So far, 2018 has been a breath of fresh air for the Penguins. The players all got their mandated break from their jobs, and it turns out maybe that’s just what the team needed to reboot. The Penguins have been red hot in 2018, going 5-1 so far this calendar year, with some pretty impressive wins during that stretch. The defense has improved and the Pens are getting quality goal tending from an unexpected culprit in Tristan Jarry. GM Jim Rutherford was quoted a month ago as saying he expected the team to take some time to get in gear, and fully expected the team to be much better in the second half of this season.