Penguins Passing Sink-or-Swim Test

When I was in third grade, my dad took me to Bethel Park Senior High School for swimming lessons. I did okay while the lessons took place in the shallow end of the pool. However, after accidentally/on purpose missing several Saturdays I was chagrined to learn the class had moved to the deep end.

To say I was tense would be an understatement of the highest magnitude. Terrified was more like it. Into the water I plunged, clutching my Styrofoam paddle board in a veritable death grip. Feeling the water wash over me, I panicked. Thrashing about, I let go of the paddle board (never said I was smart). In an instant, I began to sink. An instructor had to dive in and save me.

So much for swimming lessons.

Our Penguins face a sink-or-swim test of a different kind…a push for a Stanley Cup playoff berth.

Unlike yours truly, our guys have stayed afloat through the treacherous deep end of their schedule…even when they endured a rough three-game patch last week that saw them blow a pair of late leads.

On Thursday night, the black and gold pulled themselves together in the wake of another blown lead and clipped Nashville in a shootout. Last night they managed to protect a lead, staving off a late charge by Dallas to prevail, 3-2, and secure a much-needed two points.

“I feel like the mentality was just, ‘Bear down,’ ” said Jared McCann, the game’s No. 1 star. “Obviously, it was in the back of our heads, what’s happened in the past here, but we just tried to take one shift at a time, and we got the job done.”

There was no shortage of heroes. McCann struck for two big goals, including a spectacular spinning short-handed tally off the rush early in the third period that served as the game-winner. It was the speedy newcomer’s third short-handed goal with the locals and his third two-goal game.

McCann (11) and sidekick Nick Bjugstad (six) have tallied 17 goals between them since arriving in a trade with Florida on February 1. The guys we dealt…Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan…have five goals combined since leaving the ‘Burgh.

I said it before and I’ll say it again. What a trade.

Jake Guentzel continued his run to 40 goals (he’s got 38) with a beautiful marker from a sharp angle to open the scoring. Matt Murray, who very quietly is giving his team a chance to win every night, turned in another laudable performance with 29 saves…15 in the third period. He made several huge stops, including a pad save on an absolutely filthy move by Alexander Radulov that faked poor Kris Letang out of certain unmentionable parts of his equipment, if not his entire uniform.

Heck, even Phil Kessel, who hasn’t scored a 5-on-5 goal in 26 games and counting, got into the act with a pair of beautiful setups. The kids…McCann and Teddy Blueger…seem to be rubbing off on old No. 81. Kessel appears to be more energized of late, giving hope that we might be witnessing a rebirth of the HBK (MBK?) Line.

For the record, Blueger enjoyed another strong game. He was plus-two with an assist while blocking two shots and winning six of 11 faceoffs. Amazing what a little faith and ice time can do for a youngster.

Speaking of kids, rookie Adam Johnson had four hits and a blocked shot while skating a paltry eight shifts. I’d love to see what he could do with a little more playing time. A whole other issue.

Back to my original thrust. The Pens are doing what they need to do to garner a playoff spot. Over the past 15 games, they’ve endured only two regulation losses. Which means they’ve picked up at least one point in each of the other 13 contests while going 9-2-4 over that span.

Yeah, at times we’ve looked like a dart thrower who keeps missing the bulls-eye. But we’re at least hitting the board…enough to earn 93 points and climb into a second-place tie in the Metro with the Islanders, a lone point behind division-leading Washington. Just as important, we’ve opened up a nine-point bulge over Columbus, the team we need to keep in our rear-view mirror, although the floundering Blue Jackets have two games in hand.

With six games remaining on their regular-season slate, the Pens are passing their sink-or-swim test. Okay, maybe not with flying colors. But enough, I think, to secure a playoff spot.