CRANBERRY, Pa. -- There are a number of ways the Penguins could prepare for the stretch of games directly in front of them.
The best might be to simply dive head-first into a chipper-shredder.
This, you see, is not merely a block of challenging games the Penguins are facing, beginning with a trip to Tampa Thursday; they'll be running a seven-game gauntlet.
Twenty-four hours after taking on the two-time defending champion Lightning, the Penguins will be in Raleigh to face the Hurricanes, who are second in the overall standings.
They then will return home to meet Florida, which sits directly behind Carolina in the league points race, the Golden Knights and the Hurricanes.