It is okay to believe in the Pittsburgh Penguins.
At the time of this article, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in 2nd place in the Metro Division, just as we all said they would. The Pens have points in 12 out of 14 games in the month of January and seem to have recovered from their December slump, which saw them blow many leads.
With Steelers football coming to an abrupt end and Pirates spring training weeks away, the fans in Pittsburgh will be turning to the black and gold hockey club. The Pens are in the hunt for the playoffs heading into the All-Star break. Sidney Crosby has 57 points, and Malkin is second in points with 40 despite missing a chunk of the season.
However, it's been the kids and depth that have shown up this season, with Ben Kindel leading the charge at 22 points. Novak, Brazeau, and Mantha are all above 25 points, with Mantha hitting the 35-point total. Another turning point has been Dan Muse, the head coaching change was a breath of fresh air, as it seems a new voice in the locker room is needed.
Perhaps the surprise is how good a road tema the Penguins are, with a 15-7-4 road record that includes a 4-game West Coast sweep of the Kraken, Flames, Oilers, and Canucks. The only other teams that are better on the road are Tampa Bay, the Hurricanes, and the Habs, all of which are in the playoff mix as well.
Another welcome change was at goaltending with the trade of Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner, which seems like an odd trade, but Skinner has seemed to play better while Jarry struggles in Edmonton. Recent trades have seen Egor Chinakov come in from the Blue Jackets, make an impact on the bottom-six scoring, and it seems Kyle Dubas is not done yet, as the Pens seem to be buyers going into March.
So, in conclusion, is it okay to believe in the Pittsburgh Penguins? The answer is yes for now; it seems the Pens and Bruins had the same idea. Cut or trade the dead weight from the bottom six, flush the vets, and reload on younger talent and prospects.
So, yes, Pittsburgh, it is time to believe, they are not Cup contenders, but it seems playoff hockey will return to 7th avenue.