PITTSBURGH – As Dan Muse spoke, the emotion, passion and honesty in his voice were evident.

His press conference following Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken felt like a breath of fresh air because of that rawness. But it also reflected the Penguins’ precarious position at the NHL season’s quarter mark.

Is this a bad team coming off a hot start or a good team enduring a bump in the road?

It’s tough to say right now, with the Penguins balancing an 8-2-2 start against a 2-4-3 November and needing to improve in several areas to show those first 12 games weren’t a fluke.

“We’ve taken some steps from the beginning of the year,” Muse said. “There’s also a lot of room for improvement. That’s the exciting part.”

“Taking it one day at a time and getting a little better each day, I think we’ve been doing that. But we have to continue to do that.”

As the Penguins enjoy a Sunday break before games Wednesday, Friday and Saturday to close the month, here’s what we’ve learned about this group – and what must change in December.

From the net out

What the Penguins are allowing this season compared to the past three years isn’t that different:

• Scoring chances against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5: 29.5 the past three seasons, 28.2 so far this year.
• High-danger chances against per 60: 11.7 versus 11.6.
• Expected goals against per 60: 2.66 the past three seasons compared to 2.73 so far in 2025-26.

The difference, of course, has been the work of Tristan Jarry, Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov in goal. They’ve been outstanding – and a marked change from recent years.

Over the past three seasons, Penguins goaltenders had a save percentage (all situations) of .896. This year, Pittsburgh is tied for second with Chicago at .908.

“Good goalies mean good teams,” Kevin Hayes said. “All three of our guys have been spectacular this year.”

Whether it lasts is the question.

Murashov didn’t play a particularly strong game Saturday. Silovs struggled Friday. Jarry’s start was encouraging but remains an outlier compared with the past few seasons.

For the Penguins to sustain their start, the goaltending has to remain elite.

Aging well

It’s been a fantastic start for franchise centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby leads the Penguins in goals (13), and Malkin leads in points (24).

They’re averaging more than a point per game, and Malkin has at least made it valid to discuss him remaining in Pittsburgh beyond this season.

But how long will their current levels hold?

Nothing against Connor Dewar – who had a strong setup of Sid on Saturday – but Crosby’s line is probably a scoring winger short. Malkin, meanwhile, has done this before in his mid-to-late 30s: teased and faded.

Not saying it can’t happen. Just that the Penguins will very much need Crosby and Malkin to be this good.

Because …

Supporting cast

The depth scoring that fueled their impressive start has faded.

After scoring six times and totaling 12 points through Pittsburgh’s first 12 games, Justin Brazeau has been hurt, though his return isn’t far off.

Brazeau’s linemate opposite Malkin, Anthony Mantha, has managed just one assist over the past four games after producing eight goals and 13 points in Pittsburgh’s first 17.

Ben Kindel’s assist Saturday was his first point in six games after the rookie opened hot, scoring five times and posting seven points through 13 games.

Bottom line: The Penguins need more from their bottom lines. That was a hallmark of the strong start – depth players contributing – and it hasn’t been nearly as prevalent lately.

Resilience needed

Asked what he’s learned about the Penguins so far, Ryan Shea didn’t hesitate and needed only a few words.

“We’re pretty resilient,” he said.

Shea meant the Penguins weathering the loss of seven players to injured reserve, which is a lot. But as those absences have piled up, they’ve increasingly felt like too much to overcome.

Brazeau and Jarry should return soon. Ville Koivunen is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Rickard Rakell could return by mid-December.

They’ll be needed, too, because the Penguins face a brutal December: 14 games, including nine against 2024-25 postseason teams, with seven on the road.

No surprise, given his contract and 35-goal season in 2024-25, that the Penguins really miss Rakell. Having more scoring to offset defensive lapses or goaltending dips would help.

“In an 82-game season, you’re gonna to have off nights,” Shea said. “We’ve also outplayed teams and didn’t get the result.”

“It’s easy to let that get the team down, but we haven’t done that because we know how we have to play to beat those teams.”

Fair enough. But lately there’s been some wheel-spinning. That has to change.

Stay special

The only thing more volatile than goaltending might be special teams – and it’s nearly as important.

While the Penguins have stayed competitive through strong goaltending, an opportunistic power play and stingy penalty kill have also defined the first 21 games.

Pittsburgh leads the NHL in power-play percentage at 32.0. It ranks fourth in penalty-kill success at 85.3%. The Penguins are 6-3-2 when scoring at least one power-play goal and 1-4-1 when they allow one.

The power play had been trending down – too many passes, a need to simplify – until Malkin’s power-play goal. The PK allowed one Friday (when the entire team struggled) but had killed 29 of 31 (93.5%) over the previous 11 games.

If these units stay somewhere between good and great, they can help cover other weaknesses. If they can’t, the Penguins could have a problem.

“You look at our year; special teams has been very good and needs to continue to be good,” Muse said. “But our 5-on-5 game also has to continue to take steps. We want to make sure we’re looking at all areas of the game.”