The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the midst of a Wild Card fight in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh has a mountain to climb, however, which made their win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night a crucial victory. In saying this, the win was not all good news for the team. Head coach Mike Sullivan wasn’t overly impressed with the performance.
Sidney Crosby scored two points against the Blue Jackets on Friday. He now has 10 points over his last six games. Moreover, forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell also scored two points. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 44 saves, as well, to clinch a 6-3 win over the Blue Jackets. After the game, Sullivan mentioned that this performance showed his team has clear areas of improvement that must be addressed.
“I still think there’s areas to grow,” Sullivan said, via NHL.com’s Wes Crosby. “There are areas where we’ve got to get better, in particular, on the defensive side of the puck. I think that just boils down to details and commitment. I know we’re capable of that.”
Penguins claim two vital points in Blue Jackets win
As mentioned, the Penguins are contending for a Wild Card spot in the East. Pittsburgh is well behind the eight ball, however. This win on Friday helped the team to a 29-32-10 record, good for 68 points. This places them six points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final Wild Card spot in the conference. The Penguins are closer to a top-10 pick than they are to a playoff spot at this time.
Picking up wins between now and the end of the season is crucial. Doing so against fellow Wild Card contenders, such as the Blue Jackets, is a near necessity. To this end, the Penguins did well against quite a major test. And they did so thanks in part to Nedeljkovic, who made his first start since March 7th.
“There’s just always something to play for,” said Nedeljkovic after his 44-save win, via Wes Crosby. “If not for yourself, for somebody else. It’s part of being a good teammate. You play for each other and you’re happy when the guy next to you has success because you know when you have your time, he’ll be cheering for you as well. So, it’s just part of being a good teammate, and we have a lot of those in this room.”
The Penguins certainly have more work to do if they want to make the playoffs. And their work certainly won’t be getting any easier. Pittsburgh retakes the ice on Sunday when they face off with the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
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