Morning Skate: Sidney Crosby’s resurgence has the Penguins back in command

Worrying about the Pittsburgh Penguins in the regular season may just be for naught nowadays. In previous years, the Penguins have taken some time to get rolling, but we should know better by now that they play their best hockey in the back half of the NHL season.

On Thursday, the Penguins bested the Minnesota Wild 6-3 in Pittsburgh to win their second game in a row. Now, Pittsburgh has gone 7-3-0 in its last 10 games and climbed into a tie for second place in the Metropolitan Division with 57 points. Considering the Penguins headed into the Christmas break last in the division, though only nine points out of first place, the recent surge must feel good for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

While it’s no secret that the Penguins are a weaker team, considering all the depth across the board they’ve lost, when things get rolling for Pittsburgh, it’s hard to stop them. Sidney Crosby has looked more like himself recently, with 20 points in 11 games since the start of the new calendar year. Thursday alone, Crosby netted three points to snap the Wild’s six-game point streak.

Along with the strong play of Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, and the team’s supporting cast of Carl Hagelin and Kris Letang, the Penguins have been just fine as they’ve climbed the standings. The depth surrounding the team’s big names has changed, from Conor Sheary and Daniel Sprong to Dominik Simon, but the Penguins have been able to sustain momentum throughout this stretch.

Of course, a losing streak and a hot Metropolitan team could undo all of this hard work in a matter of games, but Penguins fans can breathe a bit easier knowing their team still has it.