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Sidney Crosby and the Penguins' Realistic Chances of Making the Playoffs Emerges

Originally posted on Hockey Unplugged | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 10:09 AM ET

Against all odds, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins have put themselves within striking distance of one of the last Wild Card playoff berths.

It wasn't long ago that Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins were essentially left for dead in the Eastern Conference standings, and appearing well on the way to missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive year.

But with 13 games remaining in their schedule, they're currently only 4 points out of the final Wild Card berth in the Eastern Conference; they're tied with the New York Islanders at 66 total points, and the Islanders happen to be their next opponent in what will be a massive game with heavy implications in the standings.

They've won 4 straight games, including 3 over opponents that are far above them in the standings, including the Vegas Golden Knights, the New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild.

Over this stretch, they've outscored their opposition 18-9; the bulk of the scoring came in Saturday's 7-3 drubbing of the Devils at PPG Paints Arena in which they scored twice in 22 seconds:

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan noted that his team is well aware of where they are in the standings and where their recent push has gotten them.

Everybody is well aware of where we're at. Anything can happen. You don't know where it goes with this game. We're just trying to keep our head down, keep our eye on the game right in front of us. We're going to try to put our best game on the ice and see what happens.

Last year, the Penguins were grouped in a handful of teams competing until the last days of the schedule for a playoff spot. It's just as tightly packed this time around, and while Pittsburgh has their work cut out for them if they want to qualify, they've given themselves a good sporting chance thanks to their winning streak.

This article first appeared on Hockey Unplugged and was syndicated with permission.

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