Penguins Will Need to Find New Rhythm to Reach Playoffs
The Pittsburgh Penguins found their way back to the win column, but will need to maintain a consistent pace
It’s been a rocky start to the 2023-24 season for the Pittsburgh Penguins nearing the midpoint of December and not sitting comfortably in a playoff spot.
When Kyle Dubas joined the Penguins’ front office and began shifting numerous areas of the lineup, the expectations were through the roof.
The core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang were still at the top of their game while Erik Karlsson was brought it to shore up defensive scoring and Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel were aiming for a bounce back season.
Through the early stages of 2023-24, each of those names has brought their best, but the Penguins haven’t had the same amount of luck as a team.
Heading into their contest against the Arizona Coyotes, the Penguins carried a record of 11-12-3 and stood seventh in the Metropolitan Division.
Penguins’ historian Bob Grove made a point prior to the game that the average amount of points needed to make the playoffs over the last eight full seasons in the Eastern Conference was 96.
Considering the slow start the Penguins have struggled with, the reach 96 points, they would have to go on a magnificent 33-18-5 run to close out the year.
That would give the Penguins a total record of 44-30-8, which is still below expectations, but could mathematically get them back into the postseason.
After a slow start, it was pretty obvious that the Penguins would need a miraculous run to get back in the hunt, but now there’s a general number to keep track of.
The Penguins got off to a good start against the Coyotes by sealing a win and pushing their record to 12-12-3.
The win put an end to a four-game losing streak, as well; if the Penguins want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they'll need to up the ante and find a new level of consistency.
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