Penguins GM Says One Game Sparked Playoff Run
The Pittsburgh Penguins current run to the playoffs was sparked thanks to one particular contest.
PITTSBURGH – It wasn’t long ago that the Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, with little chance of making the playoffs. Now, with four massively important games left, they are just one point out of a playoff spot.
With that kind of turnaround, was there any specific moment or event that woke the Penguins up? Aside from never giving up hope, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas says there was one game in particular when they realized what they could do.
According to Dubas on the GM Show with Josh Getzoff, that one game was the dominating 5-2 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
“Just that the way the group handled that night,” Dubas said. “We were coming off of a really disappointing loss ourselves… It would have been easy to just go away and accept that fortune wasn’t going to be on our side that night.”
The Penguins came out right away with a goal from Bryan Rust just 18 seconds in to go ahead, and they never looked back. That win extended the Penguins point streak to five games and was the first real sign of life in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Beyond putting together a fabulous team effort, the Penguins were also battling through an illness. Multiple players were scratched at the last second, including Tristan Jarry, who was supposed to be the starting goalie that night.
“Before the game, we had a bunch of players develop that 24-hour stomach bug,” Dubas said. “Tristan was supposed to start, he has to come out of the lineup. Three or four other guys that were scheduled to play were on IVs even at the end of warmups.”
The Penguins were multiple players down and still managed to win over the Rangers, who are vying for the President’s Trophy.
After winning at MSG, the Penguins had a game the following night on the road against the New Jersey Devils, a team and arena they notoriously struggled in. They rode their momentum to another win and still haven’t taken their foot off the pedal.
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