Latest Penguins performance shows the teams biggest surprise factor in 2025/26

Entering the 2025/26 regular season, many expected the Pittsburgh Penguins to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but as of right now, they find themselves firmly entrenched in a playoff spot in the highly competitive Metropolitan Division.

With a record of 27-14-11, this doesn't appear to be a team that's going away any time soon, and given the immense leadership on this team combined with Dan Muse's clearly successful coaching style, this is a team with a bright future and a very promising present.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for this team has been the secondary scoring this season, and during their 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, that was on full display.

In a game where they scored 6 goals, the team got just one point out of Crosby, Karlsson, Letang and Malkin, with Anthony Mantha (1G, 2A), Connor Dewar (2G), Noel Acciari (2A), Ben Kindel (1G, 1A), and Blake Lizotte (2A) leading the way.

This is how it's been all year for the Penguins, as they have 10 players on this team between 20 and 40 points, while still being led by Crosby (57) and Malkin (41), and this bodes well for the team heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Only time will tell if this translates to the post-season, but given the pre-season expectations for the Penguins, this is just one of many reasons why they've been able to defy the odds and have themselves firmly set for a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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