The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading into the Olympic break with momentum on their side-and a mountain still to climb. Since Christmas, they’ve been one of the NHL’s hottest teams, going 14-3-3 in that stretch, second-best in the league. That surge has vaulted them into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, a spot that looked far from guaranteed just a couple of months ago.
To really understand where Pittsburgh stands, you’ve got to break their season into three distinct acts. Act One?
A blazing 8-2-2 start that had fans dreaming big. Then came the stumble-between Halloween and Christmas, the Penguins went 7-10-7, a stretch that dragged them down the standings and raised some serious questions about their playoff viability.
But since the holiday break, they've flipped the switch again, storming back into contention with a renewed sense of urgency and cohesion.
Now, as the league hits pause for the Olympics, the Penguins are sitting in a playoff spot-but the toughest part of their journey is still ahead.
No team in the NHL has a harder remaining schedule than Pittsburgh. That’s not hyperbole-it’s backed by strength-of-schedule metrics.
March, in particular, looks like a gauntlet. The Penguins are set to play 17 games that month, and 14 of those opponents are currently in playoff position.
Seven games will come against division leaders, including three against the Carolina Hurricanes, the team Pittsburgh is chasing in the Metropolitan Division. The Pens are eight points back of the Canes, and those head-to-head matchups could make or break any hopes of a late-season push for the division crown.
Despite the brutal road ahead, playoff projections are still leaning in Pittsburgh’s favor. The Athletic has them finishing around 95.8 points, while Hockeystats.com puts them closer to 98.
Based on their current pace, they’re tracking toward 103 points. With 70 points already banked and 26 games left, the math suggests they could go .500 the rest of the way and still stay in the mix.
But in a conference this tight, that margin for error is razor-thin. If the Penguins can outperform those expectations, they could solidify their spot-or even climb.
But a few missteps, especially in regulation, and things could unravel quickly.
The Olympic break, while it halts their momentum, might actually be arriving at the right time. Kris Letang is nursing a broken foot, and the extra time gives him a chance to heal without missing significant game action.
Evgeni Malkin has been battling through a shoulder issue, and this pause offers a much-needed reprieve. Stuart Skinner, meanwhile, had started to dip in form, and the reset could be exactly what he needs to get back on track.
If the Penguins are going to navigate the storm ahead, they’ll need all three veterans operating at full strength.
With nearly 70% of the regular season in the books, the Penguins have already defied expectations. This is a team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2022, and now they’re right in the thick of it.
But there’s no coasting to the finish line here. The final stretch is going to be a test of depth, resilience, and execution-exactly the kind of hockey that defines this time of year.
The road is rough, the stakes are high, and the Penguins are right where they want to be: in the fight.