Penguins Starting to Find Life With Winning Streak

Despite a poor start, the Pittsburgh Penguins are finding life again during their winning streak.

Nov 30, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Blake Lizotte (46) celebrates his second goal of the game against the Calgary Flames during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading towards a rebuilding phase for the first time in over 20 years. It's inevitable after the team went all-in over the past two decades, and they won three championships in the process.

But the Penguins might not be sent off to pasture quite yet. The Pens are in the middle of a three game winning streak, and suddenly a defeated team has life. Despite remaining in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, the team is hoping this stretch of games can return them to the playoff hunt.

It started when the Penguins took down the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 5-4, a surprising victory over one of the better teams in the Western Conference. They followed that up with a tight win over the Boston Bruins and then a 6-2 drubbing of the Calgary Flames.

There's been two huge differences in the Penguins' execution over their three-game winning streak. The first is defenseman Erik Karlsson is playing much better. He was fed to the trade rumor cannon after a poor start to the season, but he has five points in his last four games and has recorded a positive plus/minus in each of the last three games.

The other huge difference is goaltending. Tristan Jarry has had a rough go of things since signing a five-year extension last summer. He had his worst professional season during the 2023-2024 campaign, and he seemed to be plummeting even further this season.

The team even went so far as to assign him to the AHL for a long-term conditioning stint, a move not often deployed for veteran NHL players. But that move woke something up in Jarry, and he's been vastly improved since returning to Pittsburgh. He's won his last two starts, including his best game of the season in a 31-save victory over the Bruins, bringing his record to 3-3-1 through eight starts.

It's not a night and day difference, but this is a large step for the Penguins as they try to maintain relevancy in the Metro Division. The Pens are still a likely lottery team come next summer, but this three-game winning streak is giving their top players new life during the 2024-2025 campaign.

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