While head coach Dan Bylsma would have preferred to coast to the Presidents' Trophy and rest his players down the stretch, it didn't work out that way, as the Penguins were 5-3-2 over the last 10 games of the season.
After reaching the 40-win plateau in just 57 games, faster than any other team in franchise history, Pittsburgh won just 13 of its last 29 games after February 1, which was definitely a disappointing end to the season.
However, it seems to have created a sense of frustration within the Pens, and that might give them extra motivation to make things right in the postseason.
When the Pens won the Stanley Cup in 2009, they were essentially playing playoff hockey a month before everyone else and had to win 18 of their last 24 games just to make the postseason.
Last season, the Pens rang up a 15-game winning streak en route to the top seed but hadn’t faced adversity down the stretch, and it showed in their first-round matchup against the New York Islanders.
If their feisty play down the stretch this season is any indication, the Pens seem to have a chip on their collective shoulder entering the postseason that bodes well for their chances at winning another Stanley Cup.
After reaching the 40-win plateau in just 57 games, faster than any other team in franchise history, Pittsburgh won just 13 of its last 29 games after February 1, which was definitely a disappointing end to the season.
However, it seems to have created a sense of frustration within the Pens, and that might give them extra motivation to make things right in the postseason.
When the Pens won the Stanley Cup in 2009, they were essentially playing playoff hockey a month before everyone else and had to win 18 of their last 24 games just to make the postseason.
Last season, the Pens rang up a 15-game winning streak en route to the top seed but hadn’t faced adversity down the stretch, and it showed in their first-round matchup against the New York Islanders.
If their feisty play down the stretch this season is any indication, the Pens seem to have a chip on their collective shoulder entering the postseason that bodes well for their chances at winning another Stanley Cup.