Considering that they’ve won as many games as they’ve lost midway through the season, it’s safe to say the campaign has been something of a mixed bag so far for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On one hand, they’re 21-15-6 (48 points) and are on the outside of the NHL playoff picture by three points as of Friday.
On the other hand, they are 6-2-2 over their last 10 games and have enjoyed a solid turnaround in the last month or so, going 10-3-3 since Dec. 12.
While the Penguins have certainly run into their fair share of bumps in the road, they’ve displayed a knack for beating some of the more elite teams across the NHL.
About two weeks ago, the Penguins pulled off an impressive 6-5 win on the road against the Boston Bruins.
They blanked Colorado, 4-0, at home Oct. 26.
The Avalanche, winners of the Stanley Cup in 2022, now own a 29-14-3 record, third-best in the Western Conference. Boston is 27-8-9 and leads the East with 63 points.
One additional win of that sort that the Penguins chalked up this season is particularly relevant heading into the weekend: their 3-0 shutout of the Vegas Golden Knights at home Nov. 19.
The Penguins will have a chance to sweep the reigning Stanley Cup champions when they face the Golden Knights again Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“We’re familiar with them, and they’re familiar with how the last game went, so I’m sure they’re going to respond accordingly,” defenseman Chad Ruhwedel said. “But I think we’ve been playing some better hockey overall lately, so we’re feeling good about our game and we’re just excited for the matchup.”
Two months separate the meetings between teams from different conferences, so there won’t be a whole lot of carryover from their last game at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins are a different team than they were in mid-November, in terms of performance and personnel.
The same could be said of Vegas (26-14-5).
The Golden Knights are 5-5 over their last 10 games but firmly control a postseason spot and are second in the Pacific Division.
However, Vegas is 17-5-2 at T-Mobile Arena, trailing only the Avalanche (18) for the most wins at home across the NHL.
“They haven’t gotten the results they’ve wanted lately, so we know they’re going to be desperate,” defenseman Marcus Pettersson said. “Especially at home — it’s always a tough place to play.”
Vegas will be without star forward Jack Eichel, who recently underwent surgery to address an undisclosed injury and is out week to week.
Jack Eichel is out week-to-week after undergoing lower-body surgery, the Golden Knights announced. pic.twitter.com/Q9am7yilSW
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 16, 2024
At the time of his injury, Eichel was the Golden Knights’ leading scorer with 19 goals and 25 assists.
Penguins forward Reilly Smith will also sit out Saturday.
He’s traveling with the club on this two-game road trip, which wraps up Monday at Arizona, but Smith is also out because of injury.
Smith, who played with Vegas for six seasons and won the Stanley Cup there last season before being traded to the Penguins in the offseason, is out “longer term” with an unspecified ailment.
The Penguins may consider their most recent game, a 3-0 shutout of Seattle on Monday, as something of a blueprint.
To be sure, the Kraken and Golden Knights present different challenges, but against Seattle, the Penguins were able to control the pace, limit shots on goal to 22 and put together a solid defensive effort.
“It’s the same game plan for us against Vegas as it (was) against Seattle,” forward Lars Eller said. “Try to stay on top of them, don’t give them odd-man rushes. All those things, they work against any team if we do them well enough. But I’m sure they’re going to be hungry to beat us after we beat them (in Pittsburgh).”
The Penguins have allowed the second-fewest goals in the East with 113, and Tristan Jarry is tied for the league lead with five shutouts.
Another shutout may not be in the cards Saturday, but playing responsibly will be an objective.
“The way we were able to slow Seattle down is for sure something we can bring into the Vegas game,” Pettersson said.
