Whether the Pittsburgh Penguins make the playoffs or not, their performance away from home is cause for concern. The Pittsburgh Penguins' road record this season is the worst among teams still in the playoff race, even after three wins away from home to kick off April. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA1NzY0OTE3MjUxMjg2NDY5/usatsi_22908639_168400847_lowres.jpg] The Pittsburgh Penguins' road record this season is the worst among teams still in the playoff race, even after three wins away from home to kick off April. The Pittsburgh Penguins' comeback may not have been enough in the race for the final wild-card playoff berth in the Eastern Conference this season, but there's still a chance. Before Monday's game, they still have a slight chance to get traction in their final two games and sneak into the post-season with a loss from the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings. But here’s one of the biggest problems for them: they’re a terrible road team. The worst road team, in fact, of any team in the race for a playoff position. Their 15-17-8 road mark is not a positive harbinger for them, and that remains true whether those struggles are partly why they miss the playoffs or whether they scrap into the playoffs. To be sure, the Penguins have been mediocre at best in all elements of their game. Their home record (22-14-4) is ranked 19th in the NHL, while their road record is tied for 22nd overall. It’s true the Pens have had to be significantly better just to get back to the periphery of the playoff race – they’re 7-2-1 in their last 10 games – but if they square off against either the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes or Boston Bruins in the first round, they’re going to be a huge underdog rightfully. This is why: Pittsburgh had a 1-2-0 record against the Rangers (including one road loss), as well as a 2-2-0 mark against Carolina (including two road losses), and a 1-2-0 record against Boston (including one road loss) this season. No matter how you slice it, the Pens will not be favored no matter who they take on in the post-season. Pittsburgh’s top road players in point production are the usual suspects. Captain Sidney Crosby has a 1.15 points-per-game average in 40 road games, up slightly from his overall points-per-game average of 1.13. Center Evgeni Malkin has a 0.80 points-per-game road average, down a tick from his overall average of 0.81. Star defenseman Kris Letang’s road points-per-game average of 0.73 is better than his overall average of 0.63, and star blueliner Erik Karlsson’s road points-per-game average of 0.65 is basically the same as his overall average of 0.66. However, the biggest area of concern on the road for the Penguins is in net. Longtime No. 1 goaltender Tristan Jarry has a 7-13-3 mark, a .902 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average away from home this year, while current starter Alex Nedeljkovic has a 7-4-5 road mark, an .897 SP and a 3.14 GAA. Regardless of which netminder Pens coach Mike Sullivan goes with in Round 1, they will be tasked with being significantly better in the opposition’s building. And that may not happen. Is there a chance the Penguins turn out to be a decent road team? Sure, there is. The playoffs are all about the heat of the moment and about redemption for past failures. And any team with Crosby on it has an opportunity to atone for recent history and establish itself as a team capable of winning a few rounds. But if the Pens do get turfed in short order, the culprit for it could well prove to be their performance on the road. They simply haven’t been even close to respectable away from home this season. Unless they change that in short order, their time in the playoffs – if they even get that far – will be brief and painful.
