PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Pens start the final stretch of the season in eighth place. Not eighth as in the final playoff spot, but the eighth in the Wild Card rankings with only two teams making it. What the team is saying of what would have to happen for a miracle run to the postseason.
Miracle is not an understatement. While only six points out of the final spot, they have to jump the rest of the Eastern Conference sans Buffalo and they own the third-worst goal differential in hockey.
It starts with the first-place Capitals at home on Saturday, followed by a Rangers team three points ahead of them in the standings. Then back-to-back with Philadelphia, with whom they are tied in the standings at 55 points.
“Our playoffs start right now,” said forward Rickard Rakell. “We started playing desperate for the last few weeks before the break. We have to use this break to our advantage and keep pushing.”
“We are well aware of where we are at and what the challenge is,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “We have to get excited about embracing it now.”
Leading up to the break, the team felt like it had played fairly well with points in three of the last four games. However, the Philadelphia loss is one they could have had. They aren’t in a spot where they can afford to let those games slide.
“For a decent stretch we were playing good, consistent, detailed-oriented hockey,” said forward Bryan Rust. “Obviously, we would like to have won that game in Philly. We played a really good game there do. Unfortunately, sometimes you don’t win those games.”
“For us, in the situation we are in, we got to keep to bring that consistency. We also have to win those games.”
“Before the break, we were always in the game,” said Stanley Cup champion Kris Letang. “We had a big one in New York, fell short in Philly. Our game is close. We need to focus on little details and we might fall on the right side of things.”
The way forward Cody Glass put it is to just play simple hockey. Find ways to create momentum and to the earlier point, don’t get cute on the offensive end. Play basic with all on the same page.
“Once we get our feet under us, that’s when we can start playing more of a dynamic game,” Glass said.
They also need to avoid looking at the scoreboard or start thinking of scenarios of how they get into the postseason for the first time in three years.
“I think we have to stay in the moment,” Sullivan said. “We can’t dwell on any circumstances on where we are. Where we sit in the standings. We’ve just got to take each game as it comes and put our best game on the ice.”
“I think we played pretty good going into the break,” said defenseman Erik Karlsson. “Hopefully we can sustain that a little bit and play the same way and move this group forward. We can’t look too far ahead. Hopefully we can just keep taking strides forward.”
There is a lot of excitement about hockey right now. Will they make it exciting the next month plus in Pittsburgh?