Penguins look to carry momentum into second half
PITTSBURGH – So what if the calendar reads early February? The way the Pittsburgh Penguins figure it, the playoffs have already started.
Pittsburgh took a modest three-game winning streak into the All-Star break, part of a 5-1-2 surge that moved the Penguins into the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final postseason spot.
The solid two-plus week stretch showed tangible proof of new head coach Mike Sullivan’s aggressive mindset. Yet the job is hardly finished, and Sullivan’s players know it.
“Our playoffs basically start now,” captain Sidney Crosby said.
In the crowded East, where 11 teams are separated by nine points in the standings, there really isn’t any choice.
The days when Pittsburgh and its top-heavy roster could float above the fray and watch the clubs below them scramble for position are long gone. The Penguins are right in the middle of the fight