"Sizzling finishes are nothing new for the Penguins, but they probably don't need one over the final seven weeks of the season to secure a Stanley Cup playoff berth. The Penguins, who play the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks today at United Center, held a 12-point cushion on eighth-place Carolina yesterday and are all but assured of a playoff spot unless they collapse. The Penguins were six points up on Washington for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, a slot that would earn them home-ice advantage in at least the opening round of the playoffs -- not that a game Monday night against the Capitals at Consol Energy Center needed more hype. Still, it doesn't figure to be easy down the stretch. With 14 of 23 remaining games against teams holding a playoff spot, or within six points of one, the Penguins are taking the approach that "nothing is guaranteed," defenseman Brooks Orpik said. Recent history, however, is on their side. The Penguins are 75-28-17 from Feb. 1 through the end of the NHL's regular season during the past four years, and they carry a 5-4-0 record this month into today's game. For perspective on how difficult it is to make up points during the final weeks of the season, consider the Penguins from two years ago: They were in 10th place and five points from a playoff spot when Dan Bylsma replaced Michel Therrien as coach on Feb. 15, 2009. They finished 18-3-4 and earned a No. 4 seed, but their 99 points were only six more than ninth-place Florida. So while a red-hot close might be needed to make up the five points by which they trailed Atlantic Division- and East-leader Philadelphia as of yesterday, there isn't a likelihood of losing out on a fifth-straight playoff berth. "As much as we've stumbled, some of the other teams have slowed down a little bit," Orpik said. "It's tough because you look every night and it seems like every game is a three-point game -- and that's what you hate to see when you're trying to catch teams." The post-lockout "three-point game" -- in which losing teams earn a point if the game goes to overtime or a shootout -- should leave the Penguins feeling fairly secure about their standing." Read more: http://www.prosportsdaily.com/articles/depleted-penguins-push-toward-playoffs-466570.html
