The 2023-24 NHL season is well past the quarter mark and the Pittsburgh Penguins have continued to sink in more ways than one.
Not only has the lack of production from the power play held them back from multiple wins, but with each passing game, the Penguins are seeing their playoff chances dwindle.
While it isn’t exactly safe to say it’s still early in the season, there is still time to turn things around.
As of now, however, the Penguins are staring down one of the worst odds to make the postseason in the Metropolitan Division.
According to Moneypuck.com, the Penguins hold a 29.3% chance to make the playoffs which is seventh in the division ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Penguins haven’t seen these kinds of odds in a long time and are going to have to fight an uphill battle likely for the rest of the season.
Currently sitting with an 11-12-3 record, the Penguins are seventh in the Metro and six points out of a playoff spot.
The Ottawa Senators are currently in dead last in the Eastern Conference and the Penguins are only three points ahead of them.
Teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals were expected to fall from their early season run, but they are both still holding good positioning.
The Flyers have a 47.5% chance of making the postseason and the Capitals have a 38.8% chance.
No matter the situation, the Penguins are going to have a tough road ahead of them and are going to need to scratch and claw their way back into the hunt.
President and general manager Kyle Dubas seems ready to make additions to the roster and understands losing can’t be an option in the final years of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
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