I’m sure like most of you, that it was sometimes hard for me to be too optimistic about the Pittsburgh Penguins season 2020-21 this season. The combination of injuries, sub-goal defense, sketchy defensive play and the lack of results on the ice, made it look like we were at the start of a very challenging season, even reaching the Stanley Cup play-off rounds would be a be struggle. Not only did the team play poorly at times, but it was boring. In the first quarter of the season, there were few positive things to take away from anything.
It’s amazing how quickly it can all change because as we sit today, things start to look very interesting. Not only that, I want to go so far as to say there are many reasons for optimism.
After the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night, they are back in the top four of the Eastern Division (by total points and points percentage) and are just one point behind the Capitals for second place. They are also just three points behind Boston for first place. If you think about what the team looked like at different times this season, it’s great.
They clearly did not play their best hockey through the first ten games.
The goal and defense were both tight at different times (and at the same time).
The score was from time to time.
They sustained significant injuries.
Leading up sometimes seemed impossible and they stayed behind on the scoreboard for most of the season, rarely winning games.
They also played the hardest part of their schedule while it was all going on.
Through it all, they got stuck in the playoffs and are currently in a pretty good position while still having all of their games against the Buffalo Sabers and New Jersey Devils (probably the two weakest teams in the division) ahead of them.
Now, all of a sudden, they have won five of their last six matches, held a few tournaments, won a few matches in regulation and are getting a significant contribution from players for whom they need to get contributions.
Tristan Jarry has a .932 saving percentage on that piece. There are six different players who have at least five points in those games, including Evgeni Malkin (very important) and Kris Letang (even more important). John Marino and Mike Matheson were much better, with the latter’s brilliance. The buzzsaw line has been buzzing since the return of Zach Aston-Reese, with the Blueger-Aston-Reese duo leading the teams 5-0 in 5-to-5 play (with strong possession numbers) recently six matches.
All of this helped them not only pick up a lot of points, but also win a significant field in the standings by beating the Capitals and Islanders head-to-head, with three of those victories actually in line is.
The injury to Jason Zucker on Tuesday night is likely to be huge and it is going to create a huge absence in the top six that will have to be addressed in some way. But there is also good news up front with Brian Dumoulin and Jared McCann getting closer to their returns.
There are still a lot of unknowns and game cards that will determine what the Penguins are capable of doing this season, but for the first time all year, I’m actually optimistic that this team is not quite done as a contender or a team that is not able. to run deep in the playoffs. They still need Jarry to play at a fairly high level, and the defense needs to stay solid, but as the unit gets healthier and players like Matheson and Cody Ceci become more comfortable and Letang and Marino find their game, there much of reason to be optimistic about it.
It’s by no means a perfect team. Some defects still exist. But which team in this division outside of Boston is not flawed? Even Boston is not invincible on the ice and has some of the question marks (the defense is not great, and the score was again a problem). Right now, the Penguins are starting to distance themselves from the Rangers, Devils and Sabers and find themselves in a five-team race for the four playoff spots in the division. For the first time this season, I’m really starting to take their chances of getting one of those spots.