Pittsburgh Penguins clinch a playoff spot, ending their 3-year drought
For the first time in four years, it will soon be a great day for playoff hockey in Pittsburgh. The Penguins clinched a playoff spot Thursday night by beating New Jersey, ending their postseason drought that lasted three seasons. Far from assured a place in the field in late March when the Eastern Conference race was a crowded mess, they've won five of six games since March 30 to get in.
NEWARK, N. J. (AP) — For the first time in four years, it will soon be a great day for playoff hockey in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins clinched a playoff spot Thursday night by beating New Jersey, ending their postseason drought that lasted three seasons. They had made 16 postseason appearances in a row before that, last missing in Sidney Crosby's rookie year in 2005-06, with that stretch including three Stanley Cup titles. It was an up-and-down season that included an eight-game skid in December and a pair of six-game winning streaks later in the winter.
Far from assured a place in the field in late March when the Eastern Conference race was a crowded mess, they've won five of six games since March 30 to get in. “A couple weeks ago (we realized) it’s really in our hands (because we) play a lot of the teams in it,” defenseman Connor Clifton said. “We figured it was going to work itself out, and first and foremost it’s about us and getting points and we’ve done that, so it’s been good.
” It has also been a surprise. Pittsburgh was a 6-1 long shot to qualify before the puck dropped on opening night, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. This looked like one last kick at it together for an aging core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, who at 20 seasons together are the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American professional sports.