Though fans had low expectations going into the year, the Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a strong start, with six wins and two losses.

Their most recent victory was a 5-3 win Thursday over the Florida Panthers, who won the Stanley Cup last year. This win was not easy, as captain Sidney Crosby secured their success with two goals, further signifying Crosby’s impressive leadership.

The roster is currently filled with veterans like Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as well as new faces like Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke. Kindel, a forward, has exceeded expectations, showing aggression through his play, while defenseman Brunicke shows promising defensive skills, which will likely make him a longtime defenseman for the team.

New Coach Dan Muse, who took over after Mike Sullivan’s 10-year stint, is also making a positive impact on the team.

This season, Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs have been rotating the goalie position. Fans believe veteran Jarry has been inconsistent as he struggled towards the end of the 2024-25 season and was sent to the minors. But he has since shown improvement so far this year. 

Silovs won the Calder Cup minor league MVP in 2025. Although he has shown some inconsistencies, he has had some strong performances this year as well.

Some fans have been buzzing about the promising start to the season, but they are getting ahead of themselves. This is still a team that missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year in 2024-2025, and it is still too early to predict an outcome for this year. Most experts do not see the Penguins as a likely playoff team.

The team’s performance is promising, but fans will not yet know what the effects of the new teammates, old players, and the latest coach will have.