Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins not taking 13th straight playoff appearance for granted

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 19: Matt Murray #30 and Jack Johnson #73 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defend against Jesper Bratt #63 of the New Jersey Devils during the third period at the Prudential Center. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — The Penguins' regular-season mission is far from finished, and you don’t have to look any further than this statement from head coach Mike Sullivan.

“I think we still have a lot to play for. We've been in a playoff mindset for a month-plus, and there's still a lot on the table to play for in my opinion. We've got a great opportunity, we've got to maximize it,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan is talking about the chance the Penguins have to move up into second place in the standings when they take on the New York Rangers on Saturday night

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Captain Sidney Crosby believes the struggle to get into the playoffs will serve them well in Saturday night’s game.

“We've had to play that way for so long, I think at this point that's the mentality we've dealt with, and that's a good thing. That's something that helps when you're going into the playoffs. It's one more game and an opportunity to move up, so I think there's a lot of motivation, but that mentality is still ingrained there because of all the games we've been playing in that situation," Crosby said.

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The Penguins clinched their 13th consecutive trip to the playoffs by beating the Red Wings on Thursday night. Player making their first appearance in the playoffs are they’re keeping their emotions in check, but Erik Gudbranson confessed that once he was out of the locker room, it was worth getting emotional.

“I think I'm pretty even keel to begin with, just on a daily basis I try to keep my emotions controlled as possible. I had a little moment at home, I was talking to my mom last night, I was like, "Yes1 So yeah, I had that moment, but you got to keep it cool, calm and collected in here for sure,” Gudbranson said.

Crosby said the playoffs are nothing to take for granted.

“I would say I appreciate it more now than I have in the past, just knowing how difficult it is to get there, how much fun it is to play in the playoffs and what those games mean," he said.

Sullivan echoed the sentiments of how much fun the playoffs are.

“It's the best time of year to play,” he said. “It's the most fun hockey, and all of us, when we step foot on the ice in day one of training camp, everyone in this league has aspirations to win the Stanley Cup. The first step is you have to give yourself a chance by qualifying for the playoffs, and we've done that.”

On the injury front, Brian Dumoulin is making progress but hasn’t skated yet. Zach Aston-Reese and Chad Ruhwedel are both skating and making progress. There’s no timetable for any of those players to return to the team.