04/09/26 09:11:00
Printable Page
04/09 21:08 CDT Pittsburgh Penguins clinch a playoff spot, ending their 3-year
drought
Pittsburgh Penguins clinch a playoff spot, ending their 3-year drought
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
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.
"That's why you play --- that's the best time of year," Crosby said. "I know
how hard it is. I think I understand that. We had some tough ones where it came
down to the last day and didn't get in, and you don't ever know. But I thought
right from camp, we've had those intentions and had that belief."
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.
Instead, new coach Dan Muse has made general manager Kyle Dubas look brilliant
for hiring him from relative anonymity: five years as an assistant under Peter
Laviolette with Nashville and the New York Rangers. Succeeding two-time
Cup-winner Mike Sullivan was not an easy task, but Muse aced the test in his
first chance to run an NHL bench.
"He's been great: Calm there behind the bench, and he's just a really
personable guy, easy to talk to away from the rink," forward Justin Brazeau
said. "Any time you create that atmosphere in here, it's not too tense or
anything like that. I think guys are just willing to go out there and play
free."
Center Ben Kindel, picked 11th in the draft last year, made the team at 18.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson thrived at 35. Crosby was a point-a-game player for a
21st consecutive season, even if it was interrupted by the injury that knocked
him out of the Olympics.
"It takes everybody," Crosby said. "Everybody has had a part in this. Obviously
it's a team game, but especially with this group: With the injuries and all the
different guys in and out, everybody's contributed to us getting there."
Muse, like Crosby, saw evidence in training camp that this was a
playoff-caliber team.
"I just saw the competitive nature of the group," Muse said. "There's ebbs and
flows in every season, but I think this group has just continued to grow. Enjoy
it for a little bit, a minute, and then it's just continuing that preparation.
It's a big step for the group. I'm really proud of these guys, happy for these
guys, the staff, everybody involved. The players have done a great job with it
throughout the year. We talked about earning things at the beginning of the
year. This group earned it."
___
AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
|
