For the Big Three, one last chance to have a first
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 25: Ron Francis, Evgeni Malkin #71, Sidney Crosby #87, Kevin Stevens, Kris Letang #58, Scotty Bowman and Eddie Johnston pose for a photo during the Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame induction prior to the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 25, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have just about done it all over the last 20 years. Of course, they have the three Stanley Cups.
All those Conn Smythe’s that come along with it. Crosby recently crossed into the top-5 for NHL playoff scoring. Malkin has the most playoff points of any Russian.
In a world where it’s very hard to win (note the celebrated career of Anze Kopitar ended with his Kings advancing out of the first round just three times during his 20 years), the Penguins 105 playoff wins are the most since the 2003-04 lockout. Finding new ground to tread at this point of their illustrious careers is difficult, but they have a chance tonight to achieve something that the trio has never done: win three games in a row while facing elimination. The Penguin franchise has won three games facing elimination before – most notably in the 1992 opening round series against the Washington Capitals — the current Big Three has not.
The Pens have had some series comebacks in this era, they erased an 0-2 hole to Washington in 2009 and a 2-3 deficit against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final. They also pulled a gutsy comeback from a 2-3 series against Tampa in the 2016 Eastern Conference Final. Despite that, they’ve never won three-straight games while facing elimination, their only chance coming in 2012 when they failed to do it in Game 6 against Philadelphia.
They’ll get that opportunity tonight in Game 6 against the Flyers to get it right this time. They’ll hope after that to go all the way for the rare ‘reverse sweep’, a talking point and opportunity that must be earned today. Surely the plan for the Penguins wasn’t to fall in an 0-3 hole that almost no teams ever end up recovering from, but they’ve found an opportunity to have a ‘first’ for perhaps the last time when it comes to making a historic comeback and put their names with the few teams in history to dig all the way out.