For the first time in four years, the Pittsburgh Penguins have punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs following Thursday's 5-2 win over New Jersey.
Making the playoffs serves as a triumphant milestone for the longest-tenured trio in North American professional sports history. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang will once again lead the Penguins into the quest for a fourth championship together.
THE PENGUINS ARE PLAYOFFS BOUND‼️ pic.twitter.com/QSPOGAIHVU
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 10, 2026
Fittingly, all three played a role in Thursday's win with Malkin scoring a goal and picking up an assist, Crosby had two primary helpers, and Letang tallied one assist. The Penguins have continued to trend upwards this season and have had help from recent acquisitions Egor Chinakhov and Stuart Skinner, as well as rookie Ben Kindel.
The Penguins got off to a hot start, going 8-2-2 in the month of October, and they never looked back from there. They relinquished the Metropolitan Division lead to Carolina, but were never in real danger of missing out on the playoffs.
Pittsburgh currently sits in second place in the Metropolitan Division, with a massive home-and-home series against the Washington Capitals looming this weekend.