The Pittsburgh Penguins may be confident in their abilities, but they are playing with fire with multiple losing streaks.
For the second time in the 2022-23 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the midst of a losing streak that has extended past the five game mark.
Teams can never afford multiple lengthy losing streaks, but the Penguins could find themselves in real danger if they don’t improve quickly.
At most, the Metropolitan Division will be able to send five teams to the postseason and as of right now, there are six really good teams fighting for spots.
No matter what happens, there will be at least one deserving team held from the playoffs thanks to the format.
The Penguins are currently that sixth team; with a record of 19-13-6, they sit two points behind the New York Islanders who took a big step forward this year.
The New Jersey Devils also made major stride in improving their team as they sit second in the Metro with 51 points.
Then there’s the usual suspects of the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals.
The Penguins have made the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons, there’s no doubt the teams ahead of them would love to see that streak come to an end.
Stacking losing streaks like this can be detrimental for the Penguins season; the last time the Penguins had two losing streaks of six or more in the same season was in 2005-06.
Not only was the 2005-06 season Sidney Crosby’s rookie season, but it was also the last time the Penguins missed the playoffs.
If the Penguins have any plans of extending their playoff streak, they’ll want to get a grip on their season, and do it quickly.
The Metro isn’t going to get any easier and every team will do all they can to make sure the longest postseason streak in the NHL comes to an end.
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