Penguins Need Outside Help to Earn Final Playoff Spot
Looking ahead at what needs to happen for the Pittsburgh Penguins to reach the postseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have four games remaining in the regular season; so do the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers.
Without any games in hand and a tight playoff race, the Penguins are fighting an up hill battle as they fight for the playoffs.
No matter what fans feel about making the postseason, the players know their chances and will do whatever it takes to continue playing games as long as possible.
Regardless of record, the Penguins main goal is to win the Stanley Cup; they believe they can do it, but they know it won’t be an easy road.
And without the games in hand, the Penguins need a lot to go their way.
Of their own four remaining games, the Penguins will likely need to win at minimum three of them.
That’s a fairly attainable goal; the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets are two of the worst teams in the NHL, and those are the Penguins final two opponents.
It might come down to winning those games, and thankfully the opponent won’t be all that difficult.
The Penguins will have challenges against the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings, however.
The Wild are in the dog fight to win their division and seal home ice advantage, while the Penguins have struggled against the Red Wings.
In their first two battles, the Red Wings defeated the Penguins and will look to seal a season sweep.
The Penguins will need to steal a win from one, if not both of the Wild and Red Wings, to have a real shot at the postseason.
As for the Islanders and Panthers, the Penguins will have to hope they take some losses along the way.
The Islanders have arguably the easiest schedule remaining with the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and Montreal Canadiens all on the ledger.
The Panthers have a harder trek with their last two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.
Even if the Penguins win each of their final four games, their ticket still isn’t punched; they need multiple losses from both the Islanders and Panthers to sit more comfortably.
In plain English, the Penguins need to win at least one more game than either of the Panthers or Islanders.
On paper, it looks like the Penguins will miss extra hockey, but they still have a chance.
The Penguins have lost their advantages and will need to steal wins and hope for a little luck from other teams if they want to make a run at the playoffs.
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