American Thanksgiving is upon us, and that means folks start talking benchmarks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-have-passed-the-thanksgiving-benchmark], playoffs, and trade deadline storylines around the NHL. And with some kind of playoff picture coming into focus, the Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins] sure have a lot to be thankful for this season. After a scorching 8-2-2 start to the season in the month of October, the Penguins are still in the East's second wild card spot despite a tough 3-4-3 stretch in November. Regardless of where things go from here, the Penguins have exceeded many outside expectations, and there have been several contributing factors to their early-season success. Here are five things the Penguins should be thankful for this season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THEIR GOALIES Goaltending has taken the Penguins places this season after being a glaring weakness in the last several seasons. This year, Tristan Jarry [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/report-penguins-goaltender-drawing-significant-interest-from-western-conference-team], Arturs Silovs, and Sergei Murashov have combined for a .911 team save percentage, which is good for fourth in the NHL. The league's average save percentage this season is .891. And, let's not forget Joel Blomqvist, who is off to a torrid start in the AHL after missing the first six weeks of the regular season with a lower-body injury. In three games, he has an impressive 1.34 goals-against average and an unreal .952 save percentage. The goaltending depth in this organization is very real, and the Penguins should certainly thank those guys for their early success. Report: Penguins' Goaltender Drawing 'Significant Interest' From Western Conference Team [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/14133d1a-af98-43dc-878e-a31658417ad6.jpeg] Report: Penguins' Goaltender Drawing 'Significant Interest' From Western Conference Team An NHL insider has linked Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Tristan Jarry to the struggling Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/report-penguins-goaltender-drawing-significant-interest-from-western-conference-team] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE KIDS Another two people the Penguins should be grateful for are GM and POHO Kyle Dubas and VP of Player Personnel Wes Clark, who have managed to completely overturn the Penguins' prospect pool and outlook on youth talent in a matter of two-plus years. But at the end of the day, the kids are the ones getting it done. Murashov is advanced for a goaltender of his age at 21. Rutger McGroarty - who missed all of training camp and the first month and a half of action due to an upper-body injury - has three goals and five points in three games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/penguins-top-prospect-rutger-mcgroarty-extends-ahl-goal-scoring-streak] and appears to have a long-term outlook in the organization. Teenagers Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke earned spots on the NHL roster out of training camp, and Kindel - drafted this year - has particularly impressed. Penguins' Top Prospect Rutger McGroarty Extends AHL Goal-Scoring Streak [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/805ae45c-f68f-4562-9d29-8676cfdfef3b.jpeg] Penguins' Top Prospect Rutger McGroarty Extends AHL Goal-Scoring Streak <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' top prospect Rutger McGroarty can't stop scoring goals for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/penguins-top-prospect-rutger-mcgroarty-extends-ahl-goal-scoring-streak] Overall, the Penguins have iced nine rookies this season [https://x.com/PenguinsPR/status/1993385302879354919?s=20], which is the top mark in the NHL. All of a sudden, this isn't really an old team anymore, even if their high-performing veterans skew the number otherwise. And, hey, after 20 years of witnessing greatness in the Crosby era, the Penguins should be thankful that there is, potentially, some greatness on the horizon, too. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A NEW COACHING STAFF New head coach Dan Muse and his staff have gotten a lot out of a roster that a lot of folks doubted heading into the season. Todd Nelson has elevated a good Penguins' power play [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-special-teams-driving-bus-for-hot-start] from last season to the best unit in the league, and his work with the forward unit has been spectacular. Mike Stothers has reformed the Penguins' penalty kill to be a top-five unit and has endeared himself to a better-than-anticipated defense corps. Nick Bonino and "eye in the sky" Rich Clune have done a fantastic job with the group as well, especially as coaches with less experience than the others. Then, there is Muse himself. The players love him and his energy. He knows how to develop players. He knows how to work with the vets. He knows when to give his team positive reinforcement and when to challenge them [https://x.com/kelsey_surmacz4/status/1992426804368506966?s=20]. He took a locker room that had an air of staleness and helped revitalize it. The organization is surely grateful for this staff, and the team should be, too. Penguins' Special Teams Driving Bus For Hot Start [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e0dfc0d0-536f-4957-9a42-5b20cef897f6.jpeg] Penguins' Special Teams Driving Bus For Hot Start Nineteen games into the 2025-26 season, things are going pretty well for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-special-teams-driving-bus-for-hot-start] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A MIDDLING EASTERN CONFERENCE Even if the Penguins have had a 3-4-3 skid in the month of November, they - thankfully - haven't lost much ground at all. They are still in a playoff position [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-have-passed-the-thanksgiving-benchmark], and they partially have the rest of the East to thank for that. With no team truly pulling away, the Penguins are just four points out of both the divisional and the conference lead that's held by the New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/] at 31. They have been challenged, injury-depleted, and not playing their best hockey as of late, yet they are still in the thick of things. That says a lot about both the Penguins as a team and about the rest of the East. It is worth noting that the Penguins are only five points out of the basement of the conference, too. But they're getting healthier, and they were the best team in the East at near-full-health. In a season seemingly of "meh" in the East, it's the perfect time for the Penguins to take advantage of that. And they should be thankful that they're getting back to full health so they have the opportunity to do just that. Penguins Have Passed The Thanksgiving Benchmark [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f2ba59b4-dcbd-42c3-a50e-9e0267eb506f.jpeg] Penguins Have Passed The Thanksgiving Benchmark The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving, which could be huge. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-have-passed-the-thanksgiving-benchmark] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NAYSAYERS If there is one thing that tends to motivate anyone, it's others casting doubt. It makes a person or a team want to prove those others wrong. And guess what? The naysayers spoke, and the Penguins have largely rejected narratives this season. Three of their oldest players in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Erik Karlsson are playing at a very high level to start the season, and they seem to have drowned out the noise. "Take a chance on me" players like Silovs, Justin Brazeau, Anthony Mantha [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/new-penguins-winger-on-pace-for-career-highs-this-season], and Parker Wotherspoon have been four of the Penguins' better players this season, too, despite limited hype surrounding those acquisitions. New Penguins' Winger On Pace For Career-Highs This Season [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/aaa7c19b-d383-4c7a-9dc2-21294d66c118.jpeg] New Penguins' Winger On Pace For Career-Highs This Season One year ago, right wing Anthony Mantha tore his ACL on a freak kind of play as a member of the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames">Calgary Flames</a>. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/new-penguins-winger-on-pace-for-career-highs-this-season] Even the Penguins' own GM said at the conclusion of last season that the playoffs would be "an accomplishment" this season, and the team is defying those words so far. If naysayers didn't exist, the Penguins wouldn't be able to defy everything they've been saying. A lot of publications - not this one, for the record [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/2025-26-season-predictions-thn-penguins-edition] - had the Penguins finishing bottom-five at best, and in a lot of cases, bottom-three. A lot can still happen. That much is for certain. But be thankful that you get to watch these Penguins on a nightly basis because they've - simply put - been a fun team to watch this season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
