The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the midst of a 12-game winning streak, which is one of the best in the team’s history. It started with a 7-6 win over the Montreal Canadiens, and their latest win was a 2-1 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. Those two games show that the Penguins can win any type of game whether it be a shootout or a defensive game.
They have won more games in a row than the Chicago Blackhawks did when they started the season on a 24-game point streak. In that streak, the Blackhawks only won 11 in a row before losing their first game in overtime. Yes Chicago’s point streak was longer, but the Pen’s win streak is longer, and I believe it’s more impressive.
Points in 24 straight games is a crazy feat, but there are some losses sprinkled in there. Meanwhile you have the Penguins who haven’t lost a game in the month of March, and have gotten a possible 24 of 24 points in the those games. The record for most win in a row in the NHL is held by none other than the 1992-93 Penguins who won 17 in a row. During the streak, the Pens have one in multiple ways and have shown that the defense isn’t as bad as people think.
The Blackhawks were winning most of their games by smothering other teams, and keeping close. They were finding a way to pull out a victory when the game was close. During the streak they were never down by more than one goal. The Penguins on the other hand have been down by two or three goals a few times. Twenty-four is obviously more than 12, but like I said, not all 24 were wins, and after all that the Blackhawks only have one more point than the Pens, although Chicago has played three less games.
Another reason I believe that the Penguin’s streak is more impressive is that they are doing it without two of their better players. Evgeni Malkin’s last game was March 9 against the Toronto Maple Leafs; a game in which the Penguins won in a shootout. Kris Letang has been out since the end of the first period against the Boston Bruins on March 17. So the depth of the Penguins is showing by them continuously winning without two of their top scorers. Could Chicago kept their streak alive without the services of a Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, or defensemen like Brent Seabrook, or Duncan Keith? That is a question we will never truly know the answer to, but those are just some comparisons as to what the Penguins are missing.
It is pretty clear that the two best teams in the NHL right now are the Blackhawks and the Penguins. The battle for the President’s Trophy, which is given to the team with the most points in the regular season, will be a good one. Especially with the two teams being on such streaks at they were on or are currently on. As of right now, the Blackhawks would receive it because of having 51 points, and the Pens only having 50. We are certainly coming down the finishing stretch, so can Chicago hold onto their slim lead with 18 games left, or will the Penguins find a way to earn that trophy, and continue rolling in their last 15 games?
Photo Credits:Blackhawks.com
