Newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Dmitry Kulikov discusses how he learned about the trade and what he brings to this Penguins team. PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins have under 20 games remaining on their schedule, and each of them carry increased importance without a guaranteed spot in the postseason. For the past 16 years, the Penguins have been a mainstay in the NHL playoffs and they hope to push that for at least another season. Currently in the second wild card spot, nothing is certain until the final buzzer, and the team knows that. The Penguins are coming up on some important games against not only Metropolitan Division rivals, but other Eastern Conference teams that are on the playoff bubble. For teams with more secure spots in the race, there might be a sense of slowing down the pace and saving much needed energy for the bigger contests. That isn’t the case for the Penguins; with their current position, captain Sidney Crosby is expecting his team to not let up until the bitter end. “Not in our situation,” Crosby said. “It should be full throttle. See what we can do. Get every point we can get.” With 19 games remaining, there are 38 points up for grabs, and the Penguins will need to take most of them to keep their playoff hopes alive. Crosby believes with every game having significant meaning, it should bring the best out of the team. “It’s a good thing when you’re playing important games every single night,” Crosby said. “That’s going to bring out our best. It should make us that much more sharp.” The Penguins take on the New York Islanders in their next contest, and that’s exactly who their battling with in the wild card. Every game has it’s elevated meaning, but the Penguins will want to bring their best against the Islanders. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Jason Zucker Is Pricing Himself Out of Penguins Reach [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/jason-zucker-pricing-himself-out-pittsburgh-penguins-reach] Alex Nyalnder Proves Worthy of Spot on Penguins Roster [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/alex-nylander-proves-worthy-spot-pittsburgh-penguins-roster] Penguins Battle Back Against NHL's Worst Team for OTW [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-pengunis-battle-back-nhl-worst-team-otw] Bryan Rust, Mikael Granlund Out of Penguins Lineup [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/bryan-rust-mikael-granlund-out-pittsburgh-penguins-lineup] Penguins Recall Alex Nylander from AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-recall-alex-nylander-ahl] * undefined * undefined
