The streak is the longest among teams in the major North American sports leagues, ahead of the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer (13 seasons). It began in 2006-07, when forward Sidney Crosby was in his second NHL season and forward Evgeni Malkin was a rookie.
Crosby and Malkin were unavailable to start the season after each had offseason surgery, leaving Pittsburgh's playoff future in question. Crosby missed 12 of the first 13 games, seven recovering from offseason wrist surgery and five while in NHL COVID-19 protocol; Malkin returned Jan. 11 after having knee surgery June 4.
Malkin had two goals and an assist in his first game back, and the Penguins defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-1 to improve to 21-9-5.
Contributions from forwards Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, as well as defenseman Kris Letang, helped the Penguins get through a first half of the season defined by injuries and illnesses to Crosby, Malkin and other high-profile players.
Goalie Tristan Jarry also has done his part with a .919 save percentage and NHL career-best 2.42 goals-against average in 58 games.
But Pittsburgh has cooled lately, going 4-6-2 since March 23. Secondary scoring has been the primary issue with 75 of 139 goals (53.9 percent) coming from Crosby (24), Guentzel (19), Malkin (17), or Rust (15) in 42 games since Malkin returned.
The Penguins looked to fix the issue ahead of the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring forward Rickard Rakell in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. Rakell has scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 13 games with the Penguins, mostly on a line with Malkin.
Here is a look at the Penguins' path to a playoff berth:
Most Valuable Player:Crosby continues to produce in his 17th NHL season. On Sunday, he became the 22nd player to reach 1,400 points when he had two goals and an assist, including a goal in overtime, in a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators. It was his 1,100 NHL game. The 34-year-old is averaging 1.27 points per game, tied for his best in the past eight seasons (1.27, 2018-19).