Why the Penguins are Truly Different (+)

STOCKHOLM — The Pittsburgh Penguins aced October, amassing more wins than they had in the previous two Octobers combined.

They’ve not waned in November, though last weekend they hit delete on a couple of games they should have won. Now, as the number of games played has equalized and the Penguins doinked three of the last four available points, they have fallen to third place in the Metro Division, four behind the New Jersey Devils.

The cute story of a good start and an eight-game points streak is gone. Now, it’s down to business, albeit across an ocean, for two games against the Nashville Predators.

“We have defeated jet lag,” deadpanned Kevin Hayes Friday.

What the Penguins’ start has created is merely a chance. The Penguins have an opportunity to put captain Sidney Crosby back in the playoffs, a situation he badly wants. The team also has a chance to slaughter the dire expectations that preceded the season, and many of the players have a chance to prove many previous coaches and GMs wrong regarding their viability in an NHL lineup.

Contrast that with the dreary and crestfallen attitudes that only worsened as the hopes of last season quickly faded into the dark winter.

As part of our weekly Penguins Insider for PHN+ subscribers, we chatted with several players on the record, but others off the record, on a simple question that delivered complex answers.

What’s different this year?

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