Could this Penguins team make a serious playoff push?

Following Thursday night’s dominant 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, the Pittsburgh Penguins can confidently say they’ve kicked off their 2022-23 season on a hot streak. While the team’s last Stanley Cup win wasn’t overly long ago (2017), the Penguins have continually struggled to make a deep playoff push ever since. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and Matt Larkin joined forces on Daily Faceoff Live to discuss whether or not this year could finally be their year to do so again.

Frank Seravalli: Let’s talk about the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have been a great story so far this year. I had the Penguins firmly slotted in a playoff spot as we went through our season predictions on Daily Faceoff. They’re off to a 3-0-1 start, and I said, you know what, maybe this team could be better than I thought. You look at where they stack up at the top of the Metro to this point, without a loss in regulation, one of the only two teams in the entire Eastern Conference that have that distinction. But you, Matt, you kind of look at this and you think maybe the Pittsburgh Penguins are exactly what they’ve been for the last, I don’t know, several years?

Matt Larkin: Yes, I do – and what they’ve been is a great regular-season team. This isn’t news. Every single season under Mike Sullivan they’ve been at least .610 in points percentage. So, when I see them looking pretty dominate early, I kind of shrug my shoulders and say, ‘Okay, I’ll see you in April’ because the problems with the construction of the Penguins roster, especially in the former group, I do not think have been rectified. 

What happens to this team every single year is they look good in the regular season, they often fight through injuries and they get pushed around in the playoffs when the officials put their whistles away. If you look at the construction right now – here comes some more big stats for you, Frank – the smallest team in the NHL by weight is the Pittsburgh Penguins (193 pounds). The biggest team is Tampa Bay (206 pounds). That’s an average weight disparity from player to player of 13 pounds. The oldest team in the NHL by average age is the Pittsburgh Penguins. So, this is the smallest, oldest team in the NHL, and I cannot feel confident about that group making a deep run when we get to the playoffs. 

FS: You know, I just look at this Penguins team and I say they’re better suited for playoff success. I’m not saying they’re going to have any; I’m just saying they’re better suited for playoff success given the additions that they made on their back end. When you look at Jeff Petry, I think that he’s got a lot more to give. Jan Rutta, a big, underrated part of those two Stanley Cup runs for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The guy just defends well, and you need that. Tristan Jarry has been really good to start, and you know, I just feel like with Sidney Crosby, everyone kind of yawns when talking about Sidney Crosby because there’s nothing new here. It’s the same thing on repeat – consistency year after year after year. His last 82 games he’s got 103 points. Sidney Crosby, still elite. This team, I think, could do a little bit more damage this time around based on the additions that they’ve made on their back end. Agree or disagree?

ML: I do agree that the back-end additions are encouraging, especially when it comes to Jeff Petry. Something you wrote last year – I remember it stuck in my head – which was Jeff Petry hasn’t suddenly forgot how to play hockey, and I agreed at the time and I still agree now. He does so many different things well on the ice. He can move the puck for a pretty big guy, he’s physical, he can be a leader, he does so many different things. So, I do like that addition a lot. 

You can watch the full episode of Daily Faceoff Live here…