The Penguins completed a daunting week that featured five games in seven days, scoring back-to-back dominating wins over the Florida Panthers. Now, they’re on the verge of clinching a spot in the NHL playoffs with four games left in the regular season.
Paul Steigerwald recaps yesterday’s win over Florida.
Like everyone else, coach Dan Muse is dazzled by Sidney Crosby and his record 21st straight season scoring at least a point per game.
The Penguins are second in the NHL, behind only Colorado, in total goals scored, but Muse says it’s because they are good on both ends of the ice.
Muse appreciates that Penguins fans are so supportive.
Crosby passed his boyhood idol, Steve Yzerman, for seventh place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list in Saturday’s game. He says guys like him and Evgeni Malkin, who had a hat trick in that game, still have the fire to play top caliber hockey.
Crosby says the Penguins have the talent to put the puck in the net, and they work at the offensive aspect of the game.
Crosby says the condensed NHL schedule hasn’t been easy on the Penguins, but they’ve responded well.
The Penguins went 4-1 in their five-game, seven-day stretch, collecting 8 of a possible 10 points. While they’ve met the challenge, their pursuers have faltered. The Flyers have jumped into third place in the Metro Division with 90 points, six behind the Penguins. That means that the Penguins can clinch a playoff spot with a win in New Jersey on Thursday, or even sooner depending on the results posted by other teams before then. The Islanders went 0-for-4 for the week and yesterday fired coach Patrick Roy. He was replaced by Peter DeBoer, who has coached five teams over an 18-year span, most recently the Dallas Stars through last season.
On the injury front, the Pens yesterday recalled goaltender Daniel Gauthier from Wheeling to dress as the backup for Arturs Silovs after Stu Skinner was struck in the eye by a puck while he sat on the bench on Saturday. The eye swelled shut. Sergei Murashov arrived from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton mid-game and watched from the press box, so Gauthier will return to Wheeling. Murashov would dress for Thursday’s game if Skinner can’t play.
