It’s been a strange week for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but when the dust settled, they walked away with four out of a possible six points. All things considered, that’s a solid return-especially given the opponents they faced. It wasn’t perfect, but it kept them in the playoff mix and, for now, that’s what matters most.
Could they have snagged all six points? Absolutely-if they could crack the code in shootouts.
On the flip side, they were dangerously close to walking away with just two points if not for some clutch 6-on-5 goals late in games against Tampa Bay and Columbus. So yeah, it was a rollercoaster.
But that’s been the theme of the Penguins’ season anyway: unpredictable, gritty, and just good enough to stay relevant.
As of Monday morning, Pittsburgh still holds onto the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division. Not a bad place to be as they pack their bags for a Western Canadian and Pacific Northwest road swing-a trip that brings both opportunity and challenge.
They’ve faced all four of these teams already this season, and the results have been a mixed bag. Now it’s about redemption, and more importantly, banking points.
The trip starts Monday night in Seattle against a Kraken team that already handed the Penguins a loss earlier this season. That defeat came during a rough back-to-back stretch that had interim head coach Dan Muse visibly frustrated.
The Kraken are hanging onto a playoff spot, but they’re doing it with smoke and mirrors. Offensively, they’ve been anemic-dead last in 5-on-5 expected goal share and near the bottom in shot attempts.
In short, they’re leaning heavily on goaltending to get by.
That’s a matchup that should favor the Penguins, especially with how they’ve been controlling possession and defending lately. But they’ll need to generate more offensively and figure out a way to beat Seattle’s netminders, who have been the backbone of the Kraken’s success.
From there, it’s a back-to-back in Alberta-Calgary on Wednesday, Edmonton on Thursday.
The Flames, like Seattle, struggle to generate offense and are trending in the wrong direction in terms of puck possession. They beat the Penguins in a low-event game a couple of weeks ago, with Devin Cooley shutting the door. But Calgary’s roster just got thinner-top defenseman Rasmus Andersson was traded to Vegas, which means one less top-tier blueliner for Pittsburgh to worry about.
Thursday in Edmonton is the real test. Not only are the Oilers the most talented team on this trip, but the Penguins will be facing them on the second night of a back-to-back, with travel.
That’s a tough spot against a rested team with elite firepower. Edmonton’s depth might still be a question mark, but their stars-well, they’re still stars.
And they’ve given Pittsburgh all kinds of problems in recent years. Add in the fact that Zach Hyman is back and lighting it up offensively, and this shapes up to be a game where the Penguins will need to be at their absolute best just to hang around.
The road trip wraps up Sunday in Vancouver, and let’s be honest-this is a game the Penguins need to win. The Canucks are in freefall, having dropped 10 straight.
Pittsburgh already handled them earlier this season, and that was before Vancouver traded away Quinn Hughes, the cornerstone of their blue line. This current Canucks squad is a shell of what it was, and that’s saying something.
Looking at the schedule, there’s a real chance for the Penguins to make a move here. Three of these four games are extremely winnable.
If they can take care of business-especially against Seattle, Calgary, and Vancouver-they could realistically walk away with five or six points. That would keep them on a 98-point pace heading into next week, which is right where you want to be in the playoff race.
Bottom line: this week is about stacking points, building momentum, and proving they can close out games they’re supposed to win. The path may be weird, but the mission is clear.