Do I even want the Penguins to make the playoffs? I know that’s a wild thing to say as a fan of a team, but can this Penguins group compete against a team like Carolina or Boston in a seven game series? What about if they get a win in the first round and in the second round you face the Florida Panthers? So that means 17-9-0 or something like 15-7-4.īut the biggest question I keep asking myself is. Which is about the average for one of the wild card spots. The Penguins can’t afford another four game losing streak, they can only lose nine games in regulation across their next twenty six games to get around 96 points. That’s a good team to beat, but we’ve seen this song and dance before, look good and go on a small win streak, then go on another four game losing streak. Last night, despite a short handed goal against, the Penguins battled to win against the Canucks 4-3 in overtime. Based on the their current goal differential, barring of course that they win their games in hand, they could or should take one of those spots. Beating out Tampa or Philly is the Penguins best chance to make it into the playoffs. Important note is that the Penguins have five games in hand over Tampa, they also have four in hand on the Flyers who hold the third place spot in the Metro. If the Penguins don’t start scoring on that power play, and they don’t play consistent, they will be most certainly missing the playoffs. They also need to keep players like Puustinen, on the power play, it causes change in the play on the man advantage and leads to more goals. They have one of the best goalie tandems in the league, they have the 5v5 play, they can play good defensively, and they have Sidney Crosby. With Drew O’Connor, Valtteri Puustinen, and now Emil Bemstrom all scoring, this team can compete if they’re consistent. Despite possessing the potential to excel in multiple facets, the Penguins’ success hinges on their ability to establish a unified identity and maintain consistency akin to teams like Boston, who, despite not boasting overwhelming depth, thrive as a cohesive and identity-driven unit.

They’re all over the board in stats because the team is all over the board on the ice. No matter what way you slice it, the Penguins biggest problem is being a cohesive unit night to night. I could go into some even deeper stats, but we’d go on forever just to get to this simple point. Now the Penguins are 18th in the league for GF (Goals for) but also the 5th best team in GA (Goals Against) so essentially, it reflects exactly what you see, the Penguins keep the puck out of the net, but struggle to actually finish, but they’re getting a good amount of attempts and controlling a lot of possession. Anything over 50% indicates a team had more quality shots (possession) than the opposition, for a game, a period, etc. The Penguins are five spots ahead of Colorado, and a whopping sixteen spots ahead of the Rangers! Sixteen spots ahead of the number one team in the Metro.Īnd for those who don’t know hockey nerd stats xGoals % or Expected goals for percentage (xGF%) is simply a ratio of a teams xGF in comparison to the opposition. That’s a lot of really good teams, in fact that’s all of the contenders. Above them is Philadelphia, Dallas, New Jersey, LA, Florida, Carolina and Edmonton.īelow the Penguins are Winnipeg, Nashville, Vancouver, Seattle, Colorado, Toronto, Boston, Vegas, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and The Rangers.

The Penguins xGoals % 5 on 5 is ranked 8th in the League at 51.88%. The next confusing stat, is that the Penguins are right there with the top teams in terms of 5v5. Interestingly, the Lightning suffered a setback last night, albeit against the Flyers. Surprisingly, this surpasses several teams currently ahead of the Penguins in the standings, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, who hold the last wild card with a mere +1. One perplexing statistic is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ goal differential of +16, a figure typically associated with teams securely positioned in playoff contention. But when firing on all cylinders, they exhibit the qualities of a genuine contender, a notion supported by statistical evidence, or perhaps maybe more confusing statistical evidence. While it’s easy to dismiss the Pittsburgh Penguins as a mediocre. This resurgence ignites hope for a postseason push, only for the cycle to repeat itself, leaving fans oscillating between optimism and skepticism.

Yet, in a remarkable turnaround, they embark on a five-game winning streak, triumphing over formidable opponents such as Colorado, Vegas, and Boston. One week, plagued by turnovers, a lackluster power play, and a palpable absence of energy, they slump into a four-game losing streak, prompting thoughts of their potential as a lottery team. When watching our Pittsburgh Penguins game after game, I find it increasingly challenging to gauge the team.

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