Forward Jake Guentzel's future with the Pittsburgh Penguins is primarily tied to his contract negotiations and not the team's contention this season. PITTSBURGH – The bye week has come to an end for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they get ready to return to the ice for practices and the final stretch in the fight for the postseason. When the bye week kicked off, the Penguins sat with a 22-17-7 record for 51 standings points and outside of a wild card spot. While the Penguins haven’t looked like world beaters as of late, neither have the teams right next to them in the playoff race. A stretch of poor play from other Eastern Conference teams has left the door wide open for the Penguins to take advantage gain another advantage in the race. [https://www.nhl.com/standings/2024-02-03/wildcard] With 46 games played under their belt, the Penguins have played the fewest number of games in the East, giving them multiple games in hand on most the pack. The New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals have played 47 and are tied with the Penguins with 51 points. Both the Devils and Capitals have had sloppy play as of late, however, giving the Penguins a chance. They may be battling injuries to key players, but the Devils have gone 3-6-1 in their last 10 games played. The Devils had a hot start to the year but have cooled up substantially with a 4-5-1 run in their last 10. The New York Islanders are currently one point up on the Penguins but with three extra games played and a miserable 2-6-2 run. Both of their wins came by the skin of their teeth with overtime finishes. The Detroit Red Wings hold the second wild card spot with 58 standings points. That sounds like a tough mountain to climb for the Penguins, but they have the games played advantage. The Penguins return to play with four games in hand, while the Red Wings are one of the few teams getting their bye week post All-Star break. The Islanders are also tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who hold the first wild card spot. The Maple Leafs also have three games in hand on the Islanders. Both teams holding wild card spots are from the Atlantic Division, giving the Penguins an opportunity to maybe jump past the bottom two spots if they make a good run. The Philadelphia Flyers are third in the Metropolitan Division with 56 points. Much like the Red Wings, the Flyers have played 50 games, giving the Penguins four games in hand. The Flyers have also been one of the coldest teams in the NHL with a five-game losing streak. People keep saying the Penguins are longshots to make the postseason, but if they can return to play with a good run of games, they could make things easy on themselves. The opportunity is there for them, now they just need to take full advantage. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Penguins Defenseman Returns from Conditioning Stint [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-john-ludvig-returns-conditioning-stint] Penguins' Sidney Crosby Eliminated From All-Star Tournament [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-sidney-crosby-eliminated-all-star-tournament] Insider Slams Penguins' Sidney Crosby for Skipping All-Star Draft [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/insider-slams-pittsburgh-penguins-sidney-crosby-skipping-all-star-draft] Analyst: Penguins' Sidney Crosby Lock to Play 2026 Olympics [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-sidney-crosby-lock-play-2026-olympics] Penguins Preview: All-Star Rivals Join Forces [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-preview-all-star-rivals-join-forces] * undefined * undefined
