Through the first seven games of the regular season the Pittsburgh Penguins have beaten three very bad teams (Buffalo, Detroit and Montreal — and need to come-from-behind in all of them) and lost to four good teams. It is not the most encouraging start for a team that has missed the playoffs two years in a row and seems stuck in the middle between a full rebuild and making an effort to contend.
Even with the inconsistent start, there have been some positive developments.
Evgeni Malkin is off to a great start offensively.
The depth scoring has been better than anticipated, with Lars Eller, Kevin Hayes and Drew O’Connor already combining for 10 goals.