Pittsburgh Penguins Report Card Following Blown Series Lead

For the fourth straight season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are done after one playoff series.

The Pens proved in the regular season that they’re still a competitive team and that they still have an opportunity to contend for the Stanley Cup. The Penguins finished third in the Metropolitan Division this year, going 46-25-11 in the regular season.

Forwards Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel each had 84 points to pace the Penguins during the 82-game campaign, while defenseman Kris Letang came in third, setting a new career-high with 68 points.

In addition, goaltender Tristan Jarry exceeded expectations this year by earning an All-Star nod back in February. On the season, he was 34-18-6 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

The Penguins came up short again in the postseason.

When the playoffs came, however, I don’t think many people, myself included, believed that Pittsburgh would emerge victorious. After all, their first-round opponents, the New York Rangers, had beaten them on multiple occasions in the final month of the season.

The Penguins, though, battled for a triple-overtime victory in Game 1 before taking a commanding 3-1 series lead. At that point, it looked like there would be no path for a Rangers victory, yet New York managed to climb all the way back and win Game 7 in overtime.

Now, the Pens face serious offseason questions. Will coach Mike Sullivan be back after another early exit? Will the team be able to re-sign key free agents like Letang, Evgeni Malkin, and Bryan Rust? Is the championship window officially closed in the Steel City?

The latter will be answered based on how the first two are handled, but I don’t see this as the end for the Penguins. With that said, each passing year brings this organization closer to the conclusion of its elite run, which makes this season a missed opportunity.

Pittsburgh is in territory similar to that of the Washington Capitals, as both have high expectations but have not won a playoff series since 2018. I think the Penguins showed me enough this season to give me more confidence in them moving forward, so their grade is slightly higher.

The Grade: C