguins a week ago. That is a big absence for their lineup.
The road trip then continues on Saturday in Salt Lake City where the Penguins will play the Utah Mammoth. Utah won the first meeting of the season, 5-4 in overtime, as part of that stretch in early December where the Penguins could not hold on to a third period lead at all. Utah is a really tough defensive team, but does not have great goaltending or an elite offense.
Overall these next three opponents rank third (Carolina), 15th (Vegas) and 16th (Utah) in the NHL in points percentage for the season, and fifth (Utah), sixth (Carolina) and 19th (Vegas) in the NHL in expected goals share during 5-on-5 play.
These are good teams. There are also some winnable games in there. Specifically the Utah and Vegas games.
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Crosby’s potential availability will determine a lot for what the expectations should be, but if he returns at some point this week I would really like to see them find a way to get four points out of this. That will be challenging, but it is doable. The Penguins have repeatedly proven this season that they can compete in these games and win them. They showed this weekend they have depth. They are going to have a chance to really prove it.
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