With the season up
to date being filled with inconsistency, the Pens game in Washington tomorrow
has all the senses of being a statement game.
After another blown lead, the Penguins find themselves
sitting just outside of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference
playoff race. Tomorrow, an opportunity for a statement game, the Pens will be
in Washington to play a Capitals team that is on fire as of late, winners of
their past 5 games and showing no signs of slowing down.
Matt Murray is finally back, and will be looking to create
some sort of consistency for a group of goaltenders that has been anything but
for the past few seasons. After a solid start a few games back, where he
recorded 38 saves in a win over the Kings, the Pens will look to him in this
big game as a way to establish himself once again. When you got a team
playing like the Penguins have so far this year, it is always important to look
and try to find sparks on the team, guys that are going to get things moving.
The fact of the matter is that it seems every year the
Penguins find themselves in this position early in the season. But, as we have
seen so many times before, they always find a way to pick up the pace and make
a run when it counts. Tomorrow would be a great place to get that big win that
starts this sort of spark, but regardless there is still a long season left to
go.
Last season the Pens struggled on the road, but this year
have done a solid job, boasting a 6-5-4 record on opposing ice. If they can
keep up that sort of production on the road, they will be in good shape, as the
home wins are bound to come sooner or later.
Whether it starts tomorrow or in a couple of weeks, the
Penguins are going to figure things out. And when they do, they will be feared
just as they were in the past couple of seasons. Will the Pens get on that
track tomorrow… we will have to wait and see.
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