The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the stronger looking contenders in the NHL this season, so count them in for the 2022-23 Stanley Cup playoffs. They look like they have what it takes to make a deep playoff push, and might be one to watch for fans who want to bet on the NHL.
The Penguins have remained consistent over the years, reaching the playoffs every year since 2006, and there’s no reason to see them deviate from that pattern this season.
Team captain Sidney Crosby remains the heart and soul of the Penguins franchise. The two-time Hart Trophy winner and eight-time All-Star leads the team with points into the 2022-23 season.
The squad includes talent throughout, with fellow Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel also picking up plenty of points.
Meanwhile, Rickard Rakell is doing well finding the net for the Penguins so far, while the likes of Jason Zucker, Kris Letang, and Jeff Carter are also coming in with plenty of assists. In goaltending, Tristan Jarry has things locked down, averaging a 91.5 percent save percentage.
The Penguins entered the 2021-22 Stanley Cup playoffs after getting 46 regular season victories. However, they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games during their first-round matchup. That’s the fourth straight first-round exit by the Penguins.
But that modest success is still impressive, considering the Penguins haven’t missed the playoffs since the 2006-07 season. They’ve won three Stanley Cups out of four tries throughout that duration.
The last couple of years hasn’t been quite as impactful for the Penguins, where they’ve been eliminated in the first round, however we’d expect them to do at least as well this season, and most likely better.
The Penguins were one of the teams added during the NHL’s 1967 expansion. They have five Stanley Cups, tied for most titles by a non-Original Six team. They are also the first franchise to win consecutive Stanley Cups during the salary cap era, which started in the 2005-06 season.
The Penguins also have six conference championships, nine division titles, and a Presidents’ Trophy in 1992-93. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Wheeling Nailers are their minor league affiliates.
The Penguins play their home games at PPG Paints Arena, formerly known as Consol Energy Center. It was opened in August 2010 and can accommodate 18,387 hockey spectators. There’s a strong affinity between Pittsburgh’s sports teams and the area’s residents.
That’s why Penguins fans flock to home games and cheer at the top of their lungs, especially when their team scores a goal. They play a horn sound every time they score a goal, which certainly isn’t music to the ears of visiting players.
The Penguins are rivals with the Philadelphia Flyers, given that they both hail from Pennsylvania. The Flyers have the edge in the Battle of Pennsylvania, 184-119-31-12. They also have a 21-20 advantage in their postseason series. However, the Penguins have enjoyed more success recently due to their playoff streak. Their latest playoff meeting occurred in 2018, with the Penguins eliminating the Flyers in six games.
The Penguins are also rivals with the two Empire State teams, the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders.
There’s usually a lot of interest in New York sports betting when teams from Pennsylvania are in town, as there’s long been a feud between sports fans of the two states. The NHL is where these rivalries are perhaps the most intense, and the Penguins shared an infamous 2011 brawl with the Islanders leading to 65 penalties and 346 penalty minutes.
They also have an ongoing rivalry with the Washington Capitals because they both play under the Metropolitan Division. They have contested 11 playoff series, with the Penguins winning nine. The Penguins lead the all-time series versus Washington, 160-127-16-6, and the postseason tally, 40-28.
