Momentum is on Penguins’ side as playoff push continues

Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup on Monday after serving a five-game suspension, and his two goals led to a 7-2 win for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Colorado Avalanche.

The Penguins remain second in the Metropolitan Division with 15 games to go and are on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.

On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen discuss the Penguins’ win over the Avs and how their playoff chances hold up.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Pittsburgh has gone through some speed bumps, this season. Sidney Crosby is still not back, and they lost Evgeni Malkin for five games due to suspension. But last night, Malkin returns and scores twice in the first 13 minutes, and the Penguins score four goals in their first six shots of the hockey game.

Maybe that little bump of adversity they had, and Sid is still not back, but they survived. Now I wonder: You get Malkin back, you might get Sid back, soon, and you’re sitting here wondering if this would be a real big boost for the Penguins. When Crosby returns, you think: “Holy shit, we did it! We held on to our playoff spot, despite missing those two guys.” Now that would have all this momentum with this coming back.

Colby Cohen: I have Pittsburgh making the playoffs at this point. Malkin came back with a vengeance, and they’re not hanging on for dear life. The Columbus Blue Jackets sits at 79 points, the Penguins have 83.

They’ve found a way to keep their head above water without the two big dogs. You’ve got one back, you’re going to get another one back. You’re getting solid goaltending from both Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs, the latter looking great on Monday for Pittsburgh.

I like where Pittsburgh sits.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…