FORECAST SATURDAY

PENGUINS NEARING COLUMBUS IN METROPOLITAN

As the Penguins keep on winning, the standings are starting to look better and better. That being said, a couple other Eastern Conference teams are keeping pace.

The Penguins have now won four games in a row, and are in the top 3 for a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division. As the Eastern Conference stands, there are still a few teams ahead of Pittsburgh in terms of points, and they are proving to be powerful teams.

WHERE IT’S SUNNY

Besides Pittsburgh, there are three other teams that at least have a win streak of four or more. These teams are Tampa Bay, Toronto and Columbus, all of whom have not played the Penguins in the past weeks or so. The Capitals are also on a win streak since their loss to the Penguins, and they still hold first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Tampa Bay still seems to be leaps and bounds above the rest of the Eastern Conference, and the Penguins will not play them again until late January. The Islanders currently sit behind Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan, and they play tonight against the Senators.

WHERE IT’S RAINING

New Jersey and Ottawa are both struggling, especially on the road, and it is certainly showing currently in the standings. Ottawa in addition to that has the second worst goal differential in the NHL. The Senators were expected to struggle a bit after getting rid of Erik Karlsson amongst a few others before this season, and they have followed through on that expectation.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE PENGUINS

Ultimately things are starting to look really nice for Pittsburgh, as the Penguins are finally starting to get on track. They are right in the thick of things in the Metropolitan Division, and teams like Columbus are bound to go through a rough patch, especially considering how Bobrovsky has been quite inconsistent.

Tampa Bay rules the Eastern Conference for right now, but if the Penguins can play the way they have been for a continuous period of time, they will be knocking on the doorstep of the lighting very soon.