Are the Pittsburgh Penguins a Stanley cup contender?

Image from The Athletic

The Pittsburgh Penguins are once again in a familiar place in the Metropolitan Division… and that is at the top. The Penguins are tied for third place with the Washington Capitals in a very competitive division but can they stay at the top when it matters the most? 

The Pittsburgh Penguins (24-10-5) head into the last week of games in January with a winning record and an almost healthy lineup. The Penguins are also set to win more games in the month of January for the first time in two years after spending that time in the NHL bubble due to Covid-19.

The two setbacks for Pittsburgh during the start of the season were due in part to the absences of star players Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby and the effects of the pandemic. The Penguins have fallen multiple times this season to Covid and were missing key players like Tristan Jarry, Evan Rodrigues, and Mike Matheson. Even with players out the Pittsburgh Penguins accomplished more than what was predicted.

They won and continue to win even with adversity and even when playing poorly. That’s a scary combination and could lead to success or it could lead to another first round exit when the playoffs return in early May. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins will make the playoffs this year but it will not be easy. Pittsburgh has yet to face divisional foes in the Rangers, Hurricanes, and Islanders who have given the Penguins trouble in the past. The Penguins are winning and that’s important, they are winning when it matters the most. Before snapping the ten-game win streak(The team’s fifth- longest win streak in franchise history.) The Penguins looked almost unbeatable, outscoring and beating their opponents by a combined score of 45-20.

Pittsburgh has since fallen off and are beginning to display a pattern of scoring multiple points and allowing the opposing team to come all the way back. It’s not a good pattern and could hurt the team once the playoffs come but the Penguins have a goalie in Jarry who could save the team from failure.

Tristan Jarry has bounced back after an embarrassing first round exit against the Islanders last season. He has already made the NHL All-Star  game in Nevada joining fellow Penguin Jake Guentzel.

If the Penguins stay healthy and continue to play like they are, they will make the playoffs and make a deep run in the hopes of getting another Stanley Cup for the third time in the last six years.