VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Twelve days and four games later, the weary Penguins returned home Sunday from their Canadian road trip with plenty to declare at customs: They took all eight possible points from the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Flames and Canucks, they outscored their opponents, 23-6 -- with three of those games conceding one total goal -- and they soared back to the top of the NHL's scoring ranks, averaging 4.44 goals per game.
To be sure, no team wins the Stanley Cup in October. but the Penguins do look like they'll be fairly active eight months from now.
As important as the wins were, when I asked Mike Sullivan, he pointed to the intangibles, like taking a team gondola ride to the top of the Canadian Rockies during their two-day excursion to Banff, Alberta:
"I think we're coming together," Sullivan said. "We're making strides, trying to get better everyday. That's one of the things we talked about before this trip. It was a great trip for us in a lot of ways. Obviously, we had success on the ice and that's important and we're thrilled about that. But I think we're coming together as a team, as well, and that's really important for us moving forward. That was part of the objective in going out on this trip. It's been a long trip for all of us. I know our guys are excited about going home and seeing their families, but certainly we feel we've made a lot of progress over the last couple of weeks."
To really appreciate where the Penguins are now, 6-1-2 and atop the Metropolitan Division, you have to consider where they were before they traveled north Oct. 17. Then, they had lost three of their previous four, albeit two of those losses coming beyond regulation. Some suggested that 31-year-old Sidney Crosby may have been surpassed as the game's preeminent player after going a career-worst six games without a goal to start the season. There had been expressed concerns about Matt Murray's ability, as well as his durability. The goaltender had given up 11 goals in his two starts before going down with a concussion.
My, how things have changed.
Crosby has five goals in the past three games after two more Saturday night against the Canucks. That was one of eight multi-goal performances during the trip. Crosby, Patric Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin had two each, while Phil Kessel and Jamie Oleksiak had one apiece.
It was Murray who got the trip started on a high-note by making 38 saves in a shutout in Toronto, and Casey DeSmith who finished it with a 26-save shutout in Vancouver. Combined, the goaltending duo posted a sterling .955 save percentage on the trip.
That had to be the most pleasing part of the trip. The Penguins know how to score goals, it's been keeping them out that's been the issue.
"I think it showed a lot of character," Carl Hagelin was saying. "We didn't play our best in all the games but to be able to have two shutouts and almost three, it shows that we're moving in the right direction."
Indeed, if Murray didn't lose a knuckling puck in James Neal's black pants with two minutes left in Calgary, the Penguins would have recorded three shutouts.
However, there are still some lineup issues and improvements that will need to be made.
Most concerning is the lower-body injury to Derick Brassard. He is out day-to-day after turning in his best game of the season in Calgary. When he returns, does he play center or left wing?
And then what becomes of Daniel Sprong? He was a healthy scratch in Calgary but then fired six shots on goal in Vancouver after having just three in his previous seven games.
What about Juuso Riikola? The training camp darling, who the organization believes will be a top-four defenseman, seems to have been supplanted -- at least for now -- by Chad Ruhwedel.
And then there's this: For all their success in Canada, the Penguins held the edge in five-on-five possession just once and, even then, barely. They held a 50.96 Corsi For advantage over the Oilers. Over the four games, they allowed 38.0 shots per game. They are giving up the third-most shots against at 35.6 while ranking 16th in shots for with 31.2.
No, despite the perfect record it wasn't a perfect trip for the Penguins. But it was, as Hagelin said, a step in the right direction.
The team returns to practice Monday, noon, in Cranberry.