Is this the year the Penguins miss the playoffs?

[Lexicon]

Currently last in the East. Matt Murray sporting a 4.08 GAA and .877 save %. Crosby,Malkin, Kessel and Letang all doing their thing it seems but team is 7-8-3 and 8 points out of a playoff spot which is going to be a tough climb back. Only a -1 goal differential. Scored as many goals as Boston - seems the problem is defense?

Or maybe they go on a 5 game win streak and all is good in Pittsburgh. Either way Pens being last in the East a fifth in the season is probably not something everyone expected.

Click to read more...

 

[VoluntaryDom]

No

 

[Empoleon8771]

These kind of threads are the kind of threads that get bumped when the Penguins go on a 9 game win streak

They have huge flaws on the roster, but JR isn't going to sit on his hands and a lot of the players who are struggling are playing at unsustainably bad levels. Can they miss the playoffs? Oh yeah, for sure, but it's way too early to say they will.

 

[Syckle78]

The f*** happened to Murray?


And it's still too early for me to bet against them. Too much talent and the teams ahead of them are really nothing special. (Other than Washington)

 

[Empoleon8771]

The **** happened to Murray?


And it's still too early for me to bet against them. Too much talent and the teams ahead of them are really nothing special. (Other than Washington)

He hasn't played as badly as his stats suggest, but the big thing is that he seemingly can't make a save on a high danger chance, and the Penguins seem to forget how to play defense with him in net. They are way better defensively with DeSmith in net than Murray in net, they give up over 50% more high danger chances with Murray in net compared to DeSmith.

If Murray was on a team with some actual structure, he'd probably have like a .915 save% this year. He wouldn't be lighting the world on fire, but he'd be solid. On the Penguins, though? It's a recipe for disaster, they're playing horrible defense in front of him and he's not even remotely bailing them out.

 

[kugelbahn]

8 points out of a playoff spot which is going to be a tough climb back

5 points behind NYR with 2 games in hand for the 3rd in Metro

 

[RickyHP]

WC2, with leafs being top team in atlantic. Beat leafs in 7, lose in second round.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I'd still say probably not, although I don't think they look like dominant cup favourites anymore. They're only 5 points out of a playoff spot with 2 games in hand

 

[crosby87]

8 points out of a playoff spot which is going to be a tough climb back.

they have hte least amount of games played in the metro and are only 5 points behind 2nd place. That's nothing when they have another 65 games to play

 

[typicalsavage]

I doubt it. They have no structure whatsoever tho. But they always manage to pull through. It would be funny if they just get in on th last few days and end up the 2nd wildcard and play Tampa/Toronto.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Pens have made it 12 years in a row. Would be amazing if the year they missed it Hughes falls in their lap and they're contenders again next year. Make it happen Gary.

 

[Viqsi]

G-d, I wish.

It's the Penguins, though. There's no way they'd be that considerate.

 

[Zirakzigil]

They have 2 games at hand and are only 5 points back of 3rd in their division, so no.

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

no but feel free to keep dreaming

 

[Ainec]

hope so

please no more jake guentzel playing like ovechkin

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Probably not

 

[jaric1862]

No, not even close, the metro is terrible. They also tend to be a 2nd half team, so they will get most of their points in the latter half of the season. I see them either winning the metro or coming 2nd to Washington. If they were in the Atlantic though, this would be a different story.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

These kind of threads are the kind of threads that get bumped when the Penguins go on a 9 game win streak

They have huge flaws on the roster, but JR isn't going to sit on his hands and a lot of the players who are struggling are playing at unsustainably bad levels. Can they miss the playoffs? Oh yeah, for sure, but it's way too early to say they will.

I usually like to see these threads and love seeing people eat crow for doubting our Penguins...

But this year, this is the first time we are dead last in the East and have to climb back up and there are a lot of issues that seem like more than a trade or two from being fixed.

I don't know this time man...

 

[Honour Over Glory]

hope so

please no more jake guentzel playing like ovechkin

Jake is producing lower in the playoffs?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

They proved last year that they can legitimately play like the best team in the league when they're healthy, come ready to play every night and things start rolling and their top guys get hot. Bye week to all-star break they decided to put themselves in the playoffs and that's really all that they needed to separate themselves from most teams in the conference.

All this losing guarantees is that we'll see a hungry Pens team at some point of the season and they won't take their foot off the gas.

Of course when you put yourself behind the 8 ball like this, any further setbacks can potentially ruin their season. So far it sort of feels like 16-17 Bolts the way they're losing these games and that team spent too much time finding their game ultimately missing by a point.

So basically, anything can happen.

 

[ahawowow]

looked at the nhl standings and noticed they were at last place in the east - granted it's a tie but still concerning

 

[BillNy]

Damn, a thread about Pittsburgh missing the playoffs before new years? They must be about to win the Cup.

(In fairness, the 2009 team definitely could have missed the playoffs, and Bylsma coming in for Therien was huge, as were the deadline moves for guys like Kunitz. People seem on that a lot.)

 

[gtrower]

No, not even close, the metro is terrible. They also tend to be a 2nd half team, so they will get most of their points in the latter half of the season. I see them either winning the metro or coming 2nd to Washington. If they were in the Atlantic though, this would be a different story.

No team outside the metro has won a series over the metro since 2015 but the metro is terrible.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

No team outside the metro has won a series over the metro since 2015 but the metro is terrible.

Metro has definitely been dominant in the playoffs but Tampa beat NJ in the first round last year.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I definitely don't expect their cold streak to last all season. I just hope it lasts through the day so Buffalo can grab its 6th straight W.