It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the top storylines of the 2025-26 NHL season so far.
They were 8-2-2 heading into November, good for first in the entire NHL. It was a start that nobody saw coming, considering almost everyone in the national media picked them to be one of the worst teams in the league.
Their schedule got a bit tougher at the turn of the month, and they just finished up a stretch of five games in the first nine days of November. They went 1-3-1 in those games and now have the next five days off before they play two games against the Nashville Predators in Sweden. The two games are part of the NHL’s Global Series.
Part of that 1-3-1 stretch was from this past Thursday through Sunday, when they played three games in four nights. They beat the Washington Capitals on Thursday before playing a really strong game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. They got a point out of Saturday’s game, even though they probably deserved two, before losing in regulation to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.
Sunday’s contest against the Kings started well for the Penguins, who led twice, including in the third period, before losing 3-2. It looked like they ran out of gas in the third period, as their forecheck wasn’t there, and they were lackluster in their own zone. Even Penguins captain Sidney Crosby enjoyed one of his quietest games of the season. Once Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper made a save on a great Bryan Rust chance early in the third period, it was lights out from there.
Now that this busy stretch is over, the Penguins will have two games in a 12-day span. They’ll fly to Sweden on Monday before playing the first of two against the Predators on Friday. They’ll play the second game of the Global Series on Sunday, and won’t play again until Nov. 21 in Pittsburgh against the Minnesota Wild.
This is a perfect time for the Penguins to get their legs back and recharge for a little bit. It’s huge because this team is dealing with a ton of injuries right now, and it may bring some of them closer to a return. The Penguins are currently without the services of Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, Justin Brazeau, Caleb Jones, Tristan Jarry, Rutger McGroarty, and Filip Hallander.
Rakell and Brazeau had been off to great starts to the season, especially Brazeau. He was fitting in perfectly on the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha before going down with an injury before the Nov. 1 game against the Winnipeg Jets. He has six goals and 12 points in 12 games.
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Obviously, there is such a thing as getting too far ahead of the curve in sports.
Jarry had also been playing well before he got hurt against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Monday. Yes, he didn’t have a good third period against the Maple Leafs in that game, but he’s still saving 4.8 goals above expected with a .911 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average.
This extended time off will also give the coaching staff time to tweak some things in the defensive zone, since, per MoneyPuck, the Penguins rank 28th in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 at 3.01. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins have allowed 408 scoring chances against at 5v5, which is the second-worst mark in the league. Only the Wild have allowed more (413). They have also allowed 167 5v5 high-danger chances against, which ranks second-worst in the league.
The coaching staff will also have to make a decision on defenseman Harrison Brunicke, and there’s a chance it could come this week. He has played in nine games, meaning if he plays a 10th, his entry-level contract will kick in. Brunicke has been scratched for the previous three games after playing in his ninth game on Nov. 3 against the Maple Leafs.
It’ll be fascinating to see how rejuvenated everyone looks when the puck drops at 2 p.m. ET on Friday for the first Penguins-Predators game in Sweden. The second game will start at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.
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