Monday, December 23, 2024

Penguins Today: When does a winning streak become a season-shifting run?

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A week ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins arrived in Boston for a Black Friday game against the Bruins, and their season seemed already to have slipped away.

Today, they are in New York to take on the Rangers, and a regulation win could propel them into the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card slot.

Cue a certain line from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Four wins in a row are a streak. Get to five, and the team is close to turning a streak into a run. A win tonight at Madison Square Garden would be their fifth in a row.

The Penguins needed a run upon arriving at their Thanksgiving Eve game with a 7-12-4 record and the NHL’s third-worst points percentage.

I’m not saying tonight’s game will make or break the season. If the past couple of weeks have shown anything, nobody knows anything about an NHL that is clearly at peak parity.

At one point, the Rangers looked like a juggernaut and the Penguins closer to one of those early 1990s expansion teams — some big names, but a lot of bad results. Today, the Penguins are one of the league’s hottest teams and the Rangers appear to be channeling one of Tom Petty’s more famous songs. The Rangers are also expected to scratch captain Jacob Trouba tonight as management assesses its options there.

I’d be lying if I told you I knew what to expect tonight.

All I know is Penguins players felt embarrassed after a 6-0 loss to the Rangers in their home opener, and they’re carrying themselves with a lot more confidence than at any point this season. Also, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin love playing in The Garden.

Still, 24 hours from now the Penguins may be on the verge of a potentially season-altering run. Seven days ago, that seemed as unlikely as flying reindeer.

How to watch, listen, follow

The Penguins (11-12-4, 26 points) face the New York Rangers (13-10-1, 27 points) at Madison Square Garden. The opening faceoff is set for just after 7:30 p.m. ET.

• Regional TV/streaming: SportsNet Pittsburgh/SNP 360
• Local/regional radio: WXDX-FM, Penguins Radio Network
• National streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet NOW
• Penguins’ BetMGM odds (as of 9:30 a.m. ET today): -150 (spread), 6.5 (O/U), +155 (money line)
• Live posts: @robrossi.bsky.social (Bluesky), @JoshYohe_PGH (X)

Erie foreshadowing?

Lost in the USA Hockey Hall of Fame’s arrival in Pittsburgh this past week was the Erie Otters’ visit to UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Monday. Connor McDavid’s former OHL team practiced after the Penguins, and it was impossible to miss Pittsburgh’s president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas attentively watching a certain Otters player.

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer is viewed not only as top prospect at his position, but he was also the top player in Tier 2 in one of The Athletic’s most recent 2025 Draft rankings.

I always warn readers against getting too attached to any prospect, because teams value each one differently. If the Penguins were in a position to select Schaefer, that would mean they’re probably picking in the top 10 of the draft — something that seemed likely only a week ago, but is less certain now.

This is not to suggest they wouldn’t jump at the chance to add him. Nor is it a forecast that Schaefer will become a franchise-altering prospect.

Still, what the Penguins need more than anything to again become a Stanley Cup contender is to continuously upgrade their prospect pool. Not all of them will hit, even the lottery picks, so depth among prospects is vital for a franchise that, if not full-on rebuilding, is certainly girding itself for a transition.

Would Porter Martone or (especially) James Hagans be a seismic addition to the Penguins as a potential draft pick? Absolutely. But a defenseman who played in Erie becoming a foundational prospect for the NHL team in Pittsburgh wouldn’t be the worst story to follow, either.

Song of the day

“Don’t Stop Believin’”
Band: Journey
Released: October 1981
Album: Escape

I prefer tea to coffee, but Journey isn’t my cup of anything. This song especially grates me.

But I don’t know how many four-game winning streaks the Penguins will go on this season. I certainly didn’t expect the current one. And they’re headed to
an arena where the Penguins’ iconic players have regularly made a habit of putting on a show against the Rangers.

So, with Pittsburgh being a classic rock town and its Penguins on a mini-heater, what better tune than Journey’s biggest hit to capture the moment?

Don’t miss

• Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Penguins, isn’t quite Pittsburgh Steelers-like when it comes to sticking by head coaches. But who is?

FSG is fairly loyal to coaches it’s assessed to have the goods, though. That’s proven true with the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, and the vibe I get is FSG wants Mike Sullivan here for the duration of his current three-season contract. And I know Dubas wants that, because he wasn’t willing to let Sullivan walk this summer, despite having autonomy from FSG to make a change behind the bench.

I bring all of this up because Sullivan’s job status is the most discussed topic among Penguins fans — and another NHL coach was fired yesterday. Here’s a Mark Lazerus column on Luke Richardson being shown the door by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Sullivan keeps appearing on everybody’s hot-seat lists. His isn’t even warm.

• Chris Johnston has a story that looks at potential injury replacements for the 4 Nations Face-Off teams. There isn’t a Penguins player among that group, but I can think of two players with Pittsburgh ties who would fit either scenario: Bryan Rust (Team USA), and Marc-André Fleury (Team Canada).

Rust has shown he can play with high-skilled centers, as well as in a limited role. He has a knack for scoring big goals. He’s a two-time Cup champion. His NHL coach is running the bench for Team USA, whose GM helped develop him in Pittsburgh.

Fleury is arguably the greatest teammate in NHL history, has experience being part of an international team and not playing (see the 2010 Winter Olympics), and probably would bring a sense of calm to a tense goalie room for Team Canada.

Just saying.

Enjoy the weekend, yinz!

(Photo: Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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