3 things the Pittsburgh Penguins need to do to get back in the playoff race
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team most think of when thinking about consistent playoff teams. They made the playoffs 16 straight seasons before missing out in the 2022-23 season. Determined to get back to the playoffs, the Penguins added players like Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves to improve their defense, and players like Noel Acciari and Matt Nieto to improve their bottom six.
The Penguins have had a lot go right. Their goaltending tandem of Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic have been outstanding. Their star forward trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jake Guentzel have all played well. Even Erik Karlsson has a solid 27 points in 38 games this season.
Despite what's gone well, the Penguins have gone 19-15-4 through their first 38 games of the season, sitting in seventh place in a loaded Metropolitan Division, and while they're only two games back of a playoff spot, they'll have to jump several teams to get back into playoff positioning. It's going to take a lot of improvement for Pittsburgh to get where they want, which is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For them to do so, they're going to have to improve in these three areas.
3. The Penguins must improve their power play if they want to get back in the playoff race
Just by looking at the personnel, you'd think the Penguins would have one of the best power plays in the NHL. Their first power play unit including players like Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, and one of the best offensive defensemen in the league in Karlsson should be elite. Yet, the Penguins rank 31st out of the 32 teams, scoring on the power play at just a 14.6 percent clip. That's just completely unacceptable.
Last season, the Penguins ranked 14th with the man advantage, converting at a 21.7 percent clip. While they should probably be a bit better than that with their personnel being as good as it is, they were at least in the top half of the league last season. Going from that to this while also adding Karlsson is just mind-bogglingly bad.
Fortunately, the Penguins have the personnel to turn things around. It's time for them to execute. This team ranks in the bottom half of the league in goals per game, and their putrid power play is a big reason why. They seem to score enough when playing five-on-five, but good teams have to execute with the man advantage.