Now that the Penguins are in the playoffs how far can they go?

Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Alberti-Imagn Images | Mark Alberti-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the playoffs, officially clinching their spot on Thursday night with a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. It ends a three-year playoff drought and gets them back into the playoffs far sooner than anybody expected when Kyle Dubas was hired as general manager to start rebuilding the organization.

There is still a lot of work to do long-term, especially as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and even Erik Karlsson get closer to the end of their careers. Those are questions for another day. The only question that matters right now is what can the Penguins actually do now that they are in the playoffs with home-ice advantage secured in the opening round.

Given that this team has silenced doubters and exceeded expectations all season, nothing should be completely ruled out. I said this a few weeks ago, but if you ignored the preseason expectations and just simply looked at the way this team plays and the numbers behind it, you would probably not hesitate to call it a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. As of Friday they are on pace for 101 points this season.

They have the eighth-best record in the NHL as a whole, the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference and rate in the top-10 in pretty much every meaningful category. Standings: 8th Goal-Differential: 8th 5-on-5 Goal Differential: 7th 5-on-5 Expected Goals Share: 7th 5-on-5 Scoring Chance Share: 10th 5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chance Share: 9th Power Play: 7th Penalty Kill: 6th They are also the second-highest scoring team in the league behind only the Colorado Avalanche, despite Crosby, Malkin, and Rickard Rakell each missing double-digit games. The depth has been sensational as they already boast 12 10-goal scorers, 10 15-goal scorers, five 20-goal scorers, and have outscored teams 93-89 with a 52 percent expected goal share during 5-on-5 play when neither Crosby or Malkin is on the ice.