Something changed everything inside the Pittsburgh Penguins before the break

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Daniel Lucente
February 7, 2026 (1:40 PM)

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Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Sidney Crosby and Kyle Dubas turned the Pittsburgh Penguins into an Olympic break playoff team, and the vibe feels totally different.

This Audacy clip nails it, the moves and leadership actually matched the talk.

Jeff Hathhorn’s point is simple, this started with a near-perfect Dubas summer.

It also started with Crosby shutting down trade noise back on September 15.

Then the season hit the usual chaos, hot October, ugly November, brutal December.

The bounce-back is the story, two big win streaks since late December.

The Penguins sit 29-15-12 heading into the break, and that is not a fluke.

They did it with structure, not just “Crosby saves us” every night.

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Dan Muse deserves real credit for getting veterans to buy in fast.

Muse also leans on his bottom-six, and he rewards the lines that defend.

The special teams flipped the script, fourth on the power play, third on the penalty kill.

If you’re a Pens fan, you can feel the skepticism fading into stubborn belief.

Erik Karlsson looks steadier, and his giveaways are way down from last year.

Evgeni Malkin moving to wing is a veteran ego check that matters.

Ben Kindel is 18, a 2025 first-rounder, 11th overall by Pittsburgh, and he’s already contributing.

Now the only question is whether this version travels when the games tighten after the break.

Previously on HockeyUnplugged

POLL
FEVRIER 7\|128 ANSWERS Something changed everything inside the Pittsburgh Penguins before the break Should Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins be trusted as a playoff team at the Olympic break?
Yes	116	90.6 %
No	12	9.4 %
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