Penguins’ fatal flaw that will doom them in 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had perhaps the most surprising season of any of the Eastern Conference playoff teams. It’s one thing to return to form after one bad season like the Boston Bruins, but it’s quite another to get back into form after three straight non-playoff seasons.

It is not a new era for the Penguins, since they still depend on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. They added veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson three years ago, and his offensive skills were not enough to lift the team out of its malaise during his first two seasons in Pittsburgh.

The biggest reason that the Penguins were able to finish second in the Metropolitan Division after three such painful seasons appears to be head coach Dan Muse. It’s easy to overlook Muse, because he’s not a fiery figure behind the bench like John Tortorella or Paul Maurice. He gives the appearance of a mild-mannered junior accountant. He looks calm, reasonable and wide-eyed, taking in the situation before he has to make a decision.

But that is not who Muse has been behind the bench. He has imbued a spirit inside the Penguins that has made them very difficult to play against throughout the regular season. Few teams have played with as much hustle and fight as the Penguins.

They have often been at their best when they have had to rally for comeback victories. Crosby, Malkin, Bryan Rust, Anthony Mantha and Rickard Rackell don’t leave anything in reserve. The Penguins fight for 60 minutes — or longer — every night and that’s the formula they will use in the playoffs every night.

First-round assignment vs. Flyers will require continued aggression

The return of the Penguins to the playoffs means that emotions will be turned up to a maximum level in the opening-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. There is an ingrained hatred in any playoff matchup between the Penguins and the Flyers, and since both teams have returned to a solid level of success this season, they are both going to come after each other with a ferocity that is not usually seen in the regular season.

The Penguins should have an early edge in the series since they have home-ice advantage and the experience of their core players. Crosby has played in in 175 postseason games in his career and he has scored 67 goals and 129 assists for 196 points. He has scored 18 goals and 55 assists on the Pittsburgh power play in the postseason. Crosby has demonstrated throughout his career that he is at his best in close postseason games when the Penguins need him most.

Crosby trying to overcome age, knee injury

Still, the 38-year-old Crosby suffered a painful knee injury just two months ago and it kept him out of the most crucial Olympic games for Team Canada. He has the experience needed to lead his team, but his speed and quickness could become an issue as the postseason games pile up

The Flyers are in the playoffs because head coach Rick Tocchet got his team to play its best hockey after the Olympic break. The Flyers are depending on Travis Konecny (68 points), Trevor Zegras (67 points) and Matvei Michkov (51 points) to drive the team during the postseason. All three have shown a creativity in the offensive zone.

The Flyers’ supporting cast have also picked it up in the final weeks of the season, and they will test Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner.

Goaltending may be key issue for the Pens in the postseason

The former Edmonton Oiler will be put to the test throughout the playoffs. His postseason experience makes him the goaltender that gives Penguins the best chance to survive and advance. However, Muse has not officially named Skinner as his postseason starter over Arturs Silovs.

Skinner was traded to the Penguins by the Oilers in a goalie swap that sent Tristan Jarry north of the border. It seems clear that the Penguins won the trade because Skinner is a better goalie than Jarry by a fairly significant margin.

Skinner is not an elite goalie and he was good but not great after the trade to Pittsburgh. He had a 12-9-5 record along with a 2.99 goals against average and an .885 save percentage. He will need to improve his performance if the Pens are going to have success in the postseason.

Skinner was a key performer for the Oilers in each of the last three playoff seasons. He has played in 50 postseason games, and the Oilers got to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025. He has a 26-22 playoff record with a 2.88 GAA and an .893 save percentage. That last figure was not good enough to get the powerful Oilers over the top and if it does not improve this season, it may not be good enough to get the Penguins past the first or second round.

The Penguins don’t have the goaltending to go any further than that, and that will be the fatal flaw that ends their season.

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