Penguins winning streak takes a back seat to deadline arms race

More NHL: | | | | | PITTSBURGH — After their latest victory, a 4-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night that probably wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, the have won more games in a row, 14, than all but two teams in NHL history — the 1981-82 Islanders and the 1992-93 Penguins.It’s an impre sive accomplishment, and one that has not only put them in the driver’s seat for the top spot in the Eastern Conference but also put them in contention for the best overall record in the league. As of Thursday night, the Penguins sit one point ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks for the top spot in the NHL.When the streak began nearly a month ago, they trailed Chicago by 13 points. That’s what happens when you earn 28 straight points.More on Jets-PenguinsRelated linksRecap: Steven Souza Jersey Power Rankings: | Team pages: | VideoFight-O-Meter: More NHL coverage | | | Amazingly, that streak has taken somewhat of a back seat in recent days to general manager Ray Shero’s shopping spree in advance of the trade deadline, forward and defenseman earlier in the week. As Starling Marte Jersey if that wasn’t enough, by shocking the hockey world by landing from the when it appeared that he was destined for the Boston Bruins. Those moves, not the recent winning streak that has them within three games of an NHL record, have been the main topic of conversation around the Penguins over the past few days.Which forward will skate on which line? How will anybody be able to match up with their top nine forwards? How did a team that already scores more goals than any other team in the league land a future Hall of Famer to help make an already explosive offense even better?When teams are on runs like this you always hear about the “pre sures” of keeping the streak going. In a way, the recent acquisitions have eliminated that destraction, and that seems to be just fine with the players. Mostly because they know there’s a bigger prize than simply winning a lot of games in a row. “That’s OK,” Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanensaid. “It’s a nice accomplishment, but that’s not our focus. We won 11 games in a row last year and were knocked out in the first round. I think everyone has that in their mind. It’s great we keep winning games. We’re enjoying Deven Marrero Jersey ourselves, but there’s a bigger picture here and everyone is aware of that” , currently the NHL’s second leading scorer and a key component of the Penguins top line, echoed a similar sentiment.”I don’t think anybody is really worried about winning games in a row,” he said. “We’re just trying to focus on the next game. “It’s still a tight race, you know? It’s 28 straight points for us and there are still teams within a couple points of us. Nothing is taken for granted when it comes to making the playoffs and getting home ice and you have to go out and prove it every night and try to outwork the other team every night.”While the recent trades have stolen some of the spotlight away from the winning streak, it’s only added to the expectations the team will no doubt be facing (and rightfully so) in the playoffs. As I said shortly after the Penguins acquired Paul Goldschmidt Jersey Iginla early Thursday morning, , especially after two straight first-round exits and three straight postseason lo ses to lower-seeded teams. That can’t be acceptable this season after you make the type of moves the Penguins made this week.The Penguins seem just fine with that expectation.”We do have a really good group of players and people and leadership,” Shero said Thursday morning. “We have a month to come together as a team with different roles to find our identity and get ready for the playoffs.” “That’s going to be the challenge. Yeah the pre sure’s on, but that’s the way it goes. We are where we are, Alex Avila Jersey and I like the position we’re in, but we’ve got a long way to go. It’ll be a challenge for our group. There’s plenty of good teams in the East, and it’s going to be a battle, but you try to put yourself in a position to get in the playoffs and win those first four games.”