The Pittsburgh Penguins have excelled on special teams over the past month.
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins are 8-1-0 in December and have won 13 of their last 16 games. A major reason for their recent success is the improved play of both special teams units.
After struggling to find the right combination, the Penguins power play has clicked on all cylinders since the calendar turned to December. They have scored at least one goal in all nine games this month and have tallied 13 goals on the man advantage over that same period.
The eight-game goal streak for the power play is the longest streak for the Penguins since the 2015-16 season. While Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have scored goals during this streak, Jake Guentzel (3) has collected the most goals for the Penguins top unit.
On the other side, the Penguins penalty kill unit has been the best in the NHL for the past month. Their 93.6% success rate is far and away the best in the NHL, with the Toronto Maple Leafs in second place with 84.1% during that span.
What is the key to the Penguins success on the penalty kill? Can the power play continue to make improvements? Will they be able to sustain this level of play the remainder of the season?
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