Penguins Need Strong Start Following Christmas Break
A win on Long Island could change the trajectory of the Pittsburgh Penguins season.
The NHL's holiday break has concluded as the Pittsburgh Penguins return to action later tonight. As 2024 approaches, the Penguins sit in a position that is becoming too familiar outside of a playoff spot.
For the second consecutive year, the Penguins will open up their post-holiday schedule on Long Island against their bitter division foes, the New York Islanders. Last year, the Penguins entered that matchup in third place in the Metropolitan division but were embarrassed 5-1 in one of their worst performances of the season.
That loss sent the Penguins on a downward trajectory, losing seven of their next ten games and falling out of the playoff picture. One year later, the Penguins hope to reverse that fate, heading into a pivotal stretch.
A few weeks ago, Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas publicly circled the All-Star Break in early February as a possible timeframe for this team to turn the season around. Since that press conference, the Penguins have gone 4-1-1.
The Penguins have 14 games between now and then, eight of which are against Eastern Conference opponents ahead of them in the standings. If the Penguins have any hope of positioning themselves well for the stretch run of this season, January provides ample opportunity for them to do so.
It all begins on Long Island. The Penguins enter a venue that served as the beginning of the end a year ago, looking to turn the tide of this season in the opposite direction.
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