NEWARK, N.J. — Dan Muse walked around the dressing room in the moments after the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-2 win against the New Jersey Devils, shaking hands with each of his players.

Bryan Rust then looked at his coach and said, “Hey! The fun has just begun.”

He would know.

Rust, along with the big three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang — the four members of the Penguins’ 2017 Stanley Cup team remaining on the roster — are headed back to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Penguins officially clinched a playoff spot Thursday night, and thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers’ loss in Detroit, they have also clinched home-ice advantage in the first round.

PPG Paints Arena will host Game 1 of the opening-round series April 18 or 19. The Penguins are most likely to play against the Flyers or the New York Islanders, though mathematically, they could also play the Columbus Blue Jackets or the Washington Capitals.

“It feels great,” Rust said. “I’ll be honest, it feels a little better given the outside expectations all year. Giving everyone a big middle finger feels good.”

Entering the season, the Penguins were believed to be one of the NHL’s worst teams. They flipped the script in a big way.

The Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since 2018 and were largely believed to be in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes this season. Instead, they have the eighth-most points and the second-most goals in the NHL. They have clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division.

“It’s exciting,” Crosby said. “That’s why you play. It’s the best time of the year. I know how hard it is. I think I understand that. We had some tough ones where it came down to the last day, and we didn’t get in. You don’t ever know. (But) right from camp, we’ve had those intentions and beliefs. The belief is there, but it takes everybody. We have a great group here. I’m just really happy that we’re going back.”

There is a sense in the Penguins dressing room these days that they have a chance to be real contenders in the Eastern Conference. They aren’t merely happy to simply make the postseason.

“I’ve seen the top of the mountain,” Rust said. “I’ve seen the bottom. You don’t take opportunities for granted. In my earlier years, my first two years winning the Cup, I thought we’d be in the playoffs every year. I was sadly mistaken.”

The Penguins’ leaders have gushed all season about the group of players with which president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas has surrounded them.

“With this group we have in here, the opportunity we have with how we’ve come together as a team, we can’t take that for granted,” Rust said. “This group is awesome. From day one, everybody clicked and jelled well. Guys who had something to prove came in here. And we still have something to prove.”

Ten postgame observations

• The mood in the Penguins’ dressing room was really something. I wouldn’t say there was a sense of satisfaction, but there was a sense of pleased relief. In a chat with Crosby after Wednesday’s practice, he mentioned reaching the postseason again is what drives him. He said he’s dreamed of the feeling that will hit him when he takes the ice again in a playoff game at PPG Paints Arena. And he’s going to get his wish.

Malkin told me a few years ago he couldn’t stand the thought of retirement if he never played in another playoff game in Pittsburgh. He’s going to get his wish, too.

Crosby and Malkin have produced some of the greatest accomplishments in hockey history. They’re still two of the most dominant players on this team. Malkin turns 40 in July, and Crosby turns 39 in August. They’ll tell you reaching this postseason was extra special for them.

• While there was a sense of relief, no one was particularly celebrating. This is a mature team. In the hallway outside of the locker room, one could sense from their body language that Muse and Dubas were very pleased with this team for making the playoffs. But just like their players, there was an all-business quality to them. They want more.

It was precisely the kind of behavior you’d want to witness. The Penguins are proud of what they’ve done, and they should be, but they aren’t throwing parties for themselves just yet.

• This was a very big night for Stuart Skinner. There is no doubt he is the Penguins’ No. 1 goaltender entering the postseason.

Skinner stopped 19 of 21 shots, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. To put it nicely, the Penguins might have won the game, but they did not play well. They continually struggled with New Jersey’s transition game. The Devils had two breakaways, along with a two-on-one, a three-on-one and a handful of other odd-man rushes.

New Jersey very easily could have won this game. Skinner, though, was there to slam the door on almost every occasion. It was one of his best games with the Penguins. This also marked his first appearance since receiving a black eye while being hit on the bench with a puck during Saturday’s win against the Florida Panthers.

He saw the puck just fine in this one.

• Speaking of strong performances, how about Egor Chinakhov? He had a goal and two assists in this game and was the most dominant performer for either team. He passed up a wide-open shot in the first period, fooling everybody, including Devils goalie Jake Allen, while setting up Rust with a wide-open cage. It was the kind of play only a supremely confident player would make, and his confidence is clearly peaking.

Chinakhov has played in 41 games with the Penguins, which is precisely one half of an NHL season. He has produced 18 goals and 18 assists with the Penguins, which is a 36-goal, 72-point pace. Those numbers are terrific, but then consider he doesn’t even play on the top power-play unit.

Everything about this guy says star.

• It was fitting the two biggest names of all put the game away. The Penguins were up 3-2 and reeling in the third period when Crosby did some dazzling work and fired a bad-angle shot on Allen. With the rebound lying in the goal mouth, Malkin was on the spot to bang it home. It was perhaps the game’s biggest moment; New Jersey basically gave up at that point.

Crosby and Malkin were only on the ice because the Penguins were in the middle of a line change, but it was quite a moment seeing those two get together for the goal that essentially put the game away.

• Malkin was outstanding in this game. He had his legs in a big, big way. Were I Muse, I most certainly wouldn’t play him against the St. Louis Blues in the regular-season finale Tuesday, and I’d limit his minutes against the Washington Capitals this weekend. Malkin is at his best when he’s extra fresh; he doesn’t need many reps.

The Penguins entered this game having not played for three straight days, a rarity this time of year. Malkin responded with one of his best games of the season. His skating was dazzling throughout the evening, and his chemistry with Rickard Rakell is clear.

• Crosby is starting to find his game, also. He finished with two assists and has multiple-point games in three straight outings.

His skating took a step in the right direction against Florida over the weekend and was again evident in this game. His game is trending in the right direction.

• It was fitting that Erik Karlsson’s empty net goal was the dagger. Karlsson has been the Penguins’ MVP this season, and he’s without question one of hockey’s best defensemen at the moment.

He didn’t have a great game against the Devils. Karlsson let several forwards slip behind him, which hasn’t been a problem this season. But he’ll be fine. He’s allowed to have an off night. Even when he didn’t play great, he put up 2 points. He’s just on that kind of roll right now.

• Sam Girard was excellent again. He’s played a handful of strong games in a row and really seems to have found his groove after a slow start in Pittsburgh.

• The Penguins are some kind of a story. I’ll he honest: I certainly didn’t see this coming. Not only are they a playoff team, but they also could do some damage in the postseason.

As Rust said, the fun has only just begun.