The Confluence
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A breakdown of the Penguins’ remaining schedule
by Tony on 02/19/09 at 09:24 AM ET
Comments (7)
Penguins fans have heard the run of the cliche’s lately. “Put a fork in ‘em”. “They’re done”. “Pack your bags”. And, to give them credit, those sayings may very well be accurate if the Pens continue to play with such inconsistency.
But, if the Pens start turning the corner, if the powerplay starts to show even a pulse and they can start stringing some wins, and yes, if GMRS get the much-needed help on the wings, it’s certainly not a far-flung prediction to suggest that the Pens could be among the playoff teams come April. [ And if my grandmother had…. ]
As of right now, the Penguins are six points out of eighth place in the East with 24 games remaining. But that sounds a little more daunting than it really is, so let’s look at this like it’s a baseball pennant race, rather than hockey, just for a second. As long as no one tries to suggest that the Pirates would be in this race, I don’t need anymore gray hair.
If you really look at it, the Pens are 3 games back with 24 games to go. That most certainly makes the Pens’ challenge at least a little less difficult, doesn’t it ??
Hey, can’t blame a guy for trying.
Now I realize, you have to consider games in hand, along with overtime/shootout points, as well as the number of teams currently ahead of the Pens. I get it. So let’s look at what the Penguins have the remainder of the way.
- 24 games remaining, 12 at home and 12 on the road.
- 16 games remaining vs. current playoff teams, 8 games vs. current non-playoff teams. In case you’re wondering, “on paper” the other teams mixed in with the Pens have a little easier road to travel: Carolina - 24 games, 14 playoff/10 non, Buffalo - 24 games, 13/11, Florida, 25 games, 14/11, Montreal, 24 games, 12/12, Rangers - 23 games, 12/11, Philly - 27 games, 18/9.
- Breakdown of games remaining: Florida - 3 (1H/2R), Montreal - 2 (1H/1R), Philly - 2 (1H/1R), Washington - 2 (2R), Islanders - 2 (2H), Tampa Bay - 2 (2R), Ottawa - 1 (1H), Boston - 1 (1H), Atlanta - 1 (1H), Rangers - 1 (1H), New Jersey - 1 (1H), Carolina - 1 (1R), Chicago - 1 (1R), Dallas - 1 (1R), Columbus - 1 (1R), Los Angeles - 1 (1H), Calgary - 1 (1H)
- Important stretches - Five-game roadtrip, 27 February - 8 March: Eight-game homestand, 14 March - 1 April: Three-game roadtrip, 4-7 April.
- Important games - Well, all of them. But the biggest potentially: All three games vs. Florida, two home games. vs. Islanders, two away games in Florida/Tampa Bay, 5 and 7 April, regular season finale in Montreal 11 April.
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Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Comments
LOL, well I certainly didn’t write it on the chance that one of the players might read it….
But you’re right, I think momentum is the key thing right now, and I don’t think it’ll take much…. After tonight, they’ve got two huge (but tough) emotional games in a row, Saturday in Philly and Sunday in D.C….. Philly isn’t exactly doing that great either, they’re only 9 points from the Pens right now… If they can somehow come out of the weekend, say, at 2-0-1 or so, it may help them turn the corner….
Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 02/19/09 at 10:08 AM ET
Given that the Pens have 24 games left and are sitting at 60 pts, the Pens would realistically need to reach 90+ pts to even have a shot when looking at the cutoffs for playoffs spots in the last couple of years. I would have to say that they would need a minimum of 16 more wins (32 pts for 92 pts total) in order to have a legitimate shot. If they hit any type of cold spell in the coming weeks (up to 8 losses), they might as well start booking tee times.
Posted by Dan from New York on 02/19/09 at 10:09 AM ET
Yup, no doubt Dan… Like I said, the have to get on a roll, they simply can’t keep sputtering along…
Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 02/19/09 at 10:26 AM ET
Hahah, yes, obviously I didn’t mean to imply the players would be reading your post either Tony. I meant moreso to point out the mentality they should have. Not trying to get caught up in the panic of being so many points out with so many games left. Play with a sense of urgency, but do it 1 game at a time. They cannot afford to be caught looking ahead or over someone on their schedule, as we saw Monday on the Island, new coach or not, that’s a game they should win.
Posted by RussianRocket on 02/19/09 at 10:27 AM ET
It took 94 points to make the playoffs last year…I know the Bruins made it on the last day. So the Pens need 34 points or 17 wins. That’s 17-7 the rest of the way…Do you really think that is possible? I don’t…six points out right now is alot. The Pens ship has sailed. However, the Rangers and Habs are playing so bad that maybe they can catch one of those two teams. I would recommend beating the Habs tonite in regulation if they have any hopes of making it.
Posted by kevin from boston on 02/19/09 at 10:51 AM ET
Kevin, sure it’s possible…. The big keys, in my view, are two-fold….
One, I think it’s obvious the increased confidence and puck movement that the Pens’ powerplay has had since Gonchar’s return…. Like I mentioned before, if that PP gets hot, that really changes things….
Two, I really think Shero is going to bring in someone that can put the puck in the net at the deadline…. It’s not going to be another Hossa deal, but rather it may very well be someone who can bang bodies and get those dirty goals that the Pens don’t get very often….
But if things stay the same, you’re right, it’s over….
Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 02/19/09 at 10:57 AM ET
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Looking ahead like this is ok for the fans, but the team needs to chip away. 1 win at a time, they can’t get caught looking up at everything that’s in front of them. They’re going to have to win at around a 2 games to 1 pace to finish the season. A nice win streak would do wonders, say 4 or 5 games.
Time for them to bear down, no more blown leads (especially at home), No more blind drop/behind the back, and forced passes (start putting pucks on net at any given opportunity), they cannot afford to ease up in any situation, focus has to be there for 60 minutes. Too much to ask at this point given the personnel and what we’ve seen so far….probably, but not impossible. I also doubt any major moves come at the deadline, mostly just tweeks, Shero seems intent on playing the waiting game. I figure the off-season is where he will make the impact moves.
Posted by RussianRocket on 02/19/09 at 09:57 AM ET