One of the bigger surprises in the early goings of the 2025-26 NHL Season has been the fast start by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are currently on a three-season postseason drought and were not projected by many to play beyond the regular season for what would be a fourth straight season.
Despite their recent loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins are still in a good position with a record of 8-4-2, good for second overall in the Metropolitan Division standings.
But just because they're off to an impressive start as they approach the quarter mark of the season, don't expect general manager Kyle Dubas to try and rub it in anyone's face.
“I don’t know that we’ve stuffed it in anyone’s face,” Dubas said via The Athletic. “It’s still really early. I still think we’ve got a long way to go with our overall game, and I don’t say [that] from a negative standpoint; I say that from the standpoint of having the potential to play a lot better, and [coach Dan Muse] echoes a lot of that when he talks publicly.
“Throughout the summer, I just didn’t think it was any benefit to confront or go back to what people’s expectations were,” he continued. “We have our own expectations internally, and for me, in this job, it’s always been about taking a longer-range viewpoint. But more so for the players that have been here for a long time, but also the guys that have come in here and taken advantage of the opportunity, you’re always really happy when you see it result in them having success as individuals, and that individual success helping the team win.”
The Penguins are next in action against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday evening.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Second In The Metropolitan Division Standings
At this point last season, the Penguins were 5-7-2 on Nov. 5 and near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. But it's been quite the impressive turnaround for them thus far.
With three goals and 16 assists for 19 points, Evgeni Malkin leads the team in scoring and looks far more like his old self. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby's eight goals and nine assists are second overall in scoring as he continues to show that age is just a number.
