Obstacles for Penguins continue as opponents remain challenging out west

The Penguins managed to get four of a possible six points during their tough three-game homestand that featured games against the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers, the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, and the currently playoff bound Las Vegas Golden Knights.

The Pens beat Vegas 5-2 and the Hurricanes 4-2, after losing to Florida 4-3.

But things don’t get much easier now that the Penguins are heading out of town for three games. Can they pull at least four of six again?

They could. And if you think Mike Sullivan’s team (81 points) is worthy of tracking down the Canes (87 points) atop the Metro, then they should.

What lies ahead for the Penguins is a Tuesday night game in Nashville, a Thursday night contest in St. Louis, and a Saturday affair in Arizona against Phil Kessel and the Coyotes.

Here’s a quick look at what the Penguins will be facing.

Nashville Predators (Tuesday, March 15 at 8 p.m.): The Predators have 72 points, tied with the Minnesota Wild for the third playoff spot in the Central Division and atop the Western Conference’s wild card standings.

The Preds have won four of their last five. They have done so in convincing fashion. In those four victories, they have yielded just four goals. In the five games overall, they have netted 4.8 goals per contest.

Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach John Hynes has his club tied for eighth in the league in goals per game at 2.78. They have the sixth-best power play at 24.4%.

Roman Josi’s 66 points is tops among NHL defensemen. His 17 goals are second best after Colorado’s Cale Makar.

Josi had two goals in the team’s win over the Wild on Thursday, and he has 10 points already in March over six games.

JOSI FOR NORRIS pic.twitter.com/In6qo9Y2MT

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) March 14, 2022

Juuse Saros’ save percentage is seventh among goalies at .923.

St. Louis Blues (Thursday, March 17 at 8 p.m.): The Blues have won two of three, getting five of a possible six points in wins over the New York Rangers and Predators and an overtime loss at home against Winnipeg.

St. Louis totaled 17 goals during those dates. Craig Berube’s team had been in a bit of a funk before that, dropping four in a row, which negated a four-game winning streak right before that, dating back to Feb. 19.

That said, the Blues are still second in the Central Division behind the Colorado Avalanche with 76 points. The Avs (89 points) and Calgary Flames (79 points) are the only teams with a higher total in the West.

At 26.3%, the Blues’ power play is third best in the NHL. Individually, though, the Blues get it done with balance. Jordan Kyrou is the team’s top points-getter with 59. That’s 26th in the league. Defenseman Justin Faulk is seventh in hockey at plus/minus (+33).

In 24 games, goalie Ville Husso has a 2.24 goals against average, fifth best in the NHL just in front of Tristan Jarry’s 2.32 for the Penguins. And his .928 save percentage is currently tracking third in hockey.

It’s no wonder the Finnish netminder is 15-4-3 so far this season.

Arizona Coyotes (Saturday, March 19 at 5 p.m.): It’s been an awful year for the Coyotes. They have just 42 points, tied with the Seattle Kraken for last overall in the Western Conference.

Only the Montreal Canadiens (40) have fewer in the whole league.

Yet Kessel and company have been rolling of late, winning five of six. In those contests, they have averaged 5.17 goals per game. Two of those victories were against playoff bound teams in Colorado and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their latest victory was a 5-3 result over the Ottawa Senators on Monday. Lawson Crouse had a hat trick.

Crouse managed to do so with a goal at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded.

Via ESPN Stats and Info, it’s the eighth hat trick where a player scored at least one goal in each of those three ways in Coyotes/Jets history. The last was by Antoine Vermette on Jan. 26, 2014 at the Canucks.

THE SHORTY FOR THE HATTY pic.twitter.com/DroLSBw4Yl

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 15, 2022

That was Crouse’s first career hat trick. Kessel had an assist. He has 30 on the season now. But he is in a goal scoring slump, having not scored since Feb. 9 against the Kraken. That’s 11 games in row.

One blow for the Coyotes, defenseman Jakob Chychrun suffered a lower body injury on Saturday night versus the Boston Bruins. He will be out of the lineup 2-4 weeks. He has seven goals and 14 assists on the season.

Listen: Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer joins Tim Benz for their weekly hockey podcast. They talk about the Penguins win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the upcoming trip against Western Conference teams, and the state of the Eastern Conference playoff race.