DALLAS — The Penguins’ initial objective, as they begin the 2015-16 season tonight, is pretty simple: Win the Metropolitan Division.
That’s a perfectly reasonable — and reachable — goal for them.
And for at least four other clubs.
For while the Penguins, with their exceptional first-strike capability, are a legitimate threat to finish first in the Metropolitan, so are the New York Rangers.
And the New York Islanders. And the Columbus Blue Jackets. And the Washington Capitals, who might be the most popular choice to claim the division championship.
“You try not to look too far down the road and try to not look at what the potential playoff picture might look like toward the end of the year, how tight that might be, but it’s really hard to not notice how much parity there is in this division,” Penguins defenseman Ian Cole said.