The Penguins' power play has been pretty good all season, operating at an overall success rate of 27.1%, fourth in the NHL. That is, of course, miles better than last season, which was summed up best by Bryan Rust over the summer as "ass."

Mike Sullivan on Wednesday after practice here pointed to an emphasis on speed on zone entries, not "forcing" plays, and being more willing to move the puck.

Lately, the power play has come around even more. Over the past two months, it's the best in the league at 32.1%. Over the past month, it's the best in the league at 37%. And just the past five games, it's at a ridiculous 45.5%, also the best in the league.

So ... what changed?

"I think we're just moving the puck well," Matt Grzelcyk, who quarterbacks the top unit, told me. "We're not holding onto the puck a ton. I think guys are getting in the right spots now. We're almost 50 games in now, so we're a little more comfortable with where each other are going to be out there. And I think guys are making some great plays, and we've been trying to play a lot more simply, too. I think we're not really dialing up any specific plays. We're just trying to exploit, find a 2-on-1. And I think guys are doing a good job recognizing where that is."

"I think over the whole season, it's just been kind of that attacking, five-on-five mindset," Rust explained. "Play a little lower in the zone, instead of always up high in the zone. I think for us, it's kind of been a work in progress all year, but you see that over the last little while here, we've got some chemistry going. It's going good, but we've just got to keep working at it. Because, like we all know, it can go just as fast as it comes."