The Eastern Conference playoff situation is incredibly competitive this year and there are going to be some good teams who donât get in. Some of those teams who miss might have more points than the entire Pacific Division and the two wild card teams.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a really good season. Theyâve been in a playoff spot for most of the year. However, this past week could have been a season killer. Pittsburgh had five games and given how tight the standings are, any kind of losing streak could be the death knell in their playoff hopes. Instead, the Penguins earned 8 out of the possible 10 standings points. They defeated the New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, and Florida Panthers twice. By doing so. Theyâve all but locked up their first playoff berth since the 2021-22 season, per Moneypuck
The surprise this week wasnât the Penguins taking care of their business. It is who their likeliest first round opponent is as we sit here on April 6th. Per Hockey Stats
The Red Wings and Blue Jackets are in a tail spin at the moment. The New York Islanders are so upset with how things are going that they canned Patrick Roy and hired Peter DeBoer for the final stretch. This has given the Philadelphia Flyers a window to go out and take 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division. So not only would the Penguins be back in the playoffs, we would be all the way back with a Penguins Flyers playoff series.
Two-headed Monster milestones
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been playing NHL hockey for a long time. As a result, they are now hitting a plethora of milestones. I think something Dan Muse said yesterday is very true. You canât take these things for granted even if you feel like they are happening frequently.
For Sid, he accomplished two very impressive milestones this weekend. He tied and has now passed Steve Yzerman for seventh on the all-time points list. Sid now has 1,759 points. With only four games left in the season it is unlikely for him to catch Marcel Dionne and his 1,771 points for sixth place. Next year, he will most certainly catch Dionne as well as former Penguin Ron Francis who has 1,798 points. This would place Crosby in the top five all-time in points.
As with all Crosby milestones I am going to point out that he was robbed of his prime years because of David Steckelâs dirty cheap shot in the Winter Classic. Iâve done the math and Sid should have an additional 86 goals and 238 points based on conservative estimates of his scoring rates from that time period. So, he should be sitting at 740 goals and 1,997 points. We really should be gearing up for him to hit 2,000 points in the next four games. Something only Wayne Gretzky has accomplished. He was robbed and we were robbed as fans.
The other incredible accomplishment he achieved this weekend was lock in yet another point per game season. It is his 21st point per game season in the 21 years he has played in the NHL. This is something nobody in the history of the NHL has done. Sidâs consistency is his super power and this record is a really a nice representation of his greatness.
Congratulations to Sid, every accolade he gets he has earned doing it the right way.
Evgeni Malkin also had an excellent weekend. He had three goals and six points in the two games against the Florida Panthers. They were notable points.
Evgeni Malkin has become the 23rd player in NHL history to hit the 1,400 point mark.
He is now at 1,405 career points and if he continues to play in the NHL (WHICH HE SHOULD) he has the ability to pass a number of legends with a 53 point season.
Thatâs quite an impressive list of players and totally feasible for him to do.
Additionally, like Crosby, Evgeni Malkin locked in yet another point per game season for himself. It is the 16th time he has put up a point per game season. This probably doesnât get the run that it should because there are only three players who have done it more than him. Those three players are Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, and Gordie Howe.
Donât be alarmed, you donât actually have black and gold glasses on while looking at this list. It is true that five players in the top ten are indeed, Pittsburgh Penguins. You have the Mt. Rushmore Penguins: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr. You also have Ron Francis. We know this already, but Penguins fans have been spoiled over the years. What a rich history of excellence.
Iâve said my piece on whether Evgeni Malkin deserves at least a one-year extension with the Penguins so I wonât go on a rant about it. Malkin did address his contract situation after his hat trick game
âEvery goal helps me to (a) contract,â Malkin said. âTrust me.â
âItâs an amazing number, for sure. For one team, it’s huge,” Malkin said. âI love to play here. I love to play with Sid, (Kris Letang) and (Erik Karlsson). We have a great team right now, you know?
âI don’t want to stop, and I want the next milestone to be (1,500).â
On Feb. 28, Malkin said talks with Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas would resume in the offseason.
âI mean, if I say I deserve it, but he says no, what (do we) talk about?â Malkin said. âAgain, we see how playoffs work, how I play in playoffs, how I play last five games. And again, we see what’s going on in summer. But now, it’s the most fun time in the year. I enjoy it. I enjoy tonight. I score (a) hat trick, give me confidence.â
He moved to wing, he is over a point per game, he is committed to the team and their success. Heâs earned it.
After a grueling March schedule the Penguins have a little time to breath before their final four games of the regular season. They are in a great position to host round one and they deserve to be where they are. By the time they hit the ice again on Thursday they will likely earn the x next to their name in the standings confirming their playoff invitation.
It has been a very fun and exciting season given where expectations were in October. This season will run deeper than the previous three and they have a real shot of seeing May hockey again. Exciting times for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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