'Every Line's Able To Bring Some Offense': Penguins' Quick-Strike Offense Key To Success This Season

There are a lot of reasons why the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins are finding success that they haven't found in the last few years.

For one, they're getting contributions from up and down their lineup. They already have eight players with 10 or more goals - more are on the way, too - and seven players are on pace to score more than 20 goals (and, it could be eight if Rickard Rakell - injured for 20 games this season - gets hot, as he is currently on pace for 19). In addition, 10 players are on pace to clear 40 points this season.

In addition, they're getting solid and timely goaltending. Stuart Skinner has a combined .895 save percentage since he was dealt to the Penguins from the Edmonton Oilers in December, but that's including three shaky starts to begin his tenure in Pittsburgh. Since those three starts, he is 8-1-0 with a .916 save percentage. Arturs Silovs has been solid, too, going 5-1-2 with a .905 save percentage since the holiday break.

And, of course, the Penguins are playing better defense, as they are pretty much near the middle of the pack in most major defensive metrics - a step up from where they were at earlier in the season. They've gotten the most out of guys like Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea on the back end, and Erik Karlsson is having a renaissance season. 

But beyond personnel, the Penguins' new system under head coach Dan Muse and his staff is also doing them a ton of favors. So, too, is this team's ability to capitalize on momentem swings.

And that ability to not just capitalize on those swings, but outright dominate because of them, has been a pretty big factor behind this team's success.

"Hockey's a weird game, and when pucks go in, they go in in bunches sometimes," forward Tommy Novak said. "It seems like the next line up is always hungry for another one and to keep [the opposition] in the d-zone."

First thing's first: There is a glaring disparity between when the Penguins strike first this season in comparison to when the opposition does. Pittsburgh is 23-3-5 when scoring the first goal of the game this season as opposed to 5-11-6 when they allow it, which speaks to their ability to control play from the drop of the puck.

But, digging deeper, there are some pretty interesting figures behind the Penguins' quick-strike offense and their ability to keep piling on once they seize momentum. 

Through 53 games this season, the Penguins have scored:

- Two goals within a minute 10 times
- Two goals within two minutes 19 times
- Three goals within 10 minutes eight times
- Four goals within 20 minutes three times
- Three-plus consecutive goals 25 times
- Four-plus consecutive goals 11 times
- Five-plus consecutive goals five times

In other words, this team is not only generating a lot of offense from different parts of their lineup, they are able to string together shifts where they dominate possession, roll four lines, and pile on offense in order to give themselves either a good chance at a comeback or some always-needed insurance.

So what's behind this team's ability to take full advantage of momentum swings within games?

The truth is, no one really knows why this team is able to do this as often as it does.

"I wish I could say it's something that's, like, planned," Muse said. "I have nothing to do with it. It's the guys on the ice. I think, sometimes, it's just a little bit of that momentum. You're feeling it, the bench is feeling good, so you get that next opportunity. On the flip side of it, for the team on the other side, when momentum's going against you, you're kind of back on your heels.

"You've seen it where it's the same line doing it twice, then another line doing it next. But, sometimes, when you're kind of on the right side of things, it's just continuing to build traction, continuing to go in the right direction. It's a credit to the group and that next line or that next pair that's jumping over the boards after a goal. Whether it's a goal or it's just another good offensive shift keeping the momentum on our side, it's always a good thing."

"Momentum" will certainly be a theme for the Penguins over the next month-plus, as they're the hottest team in hockey with three games left to play before the near-three-week Olympic break. They're currently on a six-game win streak, sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 67 points, and have scored 31 goals in their past six games. 

Perhaps the Olympic break is coming at a tough time for this team, especially because they have so much momentum. But the key for the Penguins is continuing to build on the formula that has made them so successful this season.

"Every line's able to bring some offense," Mantha said. "And if there's one goal, you know the next line's going to be able to hop on the ice and do the same thing.

"It's maybe a little bit of luck, it's maybe the good work we're putting in. But, at the end of the day, it's good for our team."

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