Musings: Penguins Locker Room Reacts to Clinching Playoffs

There were a few scenarios heading into Thursday night’s games that could have allowed the Pittsburgh Penguins to clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff spot. But the simplest was to win in any fashion.

And with a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (full recap here), the Penguins will officially return to the postseason for the first time since 2021-22.  

"It's exciting. That’s why you play. That's the best time of the year,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “To know that we’re going to be there, to set out to do that... it’s nice to get rewarded. Everybody has had a part in this. Especially with this group… Everybody’s contributed to get here.”

What makes Thursday night’s emotions become even more special is giving Crosby and his fellow franchise icons Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang another run in the postseason.

“I mean, they’re legends, Hall of Famers, the GOATs,” Stuart Skinner said, who earned the win on Thursday. “It’s seriously impressive how they just keep on going and they have so much success every single year. It really takes a special person to be able to do that for a long time.”

With the competitor that he is, there are few things that Crosby loves more than playing playoff-style hockey. After the challenges of the last three seasons before the puck dropped on this one, the 38-year-old truly cherishes this opportunity.

“I know how hard it is,” Crosby said. “I understand that. We’ve had some tough (years) where it’s come down to the last day and we didn’t get in, and you don’t ever know. I thought right from camp that we’ve had (playoff) intentions and had that belief. I’m just really happy that we’re going back there.”

For Bryan Rust, what made this season different was how the team overcame adversity and rose to the occasion in critical moments.

“For us, I think the effort level and the belief up and down the lineup, you’ve been seeing it all year,” Rust said. “It doesn’t matter what night it is, we’ve got guys making huge plays. Whether it’s goals, assists, blocked shots, huge saves, we’ve had all sorts of guys doing that throughout the year.”

With the Red Wings defeating the Flyers in regulation, the Penguins also clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division, meaning the Penguins will have home ice to start Round 1.

Until then, the Penguins will focus on the last three games of the regular season and gear up for their most important hockey of the season.

“We’re feeling really good, we’re very excited for this opportunity,” Skinner said. “Today is a day for us to celebrate for a solid hour and then get back to work. The group of guys in here, you can feel the energy in how excited and hungry we are.”

“It’s a big step for the group,” Head Coach Dan Muse said. “I’m proud of these guys, happy for these guys, the staff, everybody involved. The players have done a great job with it throughout the year. We talked about earning things at the beginning of the year, and this group earned it.”