staff writer: bianca stupka
(Image courtesy of @PensInsideScoop on X)
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a 16-season consecutive streak of attending playoffs, which unfortunately ended with the finale of the 2022-23 season as the Penguins missed a playoff spot by exactly one point. The backlash was immediate, with fans and players alike expressed disappointment with how the season went.
The Penguins were further frustrated when the team missed playoffs again for the 2023-24 season. Since then, there have been several questions from fans about what the team will change moving forward, if this losing trend will continue, and whether players still have the heart to compete for playoffs. Penguins General Manager, Kyle Dubas, spoke to reporters a few days before the Penguins’ first game of the 2024-25 NHL season, emphasizing that one of their main goals was to show competitive energy and grit in the game. He noted that a comeback season wouldn’t be easy by any means, but that the team was looking forward to earning that season.
This 2024-25 NHL season began for the Penguins on Oct. 9, 2024 with a difficult home opener against the New York Rangers. It ended with a bruising 6-0 loss; the Penguins shut down throughout all three periods. But it would be premature for the Pens to quit the season after one bad, home-opening loss, so they didn’t give up.
Their following away game on Oct. 10 facing the Detroit Red Wings was a success; the Pens won 6-3.
After those two games, they had one loss to the Maple Leafs, two wins from the Canadiens and Sabres, and three straight losses from the Hurricanes, Jets, and Flames. This led to them standing fourth in the Metropolitan division, with 3-4-1 stats totaling 7 points.
The Penguins have shown heart and effort in their gameplay so far, with veteran players like Evgeni Malkin leading the team in points and the NHL debut goaltender Joel Blomqvist making nonstop saves. However, they’ve lacked solid line-ups and consistent goaltending, alongside their never-ending battle to fix their power play.
It’s far too early in the season to entirely count the Penguins out of playoffs, but there’s no doubt that players are frustrated with their losses and that the team will continue to search for solutions to these struggles. This might mean more line-up changes, frequent goaltender swapping, and fan complaints.
Regardless, Pittsburgh sports fans are looking forward to the day the Penguins show up as a competitive playoff team again. Whether that happens this year or not remains to be seen.
