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The eerie 2006-07 parallel fueling Sidney Crosby’s Penguins surge
Photo credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
Sidney Crosby has the Pittsburgh Penguins sitting second in the Metro, and the deja vu feels loud for a fanbase that remembers the early-2000s pain.
Vince Comunale’s Pittsburgh Hockey Now piece leans into the symmetry, and honestly it lands.
Back then, the Penguins missed the playoffs four straight seasons, ending with that brutal 22-46-14 year in 2005-06.
Then 2006-07 flipped fast, 47-24-11, 105 points, and a playoff return.
Comunale’s point is simple, this 2025-26 group looks more like the “rising” version than the “falling” one.
Right now, Pittsburgh is 29-15-12 with 70 points, still in that same second-place neighborhood.
Crosby is still driving it, 27-32-59, and that’s the part that messes with your brain.
Evgeni Malkin is right there too at 13-31-44, the familiar engine noise behind the captain.
Sidney Crosby has the Pittsburgh Penguins believing again
Pens fans are excited, but it’s that guarded kind of excitement that only comes after a few spring no-shows.
The roster mix is the real throwback, stars up top, and youth trying to force the door open.
Egor Chinakhov, 25, was a 2020 first-rounder, 21st overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he’s already at 11-7-18 after the move.
Ben Kindel, 18, was Pittsburgh’s 2025 first-round pick, 11th overall, and he’s sitting at 14-13-27, which is wild for a teenager.
That’s the modern version of “kids on the rise” that Comunale is talking about.
The question is the same as it was then, can this group survive the first punch in a playoff series.
If the answer is yes, the next game after the break is going to feel like a real measuring stick.
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