Penguins Power Play Must Step up To Clinch a Playoff Spot
The Pittsburgh Penguins need more from their power play in the final two weeks of the season.
With ten days remaining in the NHL regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff hopes are still alive. While they currently control their destiny, one loss could determine whether they make or miss the postseason, with the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres sitting right behind them.
The most difficult tests remaining are on deck with a road game against the New Jersey Devils and back home on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. To win those games and eventually clinch a 17th straight postseason berth, the Penguins must be better on the power play.
The Penguins went 1-10 on the man advantage over the weekend, including a dismal 0-6 against the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon. That can't happen in the final week of the season.
The Devils have given the Penguins issues this season in their previous matchups, winning all three with a combined scoring advantage of 11-5. The Penguins have gone 1-16 on the power play against the Devils this season, including an infamous 0-9 performance on home ice back in December.
Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin have run the Penguins power play for years, often making risky cross-ice passes at the top of the zone and creating turnovers for the opposition. That high-risk style has allowed for more shorthanded chances than usual over the past few weeks, killing the Penguins momentum and building up their opponents.
The stars have carried this Penguins team for the better part of the season, but if they want to keep playing into May, they'll need to find another gear when they get power play opportunities in these final five games.
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