Back to the Pittsburgh Penguins Newsfeed

Which Phil Kessel will show up for the Penguins?

The team, and its fans, aren’t sure which version of Phil Kessel will show up in the playoffs. Having difficulty this season finding a steady forward line has only made the questions much more poignant. Will the playoff performer Phil Kessel show up or are we more likely to see a rehash of last year’s disappointing performance?

Past Playoffs Provide Little Insight:

Prior to last year, Phil Kessel had never dipped below a shooting percentage of 10.2 in the playoffs. Last year, it was 5.6. During the two cup runs, it was 10.2% and 11.8% respectively. In the two Stanley Cup runs, Kessel averaged roughly a point per game pace (22 points in 24 games in 2016 and 23 points in 25 games in 2017).