The Pittsburgh Penguins are staring down one of their most demanding stretches of the season - and the timing couldn’t be trickier.
Injuries have hit the forward group hard, and the ripple effect is showing up all over the ice. Arturs Silovs, who started the season with a spark in net, has cooled off considerably.
That early-season goalie rotation? It might be nearing its end as the team looks for more consistency in the crease.
Despite all that, the Penguins are still holding a respectable spot in the standings. But in a jam-packed Eastern Conference, one night of games can flip the playoff picture upside down.
And with just four wins in their last 12 games (4-5-3), Pittsburgh hasn’t exactly been lighting it up. Some nights, they’ve played well enough to win.
Other nights, they’ve been flat-out outplayed. The inconsistency is becoming a storyline - and the road ahead doesn’t offer much relief.
This week’s three-game road trip could be the toughest they’ve faced all season. It starts Monday in Philadelphia, then continues through Dallas and Tampa Bay - three teams with very different styles, but all capable of giving Pittsburgh problems.
**Let’s start with the Flyers. **
The Penguins dropped their first meeting with Philly back in October in a shootout - a game that exposed just how much they’ve struggled in extra time. And that trend hasn’t improved.
Pittsburgh is 1-5 in games decided beyond regulation this season, and a winless 0-3 in shootouts. The Flyers?
They’re thriving in those moments, going 7-3 in games that go past 60 minutes, including a perfect 5-0 in shootouts. That’s a massive swing in the standings - and a reminder of just how valuable those “bonus” points can be when playoff races get tight.
Philadelphia comes into the week riding a three-game win streak and sporting a 14-7-3 record. They’re a bit of an odd team.
They defend well, their goaltending has been solid, but their offense hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard. They’ve only managed seven regulation wins in 24 games - a number that puts them near the bottom of the league in that category.
For comparison, Pittsburgh has 11 regulation wins - and only four teams in the NHL have more.
So the message is simple: win it in regulation. Don’t let it go to overtime. That’s where the Flyers thrive, and where the Penguins have stumbled.
**Next stop: Dallas. **
This is where things get real. The Stars have been one of the NHL’s most consistent powerhouses, reaching three straight Western Conference Finals, and they’ve looked every bit the contender again this season.
They’ve gone 11-2-1 over their last 14 games and are loaded with top-end talent.
Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen, and Wyatt Johnston all sit among the league’s top 16 scorers. Miro Heiskanen anchors the blue line as a true No. 1 defenseman.
And they’ve got reliable goaltending to back it all up. This is a team that doesn’t have many weaknesses.
For Pittsburgh, this is a measuring stick game. They haven’t faced many of the NHL’s elite so far this season. This will be their first real shot to see how they stack up against one of the league’s best.
If there’s one potential edge for the Penguins, it’s that Dallas will be playing its fourth game in six nights. Maybe fatigue creeps in - maybe. But that’s a small window to exploit against a team this deep.
**Then comes Tampa Bay. **
The Lightning stumbled out of the gate, winning just one of their first seven games. But since then?
They’ve gone 15-3-0, quickly reminding everyone that this core still knows how to win. There are some depth concerns, but when your top-end players are still elite - and they are - you can win a lot of hockey games.
Historically, the Penguins have matched up fairly well with Tampa Bay - at least until this season, when the Lightning swept the season series. That recent history might offer a glimmer of hope, but make no mistake: this is another heavyweight challenge.
**And the Penguins aren’t exactly at full strength. **
They’re still without Rickard Rakell, Justin Brazeau, and Filip Hallander. Rutger McGroarty is expected to make his season debut Monday, which could give them a bit of a boost, but overall, this is a team still trying to piece together a full lineup.
So for now, it’s about finding ways to grind out points. That’s what they’ve been doing - to a degree - over the past couple of weeks.
But this road trip is going to test them in every way. Depth, resilience, goaltending, special teams - it’s all going to matter.
The Penguins are still in the fight, but this week could go a long way in determining how real their playoff push is.