Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that the Eastern Conference playoff field seemed set in stone?
Man, things can change quickly.
Thanks to some teams cooling off (looking at you, Blue Jackets) and others heating up (the Hurricanes and Flyers) there are now three teams within five points of the eighth and final playoff spot.
Though they've lost five of their last eight, the Penguins are in little jeopardy of missing the postseason for the first time since Sidney Crosby's rookie season, right? Probably, but the Penguins will face both the Hurricanes and Flyers in a six-day span, beginning with tonight's contest against Carolina.
That means that what seemed to be two sure victories in December are no longer mortal locks. Even Thursday night's game against the Panthers in South Florida is no sure-thing. Jared McCann was saying Tuesday morning that his former Panthers teammates, who missed a playoff berth last season by one point, are ready to make another push. And then there's Saturday night's game against the NHL-leading Lightning and ... well, maybe the Eastern Conference playoff isn't set after all.
The good news for the Penguins is that they control their own destiny.
"For us, it's making a push too," Olli Maatta was telling me. "These are really important points with how tight it is right now. We can put ourselves in a good position."
For the Penguins that means getting back to their game and playing it consistently. They did that in the first and third periods Saturday night in Toronto, but it was the second period that cost them in a 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Save for All-Star center Sebastian Aho, the Hurricanes don't have the offensive firepower like Toronto or some of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference, but they do have elite stats. The Hurricanes lead the NHL in shots for (35.7) and fewest shots against (27.9) per game.
That presents an interesting challenge for the Penguins.
"We've got to try to stop them from shooting and we've got to shoot," Mike Sullivan said. "They're a good team. They can skate. They have balance. Their defense corps is very mobile. They play an aggressive style. Their defense is very active along the walls, they pinch a lot. We're going to have to be prepared to handle their aggressiveness. They play a fast-paced, skating game and they're a good team."
That's reflected in not only the Hurricanes' team stats, but also their record.
When the Penguins last faced the Hurricanes, they skated to a 3-0 win on Dec. 22. It was the third victory in what ended up being an eight-game winning streak. That win pushed the Penguins' record to 18-12-6 while the loss dropped Carolina to 14-15-5. Since then, Rod Brind'Amour's Hurricanes have gone 10-4-1 and are 3-1-1 in their last five.
They have been led by Aho, who became the fastest Hurricane to reach 60 points since Eric Staal 13 years ago. The 21-year-old, who looks like he's 12, has three goals and six assists in his last five games.
"He's an elite player in this league," said Maatta, a fellow Finn. "Obviously, he's got speed and is a really good skater but he's not afraid to play a rough game. He goes into the hard areas of the rink. That's the big thing about him and, obviously, the skill."
THE COMBINATIONS
• The Penguins’ expected lines/pairings tonight:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Pearson-Bjugstad-Kessel
Simon-McCann-Hornqvist
Blueger-Cullen-Wilson
Dumoulin-Letang
Maatta-Riikola
Pettersson-Johnson
• And for the Hurricanes:
Niederreiter-Aho-Williams
Ferland-Wallmark-Teravainen
Svechnikov-Martinook-McGinn
Foegele-McKegg-Maenalanen
Slavin-Hamilton
Pesce-Faulk
DeHaan-van Riemsdyk
THE INJURIES
• Evgeni Malkin, center, out with an upper-body injury, skated on his own Tuesday.
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, took part in the morning skate but won't play tonight. Sullivan said that Schultz's injury "responded very well" after taking part in his first full-contact practice a day earlier.
• Zach Aston-Reese, right winger, out with a broken left hand, skated on his own Tuesday.
THE SESSION
• Bryan Rust will again play the right wing on the top line with Crosby, where he enjoyed his greatest success this season. In a six-game stretch in December, Rust scored eight goals. How much longer he'll stay on the top line remains to be seen. When Malkin returns he could slot back on the second line where he played left wing and showed good chemistry with the slumping center.
"I thought we were playing well," Rust said. "I was just trying to use my speed, going in on the forecheck to get pucks back and create space for him."
With his speed and ability to drive to the net, Rust would seem an ideal long-term solution for Malkin's left wing.
• A day after Jim Rutherford said on his radio show that he doesn't believe he'll have to acquire another forward before the trade deadline, Sullivan agreed. He said that his forwards, a half-dozen of whom can play center and wing, are the most versatile in the league.
"We have a very good team when we play the game the right way," he said. "We're a competitive hockey team. Our challenge is to make sure we go out and earn it every day. You can put a roster together and look good on paper but we have to go out and make it happen."
• Teddy Blueger, after scoring two goals in as many games, is still putting pressure on himself to do better.
"That's the goal, to improve every game, try to do more every game and try to get more comfortable," Blueger said after the skate. "As soon as you reach one goal, you have the next one in front of you, there's always something more to strive for."
When Aston-Reese and Malkin come back, it isn't clear where Blueger fits into the lineup, as Rutherford acknowledged yesterday. For now, Blueger just aims to stick around for as long as he can, and just get better.
• Rutherford also spoke yesterday on the possibility of Nick Bjugstad moving to wing. Bjugstad spoke on his versatility today.
"If you talked to me a few years ago, I probably wouldn't say I'm very comfortable at wing," said Bjugstad. "The last few years I feel I've adjusted decently well to it. I've played center my entire life. Whatever it may be, I guess it's fortunate that I can play both positions so I can move around. I don't really have a preference."
Tuesday night will be Bjugstad and Jared McCann's second home game, but first where they aren't showing up right at puck drop.
Bjugstad said he still hasn't gotten a chance to see much of the city yet — he's staying out in Cranberry. Some players spent their off day Sunday together to watch the Super Bowl. Bjugstad is getting to know his new team, and feels like it's a good fit.
"They make it feel comfortable," Bjugstad said of his new teammates. "It seems like a really good locker room as far as the leadership, and all the way down with the young guys. It seems like a fun room, and they all get along. It's going to be an easy locker room, I think, to come into."
• After a full practice on Monday, the Penguins held a very optional skate. Those not taking the ice on Tuesday included Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang.
• Matt Murray will make his second straight start after taking the loss Saturday in Toronto.
• Jack Johnson is sporting seven stitches across the bridge of his nose after his helmet slammed his beak during Saturday's game in Toronto.
• Riley Sheahan might be gone but he's still doing good work in Pittsburgh. Rust said that their "Seats for Strength" program will continue. The Notre Dame alums bought four season tickets to allow underprivileged children to attend Penguins games with a meet-and-greet outside the dressing room afterward. Rust said that Jake Guentzel has volunteered to fill in.
THE OTHER SIDE
• The Hurricanes did not take the ice Tuesday morning. Brind'Amour will speak at 5 p.m.
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will practice in Cranberry at noon on Wednesday before chartering to South Florida where they'll take on the Panthers. DK and Matt Sunday will have coverage of that game as well as the Penguins' game Saturday in Tampa against the Lightning.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Penguins team page for everything.