The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the playoff conversation again

After a daunting start to the 2023-24 regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have climbed up the Eastern Conference standings and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, only a few points from a playoff spot.

Forwards Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are leading the way, averaging above or just slightly below a point per game, and Erik Karlsson is finding his groove on the blue line, scoring seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points.

For a team that at one point was near the bottom of the standings and had some calling for head coach Mike Sullivan’s job, they’ve strung together some impressive victories and put themselves back in the conversation among teams to look out for.

In Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the Penguins’ 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers and how they stack up with the rest of the mushy middle that is the Eastern Conference.

Tyler Yaremchuk: There’s a mushy middle in the Eastern Conference with the New Jersey Devils, the Washington Capitals and now the Pittsburgh Penguins are certainly appears to be back in the mix. I think right now, that might be the dominant story of the Eastern Conference’s Wild Card race, as Pittsburgh seems to have found their way.

Frank Seravalli: I think we’ve all been waiting for that to happen, based on their talent and their underlying metrics. You look at goal differential and some of the other stats that have popped up in a positive way for the Penguins, and it’s made us wonder when this team will match what we’ve seen in the numbers.

It’s been a crazy mix in the east that I think will only get crazier.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…