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Pittsburgh Penguins control playoff race because 98 points shuts down every chaser
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Adam Gretz says 98 points is the line, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are 12 points from forcing every chaser into a near-perfect finish.
That is the real story, not the panic after Sunday's 5-1 loss to Carolina. Pittsburgh is 35-19-16 through 70 games, good for 86 points and second in the Metropolitan.
Gretz's read at PensBurgh is clean. Hit 98, and the math starts choking off the teams behind them.
Boston is already at 86 points, but the Bruins still need 13 more in 12 games to get past that line. The New York Islanders need 14 in 11.
Detroit needs 15 in 12. Ottawa needs 17 in 13 just to reach 98, and 18 to pass Pittsburgh if the Penguins get there first.
This is why one ugly night does not flip the race. The teams chasing Pittsburgh have almost no room left.
The X post from PensBurgh hit the same nerve as the article. The argument is not about style points, it is about surviving the week with the line still in reach.
Adam Gretz shows Pittsburgh Penguins control the cutoff
Fans are right to feel tense, but the standings say the pressure sits heavier on the teams below Pittsburgh than on Pittsburgh itself.
That changes the on-ice read. The Penguins do not need to chase track meets, they need cleaner exits, better slot coverage, and one solid save when a game starts to wobble.
The next week is still mean. Colorado, Ottawa, and Dallas can punish loose details fast.
Three points from that stretch would keep Pittsburgh moving. That is Gretz's argument, and it holds up because the chasers keep playing into their own traffic jams.
The Penguins are not trying to win the East. They are trying to make every team behind them play at a sprint until the schedule runs out.
That is the punch. Get to 98, make the rest of the bubble blink first, and turn the final two weeks into somebody else's problem.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Pittsburgh Penguins' playoff hopes weaken as defensive breakdowns continue in March
Pittsburgh Penguins' playoff hopes weaken as defensive breakdowns continue in March
| POLL | ||
MARS 23|67 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins control playoff race because 98 points shuts down every chaser Is 98 points enough for the Pittsburgh Penguins to hold a playoff spot? | ||
| Yes | 38 | 56.7 % |
| No | 29 | 43.3 % |
| List of polls | ||