After going 9-3-1 over a part of December, the Penguins had some reason for hope this season. Sure, they weren’t a perfect team or even one without obvious and very clear weaknesses, but they were able to string together some wins, play well and start to change the trajectory of their season.
Unfortunately that did not last, perhaps as it is always bound to not last for a mediocre squad that features more problems than solutions in their lineup. Even about at their peak, the team still had a points percentage barely over .500, and though they were in fourth place in the division a month ago, they also were only on a 84-point pace.