Penguins Answering Call From Kyle Dubas
The Pittsburgh Penguins look like one of the best teams in the NHL since their president said he hoped to see more.
When we last heard from Kyle Dubas, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and sinking like a rock in the standings.
The power play was hitting new lows, and the Penguins couldn’t find any consistency despite great outputs from guys like Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel.
During his press conference, Dubas stated that he was still getting a feel for the team, but understood more success needed to follow the team.
“I know there’s lots of questions as there generally is when a team isn’t at the level that everybody expects,” Dubas said. “The responsibility falls on me to chart the course of where we’re at and where we’re going.”
Dubas looked to follow the one rule when in a hole and that’s to stop digging; he essentially threw down a challenge for the Penguins to stop the bleeding and find solutions.
In the seven games since Dubas spoke, the Penguins are 5-1-1 and slowly morphing into one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
Two of those wins came against teams they hadn’t beaten since the 2021-22 season in the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders, with the latter taking a 7-0 beating by the Penguins.
Not only have the Penguins stepped up in a big way at a crucial time, they are getting important wins over divisional opponents.
In those seven games, the Penguins saw their power play put an end to a month-long goalless streak and their goaltenders hit another level of play.
Crosby and Guentzel are still as strong as ever offensively while Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still top level players at their age.
Rickard Rakell even found the back of the net in two straight games while Valtteri Puustinen has emerged as a genuine NHL talent.
Dubas didn’t say what kind of moves or changes may need to be made to the Penguins, nor did he specify when things need to be properly fixed, but he highlighted the All-Star break as a date of importance.
By about that point of the season, Dubas is hopeful the Penguins will have a much better idea of where the team is going and what changes may need to be made.
If the Penguins can keep up the good work, they’re looking to become buyers at the trade deadline and make that important push for the postseason.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9YH1S974No[/embed]
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins