Indeed, Eddie Vedder’s refrain “I stay alive” seemed perfectly in sync with the Pens’ present playoff situation. With our backs to the proverbial wall, we’ve suddenly gone 3-0-2 in our last five games and 5-3-3 in our last 11 to keep a precarious foothold in the playoff picture.
If we buck what are still long (long) odds against us and somehow make it in, we can thank our captain Sidney Crosby. Following a brief and understandable post-deadline funk that saw the departure of longtime sidekick Jake Guentzel, Sid’s sucked it up to the tune of five goals and 18 points in our last 10 games, including an incendiary four goals and 13 points in his past five.