March of the 2025-26 Penguins

One of the many things that fascinates me about Pittsburgh sports is that they keep coaches for a long time. It's not just the NFL's Steelers, the NHL's Penguins hold on to coaches as well. Yet the city saw themselves in a very rare position, as it saw two of their three franchises move on from their longtime coaches in a span of less than a year. The bigger story was Mike Tomlin resigning as Steelers head coach after 19 seasons, but months prior, Mike Sullivan was relieved of his duties as Penguins head coach following the end of the last regular season, which saw the Penguins miss the playoffs for the third straight season.

I remember when Sullivan was hired. It was during the 2015-16 season, during a faulty start to the Penguins' season. Sullivan managed to right the ship, as the Penguins ended that season as Stanley Cup Champions. And they liked that feeling so much that they decided to do it again on the following year; going back-to-back, the first team in almost 20 years to win back-to-back Cups. At that time, the Penguins were enjoying a lengthy playoff streak that started all the way back in the 2006-07 season, which was Sidney Crosby's second year in the league. After three Stanley Cups in the first 11 seasons of the streak, it would be followed be a number of hiccups.

The streak continued, but they won only one series since those Cups. 2018 saw them beat out the Flyers, but actually get eliminated by the Capitals, and it would be followed by a streak of opening round losses, including the 2020 bubble which saw them ousted in the Qualifying Round by a Montréal Canadiens team who sputtered their way into the 12th seed. 2022-23 saw the streak come to an end when the Penguins were eliminated in Game 81 of the regular season, and it's been three straight seasons of no playoffs. I don't consider three seasons an actual drought, but to a team like the Penguins, it's an eternity.

The Penguins entered this season with a new coach in Dan Muse, and it did look like there would be problems, especially since the early part of the season saw Pittsburgh blow some big leads. However, once the ball dropped and 2026 arrived, the Penguins got back on the ball. Following up and down performances in October, November, and December, the Penguins are 12-4-4 since New Year's Day. That is a win percentage of .700 in that 20-game stretch.

The Penguins have bulldozed their way into a playoff position. They entered the Olympic Break in second place in the Metropolitan Division, eight points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, and a single point ahead of the New York Islanders. That's a prime position; second place in the division means home ice in Round 1.

I really don't need to say anything more about Sidney Crosby, but I definitely want to. 21 years. This is Sid's 21st season in the NHL. I still remember the hype around Crosby before he was drafted. I knew he'd live up to it, but I never thought he'd be this generation's Mario Lemieux in a city that has seen a lot of legends in sports. Not only is Crosby not showing any hint that he plans to call it a career anytime soon, he is still leading the way in Pittsburgh. Goals (27), assists (32), and points (59); Crosby is leading the team in all three categories.

Elsewhere, Evgeni Malkin (this generation's Jaromir Jagr) is second on the team in points, because of course he is. Malkin has 44 points (13 G/31 A), and third on the team is Anthony Mantha with 42 points, though 20 of them are goals. Erik Karlsson leads Pittsburgh defensemen with 35 points (4 G/31 A), while Kris Letang has 25 points--only three of them being goals, but two of those goals were OT winners. As for goaltending, the Pens finally traded Tristan Jarry, sending him to Edmonton for Stuart Skinner, and he's done wonders for the team; it does help that he's coming off back-to-back Cup Final appearances.

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So from the looks of it, the Penguins are playoff bound this year. They have an outside shot at the Metro, but right now, they're in a dogfight for 2nd place with the Isles. They have 26 games left, and three of them are against the Hurricanes, and those could end up determining first place in the division. The Penguins are having quite the season so far, and they are definitely on pace to have a strong season. I think 100 points will happen for Pittsburgh, and I can see them winning at least one round. Will it be a long run? It all depends. One thing is for sure: actual penguins are flightless, but the ones in Pittsburgh are flying very high.