Penguins Energized for Another Crucial Game

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are down to their final two games of the season, and after seeing their 10-game point streak come to an end, they still have the playoffs in sight. It’s a close race in the Eastern Conference, with five different teams holding the second wild card spot since the start of April, and the Penguins are still alive in the hunt.

The Penguins held that wild card spot themselves a couple of times but sit a point out heading into their final regular season home game of the year. A tough loss to the Boston Bruins forced the Penguins to drop a few spots in the running, but they’re still alive. It’s a familiar position for them, but they’re confident they have what it takes to bounce back again.

Even when things seemed bleak, the Penguins never lost hope and kept looking ahead to what’s next. The Penguins didn’t get any outside help, either, as each team in the running notched a win to leapfrog them. The team’s goal is to keep looking ahead, control what they can, and take advantage of their own opportunities.

“We got to worry about the next one,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “That’s what we’ve been doing here for a long time. We’ve done a good job of just moving by. I think we got to do that here.”

Crosby found some positives in the Bruins’ loss, saying they kept up with one of the best teams in the league and scored enough to win. With the final two games on the horizon, the Penguins are one point out of the wild card spot.

Regardless of where the Penguins were in the standings, head coach Mike Sullivan was always vocal about not giving up hope. He knew that as long as they weren’t mathematically eliminated from contention, this team has what it takes to go on a run.

That’s exactly what they did, rifling off 10 straight games with at least a standings point and putting themselves right back in the hunt. Even if the end of their schedule was a gauntlet to work through, there was always confidence.

“We knew this was a tough stretch,” Sullivan said. “Regardless of where this goes, we still have two more games to play. We’ve got to get some rest here, and we’ve got to re-energize.”

Sullivan also said during their run that the players are having more fun playing in important games that carry so much meaning. While the pressure is high for them, there is still a level of excitement within the room.

“It’s an exciting game to be a part of,” Michael Bunting said. “We need to win the next couple of games. They’re big games. We’re all looking forward to it.”

Their next matchup with the Nashville Predators is another crucial one and could go either way. According to moneypuck.com, the odds are pretty even, giving the Penguins a 50.5% chance of winning.

On that Predators team is former Penguins forward, Jason Zucker. This isn’t Zucker’s first time playing against the Penguins this season, but his former teammates know there won’t be friends come puck drop.

“It’s obviously always fun playing against Zuck,” Bryan Rust said with a smile. “I’ll keep the comments nice right now. He’s obviously a great guy. For two and a half hours tonight, there’s no friends out there.”

It’s another important matchup, and the Penguins hope to take full advantage of what they can control and keep their playoff hopes alive.

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