Pens win 17 of last 20 games, NHL playoff hopes on the rise

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (PTTP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins started off their 2021-2022 season with many questions as the new management was planning their course of action for the future of the team.  

After a mundane start to the season, the Penguins have won 17 of their last 20 games.  

The key to this team’s success has been from their willingness to play on both sides of the puck. Normally heralded for their offensive prowess, the Penguins have flipped the script and are now known to be stingily defensive throughout the league. 

A large part of this defensive success has come from the netminder, Tristan Jarry, and how he’s turned his performance around from a less than stellar season last year. This season, Jarry has allowed just 2.11 goals against him, a career-high. His stat line has not gone unnoticed, as he has been selected to his second National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star game in his young six-year career.  

On the other side of the puck, while most of the top-line forwards have been out with injuries, one name has consistently shown up on the score sheet. Jake Guentzel is averaging 1.1 points per game, scoring 21 goals, both on pace to be the highest of his career. Guentzel has been rewarded as the last man in a vote for this year’s NHL All-Star game, also the second of his career.