With yesterday’s 6-5 victory the Pittsburgh Penguins now hold the longest current winning streak in the NHL at six. They have two games in hand on the New York Islanders while holding a two point standings lead on them for second in the division.
Per Moneypuck the Penguins are now the sixth likeliest team to make the playoffs at 89%. Pittsburgh now has a 17 game stretch where they’ve bookended two separate six game winning streaks. This while taking 28 out of a possible 34 points. It has been a splendid recovery from what was a December that could have derailed the season.
Against the Rangers, they made it a lot more interesting than it had to be. Pittsburgh surrendered four third period goals, but managed to come out with the victory. Scoring six goals gives you that kind of wiggle room. Stylistically, that couldn’t be what Dan Muse would have liked to have seen. Alas, the Penguins earned those two standings points and move on to the next game.
Honoring the 2016 champs
Yesterday, the Penguins welcomed back the members of the 2016 Stanley Cup champions back to Pittsburgh. This team was one of my favorite teams to watch/cover. They were built with speed and skill and it was entertaining as it was effective. They were deserving champions and will have a lasting legacy among the greatest Penguins teams.
Sidney Crosby usually projects a stoic facade and is even keeled with his emotions. Yesterday, with his former teammates surrounding him, he allowed for some emotion to get out. It was a special team for those of us on the outside. It had to be an absolute blast to be a part of that group. There’s nothing better than being part of a team where you feel like a family, which is obviously the case with the 2016 team.
The end of Mike Sullivan’s tenure might have been spotty, but his legacy in Pittsburgh is secured with the fanbase. He was given a well-deserved ovation by the home crowd for what he did in his decade with the franchise.
Similarities to the 2016 team
I’m not here to try and say that the 2025-26 Penguins are as good as the 2015-16 version. It just isn’t true, obviously. The 2015-16 team had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Phil Kessel in their late twenties.
Where I do find similarities is that each team had four solid forward lines. There were no liabilities. The coaches were able to throw each line over the boards with the confidence that they could win their shift. This is a huge reason why the current Penguins have been able to sustain their success throughout the year so far.
A huge factor has been the Penguins fourth line which has been functioning closer to what you want out of a third line.
They have been the best fourth line in hockey
Connor Dewar has four points in the last two games, so does Noel Acciari, and guess what? So does Blake Lizotte. What a difference maker they’ve been.
Injury update
I don’t know about any of you, but I audibly groaned when I saw this post online.
I was bracing for the worst news. I thought we were going to find out Evgeni Malkin was being shut down for a few months or something along those lines. What we got is still disappointing, but I think it could have been worse.
Kris Letang is in a boot because he fractured his foot. He is going to miss at least 4 weeks.
The injury time will be mitigated by the Olympic break so Letang will not be missing as many games as he otherwise would have.
The big surprise, to me, was that Evgeni Malkin was a game-time decision yesterday and suited up for game action. I think the shoulder is still bugging him, but he is going to play through it and use the break for it to heal up.
Milestone for Karlsson
Erik Karlsson earned his 700th career assist against the Rangers in what has been a Hall of Fame career for the stellar Swede.
How about this guy? I think it is worth pointing out that it is so cool having Karlsson on the Penguins. Karlssn has been a driving force behind the Penguins success this year. He does so many things that make it easier for the players around him. He is wildly entertaining to watch in the same way Crosby and Malkin are. He’s been awesome this year and I love that he is a Penguin.
Kindel confidence
Ben Kindel had a 19 game goal drought and was perhaps feeling the grind of the NHL season. He was still playing good hockey, it just wasn’t leading to tangible offensive results. Since breaking the goal drought against Vancouver he has scored four goals and five points overall in the past three games.
Yesterday, the goal was of the empty net variety which is notable in that Dan Muse trusts him to be on the ice when the Penguins need to close out games. Kindel has earned that trust. His xGF% against the Rangers was 98.89.
During the 19 game goal drought Kindel’s xGF% at 5v5 was 47.80. His 5v5 points per 60 was only 0.79.
Since breaking the drought the past three games he has a 7.04 5v5 points per 60 and a 60.96 xGF%. The points per 60 is clearly being juiced by a super small sample. The overall point is that by breaking the streak Kindel is playing with more confidence and a renewed energy.
It has been easy to forget that Kindel is an 18 year old rookie based on how he has carried himself both on and off the ice. When he has confidence he can be a menace with his puck possession and vision. I think in the not so distant future he is going to hone his shot and cash in on more opportunities. He is the Penguins best third line center since his current coach and member of the 2016 Stanley Cup champs, Nick Bonino.
Tomorrow, the Penguins will be back in action against the Ottawa Senators. They will look to make it a season best seven in a row. If successful it will be the first seven game winning streak since December of 2022.
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