After their win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins may have finally found their footing on the season.

Through the first quarter of the 2023-24 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins had themselves a pretty mediocre run hovering around a .500 record through 20 games.

The crucial date of Thanksgiving came and went with the Penguins sitting outside of a playoff spot, but the entire Eastern Conference is still only separated by a handful of points.

Just before the calendar could flip to December, the Penguins put together the kind of performance that could finally give them the stability and consistency they’ve been looking for.

Going up against an extremely tough opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning, the first period was by far the Penguins’ worst of the season.

The Lightning ended the period with a 2-0 lead and a 17-5 advantage in shots on goal; Tristan Jarry was doing all that he could to try and keep his team in the game, but Tampa Bay was pressing hard.

Things took a complete 180 in the second frame and not only did the Penguins fight back, but Jarry would go on to completely steal the show.

The Penguins dominated shots on goal in the second by putting up 19 to the Lightning’s seven, and their captain Sidney Crosby again put the team on his back.

Crosby opened the scoring for the Penguins to pull momentum in their favor, and young winger Drew O’Connor knotted the game at two in the dying seconds of the period.

The final frame is when it turned into the Jarry Party as he not only stopped all 17 shots he faced, but made history with the first goalie goal in Penguins’ history.

Jeff Carter recorded his first goal of the season early in the period to give the Penguins the lead and that was all the lead Jarry needed to slam the door on the Lightning.

Not only did the Penguins grab a big win over a tough opponent, they once again proved that they aren’t completely out of games, even after poor opening periods.

Jarry has found an outstanding rhythm and is slowly climbing back as one of the top goalies in the NHL.

Crosby remains dominant as ever and the depth seems to be much improved from last year.

Some areas of the Penguins, like the power play, are still far behind the eight ball, but if the team is confident just one goal there could change their momentum.

The Penguins are still out of a playoff spot, but with the East and the Metropolitan Division being so close, a few wins could be huge.

On paper, that victory over the Lightning may not look like much, but in the grand scheme of the year, it may have just become the season-changing win they needed.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.

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