Pittsburgh Penguins 2024 Stanley Cup Odds
For the first time since 2006, the Pittsburgh Penguins missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year. And there is a good chance that the Pens will miss the postseason again in 2024. Since winning the consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 2015-16, the Penguins have been in a slow decline. Pittsburgh has paid the price for years of success with higher draft slots, salary cap reductions, and age. The great irony of Pittsburgh’s problems is goal scoring. The Pens were once one of the most prolific offensive teams in the NHL, but those days have ended.
2024 Stanley Cup Betting Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Betting Lines
At the approach of the All-Star Break, the Pittsburgh Penguins are 21-17-6 straight up and 13-23-2 over/under the total. Also, Pittsburgh is 6th in the Eastern Conference wild card playoff standings. Pittsburgh is seven points behind the Detroit Red Wings in the Eastern Conference wild card playoff race. Late on, Pittsburgh has covered two out of their last seven games. While the Penguins have gone over the total in two of its previous seven matchups. Pittsburgh has NHL rankings of 21st for goals scored and 31st for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Penguins have NHL rankings of 7th for goals against and 7th for penalty killing.
A few years ago, the thought of Pittsburgh having an inept power play would have been considered lunacy, but here we are. The Penguins lack the goal scoring to be a serious playoff threat.
Pittsburgh Penguins Key Players
C Sidney Crosby is a future Hall of Famer and the savior of the Penguins franchise. At age 36, Crosby is still the Penguins’ top goal scoring threat. When he was the first overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, the franchise was in bankruptcy and facing a move.
Crosby immediately shut that down and brought sellout crowds as three Stanley Cup championships. This year marks the tenth time that Crosby was selected for the NHL All-Star Game. He is a two-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP and a two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.
Eric Karlson and Kris Letang are two of the best defensemen in the game. Karlsson made his bones as the top player on the Ottawa Senators, where his NHL career started in 2009-10. He later went on to play five seasons with the San Jose Sharks. This is his first year in Pittsburgh. Karlsson is a seven-time NHL All-Star and three-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman.
Kris Letang is a Penguin stalwart and fan favorite. He started his NHL career with the Pens in 2007-08. Letang is a six-time All-Star and played on all three of the Crosby-era Stanley Cup champions.
Pittsburgh Penguins Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Tristan Jarry began the season with an impressive .912 save percentage in his first 26 seasons. Jarry began his NHL career with the Penguins in 2016-17. His career save percentage is .914. He is a two-time NHL All-Star.
Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach
Head coach Mike Sullivan took over the Pens with 54 games to go in 2015-16 and led them to the Stanley Cup championship, which they repeated in 2017. Sullivan has a career record of 337-187-65.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 5)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
40 |
31 |
5th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
46 |
25 |
3rd, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 3–4 (Rangers) |
| 2020–21 |
56 |
37 |
16 |
1st, East |
Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Islanders) |
| 2019–20 |
69 |
40 |
23 |
3rd, Metropolitan |
Lost in Qualifying Round, 1–3 (Canadiens) |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
44 |
26 |
3rd, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 0–4 (Islanders) |
Pittsburgh Penguins History
Founded in 1967 as part of the NHL's "Great Expansion," the Pittsburgh Penguins struggled for most of their existence until the arrival of Mario Lemieux in 1984. Since then, they have been one of the NHL's marquee franchises. Pittsburgh has won a total of five Stanley Cup championships in its history. Sidney Crosby took the mantle from Lemieux as the franchise's marquee man. Lemieux is now a part-owner of the team.
It may be hard to believe in this era where the Penguins are one of the NHL’s most successful franchises, but the NHL was often not a sure thing in the Steel City. For the first several years in business, the Penguins lost money and had to change owners several times. Additionally, there were several close calls in which the franchise nearly left Pittsburgh or faced the possibility of folding.
But the arrival of Mario Lemieux in 1984 completely transformed the franchise. Lemieux is one of the most dominant players in NHL history and led the Penguins to their first two Stanley Cup Championships and their first long-term glory era. And then, in 2005, when the Penguins were bankrupt, Sidney Crosby arrived to save the franchise again. Crosby has led the Penguins to three Stanley Cups and was the marquee man that made the Penguins so attractive that they could get the financing for a new arena. PPG Paints Arena has been filled ever since for a franchise that is one of the best run in any sport.
NHL Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Metropolitan
Western Conference - Central
Western Conference - Pacific
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