Penguins players kept receipts before making magical run to playoffs

Individuals running Pittsburgh Penguins social media accounts have made it known on multiple occasions since the club officially clinched a playoff spot and home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs on Thursday that they kept receipts regarding what was said and written about the Penguins ahead of the season. 

It turns out Pittsburgh players were also quite aware that many predicted months ago that the club would be near or in the basement of the overall league standings by the time the second Friday of April arrived. 

Penguins had nothing to lose after preseason predictions

"It was pretty hard not to hear the noise coming into the year," Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea admitted, per King Jemison of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We know what people put on us for expectations at the beginning of the year. Once you put those out and you have a motivated group, it just becomes a dangerous team because you got everyone playing like they got nothing to lose." 

Shea's comments aren't all that shocking, as superstar captain Sidney Crosby acknowledged back in September that "the expectations from the outside are pretty low" as it pertained to what Pittsburgh would achieve this season. At that time, some thought there was at least a chance that Crosby and/or fellow franchise icon Evgeni Malkin could be moved ahead of the trade deadline. 

Many Penguins fans would now be left furious if Crosby doesn't have Malkin as a teammate this coming fall. 

"We know what we have in this locker room the whole year, and it’s obviously pretty special where we are right now, but I don’t think it shocks anyone in this room," Shea said about the Penguins returning to the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2022.

Players credit Dan Muse, staff for leading them on incredible run

As Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review noted, Pittsburgh's Dan Muse could earn Jack Adams Award honors for what Muse has already accomplished in his first season holding such a job at the highest level. 

"[Muse and the coaching staff] reenergized the group and found a way to push our buttons from the start," Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson added. "And [they’ve] done a good job in maintaining it throughout the year, which is not an easy thing to do. So they’ve done a terrific job with all of us."  

That job isn't finished yet, as the Penguins will now look to do more than just enjoy once again being part of a postseason tournament.