The Pittsburgh Penguins have won five of their last seven games.
Two weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and looking for answers. Their top six was tired, their defense was porous, and their goaltenders were struggling to keep opponents under four goals.
Fast forward to today, and the Penguins have returned to form thanks to two successful road trips, the latest being a perfect 3-0 trip. The turnaround hasn't been wholesale, and some Penguins remain cold, but the team has won five of its past seven games, collecting 11 of 14 possible standings points.
The Penguins two-headed monster led the way this weekend as Evgeni Malkin closed in on 1,000 NHL games played. Malkin finished the trip with three points (1-2), scoring his lone goal of the trip on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sidney Crosby had been struggling before this trip, exemplified by his performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which he was on the ice for all five of Toronto's goals. Crosby bounced back with a vengeance, taking his game to another level, scoring ten points (3-7) in the three games, including multiple four-point performances in Minnesota and Chicago to bookend the trip.
His heroics were necessary against Chicago once the Penguins blew a 3-0 lead to the rebuilding Blackhawks. Crosby entered the zone with a head of steam and would not be denied, picking up his 80th career game-winning goal.
The Penguins received help from all corners of their lineup. Brock McGinn continued his unexpected heater, scoring his second goal of the road trip and his fifth in the past seven. Tristan Jarry shut down the high-powered Winnipeg Jets to collect his first shutout of the season. Bryan Rust ended his goal drought with an insurance goal in that game.
Heading into this seven-game stretch, the Penguins were in a bad way and needed to get right with multiple road trips stacked back-to-back. They were able to go 5-0-1 on the road and will now play eight of their next ten games on home ice as they look to continue their ascent back up the Metropolitan Division standings.
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