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The Penguins are have strung together quite the run. After 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs they have now won five out of the last six games. This stretch of games has them technically tied for the second wild card spot with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The issue however is that the Penguins have played in five more games than Tampa and things are densely packed in the standings
While the wins make for a more watchable product at times, they are also putting Pittsburgh in what should be a restricted area. The area where they aren’t good enough to actually compete and the one where they are not bad enough for legit lottery odds. The losing may have been frustrating to some, but it was going to be more productive to roster building. Right now, Pittsburgh is slotted into that 10-15 range which is the most unexciting place to be. They are going to do whatever it is they are going to do. The decision makers can’t lose focus on the big picture goal and I don’t think they will. Players like Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor are likely to be traded and it will be the right move. Perhaps Rickard Rakell and Tristan Jarry play well enough to also be part of the group of players being moved.
Keep feeding ice time to Owen Pickering. He has acclimated himself to the NHL quite well and then some. He is consistently one of the better players for the Penguins on a nightly basis. He is the kind of player absolutely necessary for the Penguins to shave off some of the rebuild/retool time. They would be fortunate if Rutger McGroarty was also able to gain some traction at the professional level. After having only one point in his first eight AHL games he now has six points in his last eight games. If he were to hit a point per game rate it would be an encouraging sign he is getting the hang of the professional level. I think it is something attainable for the 20 year old.
Tristan Broz and Ville Koivunen each have 14 points in 18 games in WB/S. Their growth also plays into this time frame.
The Penguins will have a couple days to enjoy this recent stretch of play then they will be back in action against one of the better talented teams in hockey, the Colorado Avalanche. A Crosby vs MacKinnon matchup usually gets the best out of the Penguins captain.
Thanks for reading!
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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