It's all coming down to the wire, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are excited for the challenges.

PITTSBURGH - To say this matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks is huge for the Pittsburgh Penguins would be the understatement of the year.

According to moneypuck.com, the Penguins have a 65% swing in playoff odds on the line.

Currently sitting with a 60.7% chance, a win would push them all the way to a 73.4% chance at the postseason.

A loss, however, would give the Penguins just one game left to makeup ground and Money Puck drops them to an 8.4% chance.

The Penguins might have two low-level teams remaining in the Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets, but they know they can’t play down to their opponents.

“I don’t care where any team sits in the standings,” Mike Sullivan said. “Every team in this league is a good hockey team.”

The Blackhawks and Blue Jackets are the worst teams in their respective conferences, but the Penguins know that doesn’t guarantee victories.

The Penguins have been playing must-win hockey games for a few weeks now and have come up on the right side of things more recently.

Playing these important games as the season winds down not only build momentum, but it can breed confidence and excitement in the group.

“I know our guys are excited to get after it,” Sullivan said. “The stakes are high. We got a lot on the line. We’re looking forward to an opportunity to grab points and try and solidify a playoff spot.”

The Penguins are in the driver’s seat, they are in control of their destiny and are so close to reaching the postseason for the 17^th consecutive season.

It’s not ideal that they’ll need all 82 games to reach the playoffs, but there can be benefits to the late-season push.

“We got to get there first,” Sidney Crosby said. “There’s always evidence of that. When you look at playoff history and teams that had to work to get in, right to the last game, they’ve had success.”

The work is not done yet, but the end of the tunnel is in sight.

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