Penguins' Forward Depth Becoming Best in NHL

The Pittsburgh Penguins are quickly climbing the standings in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. As the Winter Olympics break looms, the Pens are just six points back of the division lead and sit comfortably in a playoff position.

Through 52 games, the Penguins are exceeding expectations. Many pinned them as a lottery team with their core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang approaching 40 and three straight seasons missing the postseason.

As impressive as Crosby and Malkin have been, the defining piece of the Penguins' season has been their team depth. They've had strong goaltending from multiple goalies, the latest is Stuart Skinner. Their blue line has received huge contributions from players like Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea. Standing above all of that is their forward depth. From the first to the fourth line, the Penguins might have the strongest forward depth in the entire NHL.

4th Line Production

No other team in the NHL is getting as much from its fourth line as the Penguins are. Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte and Noel Acciari have formed an elite trio. Three penalty killers by trade, they've been excellent on both ends of the ice. Dewar brings speed, Lizotte brings a tenacious, puck-hounding ability, and Acciari brings veteran awareness that translates well to his own end.

They aren't just a defensive situation group, though. Dewar has a career-best 13 goals in just 52 games, while Lizotte has 15 points and Acciari has 13. That rare combination of offensive production and defense mastery is what sets them apart from other fourth lines in the NHL.

A recent post from AR Analytics highlighted how effective they've been. A recent X post from them shared that among fourth lines in the NHL, the Penguins' trio ranks first in ice-time, third in expected goals percentage (54.4%), and first in goal percentage.