DALLAS -- Not to be that guy, but ...
Yeah, the Penguins have taken 10 of their past 13, and Evgeni Malkin's been a terror in that time, and Sidney Crosby's putting up points again, and Matt Murray's back, and there's even a chance Conor Sheary could return soon to restore some semblance of sanity to Mike Sullivan's forward lines.
As Crosby worded it Thursday back in Cranberry Township, "We're playing pretty well. Pretty consistent, all except for that New Jersey game. We've had to win some games by high scores, but that happens. We want to get our goals-against a little lower. But other than that, we've been doing pretty good."
He's right. And forget it all. Means nothing, starting right now.
Not just because the Stars, on an 8-2-1 roll and fresh off their fourth win in a row Thursday night in Chicago by a 4-2 final, are the next opponent tonight at American Airlines Center. Not just because the following flight takes the Penguins to St. Louis, where the Blues won for the seventh time in 10 games Thursday night by annihilating the Avalanche, 6-1. Not just because the Stars and Blues rank third and fifth defensively in the NHL. Not just because they also hold elite offensive cards in Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov here in Dallas, and Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn at the next stop.
But because of all of that.
And more.
I'm not a believer yet that the Penguins have built up meaningful momentum toward a third Stanley Cup run. It's been fun to see them bounce back as they have, especially Malkin and, to a respectfully lesser degree, Crosby. And I can't leave out Phil Kessel, who's been there all along. It's been heartening, too, to see the defense run legitimately six deep with the emergence of Jamie Oleksiak and the revival of Ian Cole.
But it isn't all there yet. It just isn't. Even when Patric Hornqvist was healthy, the secondary and tertiary scoring wasn't what was needed. Jake Guentzel matches Hornqvist's 16 goals, but he's been prone to excruciating droughts within that. Sheary's got 12 goals, but the next-highest total is Bryan Rust's seven.
Less tangibly, there's been more jump over the past five weeks, but there have also been a ton more home games. The Penguins are 1-3 away from PPG Paints Arena during this 10-3 stretch, and that's no fluke: They're 10-15-2 on the road for the season, 20-7-1 at home. It's actually even worse than those rudimentary numbers suggest:
Remember where they won almost all of their biggest games in those two Cup runs?
Hint: Not Pittsburgh.
Again, I'm not deliberately being the downer here. But almost all of the recent precedent points to an awfully challenging weekend ahead. And I'd feel that way even if they were all healthy and available, which they aren't.
• Teddy Blueger, the recall from Wilkes-Barre for this trip, is smart with the puck -- particularly in tight quarters, which really stood out this past preseason -- and dedicated defensively. That's fine for the current need, with penalty-killers Carter Rowney and Tom Kuhnhackl out, but I wouldn't mind seeing management use some of these next couple weeks to test some speed and skill at the NHL level. Roster restrictions permitting, of course. Jim Rutherford has everything to gain from uncovering a young gem before the trading deadline.
• The Rangers were roasted all day Thursday, far and wide, for sending this letter to their fans that essentially explained why they’re about to blow up their roster and go young:
A Message from Glen Sather and Jeff Gorton. pic.twitter.com/Q56CXS8vDc
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 8, 2018
I don’t have a problem with it. Really. It runs completely counter to the majority mentality in New York — just spend more money like the Yankees do! — even if it’s only Major League Baseball that no longer has a cap. But it’s open, it’s honest, and it’s also the right thing to do. Anyone who’s seen that team this season through any realistic lens can attest to that.
• My goodness, Michael Grabner would look spectacular in black and gold. A line of Grabner, Carl Hagelin and Kessel couldn’t even be caught by the human eye.
• Can’t imagine Keith Butler’s sleeping all that well the past little while. The departures of Carnell Lake and now John Mitchell, regardless of how they happened or who engineered them, don’t bode well for the man charged with coordinating the defense if he doesn’t demonstrate significant improvement, especially in the secondary, in 2018. Because he’ll be next.
• I took no issue with Tom Bradley when he was promoted at Penn State at the worst possible time, and I’m not about to take issue now. He’s been vetted as much as any football person on the planet. Nothing but a good man.
• Art Rooney II absolutely had a hand in all this.
• Wishing nothing but the best for Elias Diaz and family. He hasn’t spent extensive time yet with the Pirates, but he will. And I dare say you’re going to like him on and off the field. Ambitious. Intelligent. Authoritative with his pitchers. And yeah, when he catches, they’re his pitchers.
• The Pirates have attached the premium pricing tag to the May 11-13 series in which Andrew McCutchen comes home with the Giants. According to my cursory scan, the cheapest tickets will cost roughly $2 more. I’m out of words for this.
• Here, this doesn't require any words, either:
Cutch in the Orange and Black ?#Cutch22 | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/G9ivxUZGAJ
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) February 8, 2018