Glass Half Full

The Penguins hit the Olympic break in 4th place in the conference, and one point out of first in the Atlantic Division behind the New Jersey Devils, who do have a game in hand. Less than a month ago the Pens were eight points behind New Jersey and they had three games in hand. The team is 8th in the league in wins with 36, despite not playing consistently for months now. The Penguins are fifth in the NHL in goals for with 188 for a 3.03 goals per game average, and the only team in the conference with more is the Washington Capitals. Marc Andre Fleury is 8th in the league in wins for a goaltender with 29, and the only Eastern Conference goaltenders with more are Martin Brodeur of the Devils in 3rd with 34 wins and Ryan Miller of Buffalo in 7th with 30 wins. Sidney Crosby is tied for the lead league in goals with 42, and he is third in the NHL in overall points. Evgeni Malkin despite a very slow start is 13th in the NHL in scoring with 65 points. With regard to todays game the Pens gained another point to close within one point of the Division leading Devils, and picked up 4 of a possible 6 points in their most recent 3 game homestand. The Penguins play the Devils twice in the final twenty games and with that possible 8 point swing in head to head play, they have a real shot at winning the Division, which would guarantee them at least the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Penguins have a history of finishing strong, and their recent experience with two trips to the Finals and one Stanley Cup Championship will ensure that they rise to the occasion and go into the playoffs ready to do some damage!