Penguins Week Ahead: Schedule and Storylines – Depth Shines, Third Period Struggles and More – The Hockey Writers Pittsburgh Penguins Latest News, Analysis and More

The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading into the final stretch before the Olympic break on fire. They won both games this past week (January 26 – February 1) and are currently on a six-game win streak (points in nine games in a row). Here are a few storylines to keep an eye on in the Penguins’ final three games before the break.

Depth visible

The Penguins are clearly led by players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell, but the depth in the lineup has really come to the fore over the past few games. Players like Noel Acciari, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte showed strong performances, leading to depth scoring in the team’s two wins. The top players continue to do their job, but with the extra help from the bottom six forwards, this is a great sign for a team looking to stay in the thick of the play-off hunt.

Along with Acciari, Dewar and Lizotte, 2025 first-round pick Benjamin Kindel continues to impress with his offensive production as of late and will remain a big factor for the Penguins as they look to stay hot this week.

Third period battle

The Penguins have had a season full of disappointment when it comes to holding the lead in the third period. They’ve been a lot better at this lately, but almost conceded one New York Rangers when they faced off on January 31st. The Penguins held a 5-1 lead midway through the third period before letting the Rangers pull within two in the final minutes of the game.

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The Penguins will have to keep the pedal to the metal when they have a lead in the third period if they want to avoid going into overtime or shootout games. Achieving regular wins will go a long way toward a possible tiebreaker if it comes to that at the end of the regular season.

Letang injured and out

Veteran defenseman Kris Letang will be out for at least the next four weeks due to a fracture in his foot. While he may not be having the best season, it will be interesting to see how head coach Dan Muse helps fill Letang’s spot in the lineup. The injury comes at a good time (if there is one), as the Penguins will be off until the end of the month due to the Olympic break.

So far, players like Parker Wotherspoon, Brett Kulak and Ryan Shea have already taken on some more ice time and done an admirable job, so the Penguins should be in good hands until Letang returns from his foot injury.

I want to stay warm on the way to the break

Given how the Penguins have performed offensively and their continued ability to grind out wins, keeping things moving will be a key goal as they head into halftime. While Crosby (Canada), Erik Karlsson (Sweden), Rakell (Sweden) and Arturs Silovs (Latvia) are heading to the Olympics, most of the Penguins roster will have a nice break after the three games this week. Giving everything they have to keep their hot streak intact will likely be priority number one, aside from staying healthy.

Penguins schedule February 2 – February 8