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NHL analyst reveals Penguins' playoff odds and raises concern over potential collapse
Photo credit: Edit from Daily Faceoff
NHL analyst Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton debated whether the state of Pennsylvania will have a playoff team, and some concerns have been raised.
A rejuvenation has occurred within two longstanding franchises, and it gives hope to potentially keep both Pennsylvania franchises in the hunt late into the season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers have each been hovering around the middle of the pack for the last several seasons, but are currently tied for third place within the Metropolitan Division.
What has led to both teams exceeding expectations
Improved coaching and players rising to greater importance have led to each team getting off to a strong start.
Philadelphia started the season on a strong footing thanks to good goaltending and a dynamic young cast of forwards. Pittsburgh is certainly more competitive than the team that has hung around the bottom of the division not too long ago.
Sidney Crosby is, of course, leading the charge, but more balanced goaltending has changed things.
In the 'LIVE' broadcast on Daily Faceoff, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton assessed the chances of each team, at least one, so to speak, making the playoffs.
Why both analysts favor the Penguins over the Flyers
Hutton favors Pittsburgh, saying it is more of a sound investment, thanks to their strength, goaltending, and the ever-present influence of Crosby.
His apprehension is reserved for the Flyers, who are very close but not wholly convincing, given his doubts about goaltending, with Samuel Ersson and Dan Vladar.
Yaremchuk again favors Pittsburgh, reasoning that the Flyers' hot start has been due in large part to elite goaltending, which has started to cool, and predicts the Pens to have a decent but not greater than 50-percent chance, largely due to the possibility of a mid-season slump if things fall apart.
"I think the Penguins are more likely than the Flyers. I think the Flyers, early in the season, got just A-plus-caliber goaltending from Dan Vladar. And we've seen it start to slip a little bit now. I wonder if maybe the goaltending is going to come back down to earth a little bit there. I like the pieces they have up front. I don't know. I'm just not 100% convinced that the Flyers' goaltending is truly playoff caliber. So, I'm going to say the Flyers are out. And I'm going to go under 50% on the Penguins. I think they got a shot. But I think it's like 40, 45%. I think it's just a hair under a 50% chance. I worry that, at some point, when things turn south for Pittsburgh, it's going to be like a lose 9 of 10 sort of run here."
- Tyler Yaremchuk
- Tyler Yaremchuk
Both squads are definitely still very much in it, although at present, Pittsburgh seems to be the more reliable option in Pennsylvania.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 5 | 69 ANSWERS NHL analyst reveals Penguins' playoff odds and raises concern over potential collapse Who will make the playoffs? | ||
| Both Pennsylvania teams | 15 | 21.7 % |
| Penguins only | 45 | 65.2 % |
| Flyers only | 4 | 5.8 % |
| None | 5 | 7.2 % |
| List of polls | ||