Penguins Gaining Momentum Despite Winless Road Trip

The Pittsburgh Penguins are gaining momentum at the midpoint of the season.

Jan 5, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jack Roslovic (96) and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) battle over the puck during the third period at Lenovo Center. / James Guillory-Imagn Images

On the surface, the Pittsburgh Penguins' first road trip of 2025 was unsuccessful. How else would you describe a stretch where the team fails to log a victory?

And yet, the Penguins return to Pittsburgh with more momentum than a week ago. In their lone regulation loss, 4-2 on New Year's Eve in Detroit, they had to contend with poor officiating as much as the Red Wings.

They pushed the Florida Panthers to a shootout following a last-minute goal from Rickard Rakell and the Carolina Hurricanes to overtime before falling short. In both matchups, they displayed a very high compete level, proving they could play with two of the top teams in the conference on their ice.

Now, the Penguins sit tied with the Montreal Canadiens for the last playoff spot in the East at the halfway point of the season.

Their defense is getting healthy, with Kris Letang, Owen Pickering, and Marcus Pettersson returning from injury during the trip. Sidney Crosby (12 points in 10 games) and Erik Karlsson (9 points in 10 games) are playing at their highest level this season. And the power play has taken off, scoring ten goals in their past ten games (33.3%).

Building momentum is great, but it means very little if it doesn't result in wins. The Penguins can secure a handful of pivotal victories during their five-game homestand over wild-card opponents Columbus and Ottawa before leaving on a season-long seven-game road trip to close out January.

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