The Pittsburgh Penguins seem to have accepted their fate in the 2024-25 NHL season. Though six points away from a wild card berth, the Penguins playoff’s aspirations aren’t looking too high heading to the regular season’s final stretch. After a 4-3 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers, Bryan Rust voiced a clear statement about the team’s mindset under captain Sidney Crosby.
Pittsburgh has played three more games than the Montreal Canadiens, who sit at the WC2 spot in the Eastern Conference. Thus, the Pens could potentially be 12 points behind the Habs in the playoffs race. To say their postseason’s odds are looking slim would be an understatement.
However, Crosby and the Black and Yellow still put on strong performances night in and night out. Their latest meeting with the reigning Stanley Cup champions in Sunrise, is an exhibit to this statement.
The Penguins held a 3-1 lead, thanks to a brace from Rust and a power play goal from Evgeni Malkin. However, Crosby’s team failed to capitalize and ended up squandering their advantage. Ultimately, the Panthers prevailed 4-3 after Aleksander Barkov scored the lone goal in the shootout. Despite the deflating nature of the loss, Rust voiced a firm statement about the Penguins.
Bryan Rust #17 of the Pittsburgh Penguins waits for play to resume against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 3rd period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on October 12, 2024.
“I think it shows a lot about the character and leadership in this room, is that we’re in here to keep fighting hard, keep playing really hard,” Penguins star Bryan Rust stated, via NHL.com. “It doesn’t really matter where we are, kind of what’s going on, I think we’re in here to still prove something and still be a good hockey team.”
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Find a way to win
The Penguins can feel content with their performance, but acknowledge they must figure out how to secure the two points in close games like Sunday night’s at Amerant Bank Arena.
“That’s obviously a good team that pushed really hard,” Rust added. “We had a few breakdowns there, would have liked to come out a little tighter. For the most part, we played really hard. There are going to be mistakes, that’s just the nature of the game. It’s a lesson in how good teams win those games, when you’re up by a goal, teams find a way to win those games.”
Point streak
After recording two assists during the Penguins’ loss to the Panthers, Crosby extended his point streak in the NHL to seven games. It’s the longest streak the 37-year-old star has put on during this season.
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins waits for a faceoff in the second period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on March 07, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Crosby will look to keep the great form up when the Penguins visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on March 25. However, priority number one will be to get back on the win column, in hopes of a miraculous playoff push.
