PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.
Less than a week ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins (35-19-16) beat the NHL’s best team, the Colorado Avalanche (46-13-10), into submission. By the third period, the Penguins had vanquished Colorado, and the competitive portion of the game was over in a 7-2 win at Ball Arena.
The Penguins have been treading water since the Olympic break, doing so largely without Sidney Crosby and five games without Evgeni Malkin, too. Crosby has returned for the last three games, but the Penguins are just 1-1-1 in that stretch.
Since the Olympic break, the Penguins are only 6-4-4 and have given ground to the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders in the playoff chase. The Penguins remain in second place in the Metro, but just three points separate six teams fighting for wild cards and two spots behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metro Division.
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