The Pittsburgh Penguins Aren't Thrilled With Attendance - Here's What It Could Mean Going Forward

The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't panicking over their lower attendance numbers this season, but they're not exactly thrilled, either.

While the organization anticipated some early-season challenges at the box office, the reality has still been noticeable: no sellouts yet, not even for the home opener, Mike Sullivan's return with the New York Rangers, or the Penguins' Hall of Fame induction night.

High ticket prices, combined with tempered expectations for the on-ice performance of the team, have made October a difficult month to fill the seats, but there's optimism that things could turn around as the calendar shifts to November. The Penguins' schedule going forward provides some reason for optimism.

There are six home dates this month, including two Saturdays, one against Toronto, which should be a virtual sellout given the Leafs' strong fan travel, and a Friday night game and Sunday afternoon tilt against Los Angeles that avoids a conflict with the later Steelers game.

Even the weeknights have their promise: the annual Thanksgiving Eve game on Nov. 26 and an appearance by Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals among the featured attractions.

As one Penguins staff member explained, October was expected to be rough attendance-wise due to a few scheduling quirks and early-season uncertainty.

With a stronger November lineup and the team off to a promising start, there's growing confidence that crowds at PPG Paints Arena will look a lot more like what Pittsburgh fans are used to seeing in short order.