The Pittsburgh Penguins opened the past week with an impressive 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, extending their winning streak to six consecutive games and continuing to play their way back into playoff contention. It also set the stage for a potentially big weekend against two pretty mediocre teams — the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins.
Expecting wins in both games in a weekend back-to-back, with travel, and while already on a six-game winning streak is probably expecting a lot. It would have
been impressive to win both. But they probably needed to win at least one of them, and both of them were there for the taking.
They allowed just three goals in the two games.
They entered the third period of Saturday’s game against the Flames tied.
They ended up getting zero points, losing both games in regulation, and scoring just a single goal in the process. It felt like a big missed opportunity to stack a couple of more points in the standings and keep building toward a playoff spot.
The absence of Bryan Rust certainly took the wind out of some sails, while inserting Kevin Hayes back into the lineup (and oddly enough, in a second-line spot on Sunday) threw off some of the line combinations that had really been starting to work. It is not that either game was a total no-show or embarrassing loss, and they mostly pushed the pace of play in both games. They just simply could not generate much offense or finish their chances.
Their overall play and process are both still trending in the right direction, and even with the back-to-back defeats this weekend they still enter the week in a playoff position if you look at points percentage instead of raw points (as you should).
Having said that, they can not let a two-game losing streak turn into another extended losing streak. They need to bounce back with some wins this week, and that is going to be a challenge with the schedule they are facing. At least early in the week.
The week begins on Tuesday night against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that has not only climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference, but enters the week on a nine-game winning streak and is just absolutely crushing teams. Entering play on Monday they have scored 46 goals during that nine-game winning streak, never scoring less than four goals in any one game. That includes five games with at least five goals, three games with six goals and two games with seven goals.
That is the bad news. The good news is the Penguins have consistently faired pretty well against the Lightning in recent years, while the Penguins will also have a big scheduling advantage in that game. Tampa Bay will be coming into Pittsburgh on Tuesday in the early stages of an extended road trip, while also playing the second half of a back-to-back. The Penguins will be home and rested.
That game sets the stage for a massive meeting with the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Given how close the two teams are in the standings, and how jumbled the Eastern Conference playoff race currently is, that is a classic four-point game in the standings. The Penguins have split the season series so far, with their loss against them coming in a shootout. The second-meeting in Philadelphia was one of the Penguins’ best and most complete wins of the season. That is another game where the Penguins are getting a massive scheduling advantage. Like the Lightning, the Flyers will be playing the second half of a back-to-back, with travel, while the Penguins are home and rested the day before.
The week and home stand conclude for the Penguins on Saturday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Penguins have played three games against the Blue Jackets this season, with all of them going to overtime. The Penguins have won two of them. This will be their final meeting with the Blue Jackets this season, and of their games on the schedule this week it is the most winnable on paper in terms of talent for talent.
Given the scheduling advantages the Penguins have in their first two games, and given the home-ice and talent advantage they should have over Columbus, this feels like a week where at least four points in the standings is a must-have. Or at least a like-to-have. That would really go a long way toward keeping them in the playoff race and solidifying a spot.
