NHL analyst breaks down what is suddenly different for the Penguins in the last two games

Whatever they had under their tree, the Pittsburgh Penguins got a timely fresh start with the NHL holiday break.

Before this, the Penguins were playing their worst brand of hockey of the year, losing nine out of the last 10 games because of blown leads, mental mistakes, and inconsistent goalies.

Finally, following the 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 23, the Penguins left the ice needing more than just a rest. They came back refreshed.

Pittsburgh began the week with a 7-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. There was nothing fully clean about this game, but they completed their chances and dominated the play for large portions of the proceedings.

Just two days later, in front of their home fans at PPG Paints Arena, they then registered a comprehensive 5-1 victory over the current Metropolitan Division leaders in Carolina.

The addition of Blake Lizotte's skills to the fourth line and his presence in the penalty kill unit have contributed significantly to the team's play, but the underlying aspect has been the pace and coherence, according to NHL analyst King Jemison.

He believes the Penguins have played the game in a manner that exudes joy and passion, leading to two straight victories to move within two points of a spot in the Eastern Conference wild card.

On the offensive side, the Penguins were hurt by the absence of Evgeni Malkin for almost four weeks. However, since the break, this line has emerged without him.

Justin Brazeau continued to play well after his Sunday hat trick, and Anthony Mantha has scored three goals in the last two games.

Defensively, Jemison says their pairings are much more sensible and, more importantly, errors have been minimized.

Following a league-worst .846 save percentage over the first 10 games prior to the break, Pittsburgh has seen much better play in net, including a solid performance by Stuart Skinner against Carolina.

If this level of play continues, there is a much brighter outlook for the 2026 year ahead.