Two tweets about the Penguins jumped out at me from all of the social media chaos surrounding the ending to the Bills-Chiefs game Sunday night, the NFL overtime rules and the futures of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
One was from Penguins long-time historian Bob Grove: "As their season hits the halfway point [Sunday], a win by Pens would put them on pace to record 114 points this season — the second-highest total in team history. They amassed 119 points in 84 GP without shootouts in 1992-93."
The other tweet was from team radio voice Josh Getzoff: "The Pens hit the midway point in game #41 Sunday against WPG. They will have played 34 games w/o Malkin, 12 games w/o Crosby, 22 games w/o Rust, 6 games w/o Guentzel, 6 games w/o Sullivan, 3 games w/o Letang."
Those tweets put the NHL standings going into Monday night's games into perfectly amazing perspective: The Penguins were one point behind the first-place New York Rangers in the Metropolitan division and just four points behind overall league leaders Florida and Tampa Bay.
If you're a Pittsburgh sports fan, that has to ease your pain from the Steelers' failures, doesn't it?
Give most of the credit to Tristan Jarry. Who saw that coming after his playoffs meltdown against the New York Islanders last spring? He has been the Penguins' best player and a legitimate Vezina Trophy candidate. His 2.09 goals-against average ranked third in the NHL through Sunday's games, his .928 save percentage tied for second. He was sensational in the 3-2 shootout win against Winnipeg on Sunday.
Credit the veteran leadership that Mike Sullivan always mentions. That starts with Sidney Crosby and Jeff Carter, who refuse to allow teammates to blink when trouble strikes with injuries or even deficits in a game. There might not be a better captain in sports than Crosby. It helped that he scored five goals in the three games before his shootout goal beat Winnipeg.
And how about All-Star Jake Guentzel? His 21 goals and 40 points easily lead the Penguins. He hardly looks the part of a star, but he sure plays like one.
There is so much more to like about these Penguins. Evan Rodrigues practically carried the team when the other forwards were out. Role players Danton Heinen and Brock McGinn have stepped in and stepped up nicely for the departed Brandon Tanev and Jared McCann. The same three pairs of defensemen, led by the inexhaustible Kris Letang, have suited up for each of the past 28 games and made everyone forget about the free agent loss of Cody Ceci. The penalty kill ranks first in the NHL despite allowing a power play goal to Winnipeg. The team has been disciplined, averaging a league-fewest 6.8 penalty minutes per game.
Then, there's Sullivan, who isn't just the best coach in the city, but the best in the NHL. He never blinks, either, in the face of adversity. He almost seems to thrive on it. The Penguins could have wilted when they started the season 5-6-4 and were looking at weeks more without the injured Evgeni Malkin. Instead, they have gone 21-4-1 since, including their current five-game winning streak and 16-2 roll. They practically have wrapped up a playoff spot for the 16th consecutive season, barring a major injury or two or three.
The best part of all this:
It's easy to think the Penguins can continue to march on and remain successful. They still haven't been close to completely healthy. They still haven't played their best hockey.
Team defense has been a recent issue, way too lax for Sullivan's wishes. The Penguins have allowed 40 or more shots in three of their past six games and nearly blew big leads at home in wins against Ottawa and San Jose. Somehow, they have won three of their past four games when trailing after two periods — including the game against Winnipeg — but that's no formula for long-term success. Their power play ranked 20th in the NHL at 17.6% going into Monday night after going 0 for 4 against Winnipeg. That's dreadfully mediocre considering the unit's star power. They haven't been good at faceoffs recently, failing to win 50% in five consecutive games. Individually, Kasperi Kapanen and Casey DeSmith have been disappointments — Kapanen despite getting a lucky goal off his skate Sunday. It's easy to imagine Ron Hextall will trade for a backup goalie to help ease Jarry's heavy workload before the playoffs.
The postseason is when Jarry will be judged, of course. That's especially true after his poor showing against the Islanders.
The playoffs also are when these Penguins will be judged. They were bounced out of the tournament early each of the past four years. They are 3-16 in their past 19 postseason games.
But can we agree to save our worry about the playoffs until they, you know, actually get here?
Can we just enjoy the second half of the regular season first?
If the next 41 games are like the past 41, it's going to be a heck of a ride.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Cook and Joe" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
