Streaky Pens seek to repeat

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading into the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, just as they did when they won the Stanley Cup last season.

Again, they usually win when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin show up frequently on the scoresheet, and often lose when they don’t. Dan Bylsma is still behind the bench. Marc-Andre Fleury remains in net.

As far as similarities go, that’s about it.

Unlike last year, when they jetted into the playoffs as one of the NHL’s hottest teams, going 18-3-4 in their final 25 games following Bylsma’s hiring, the Penguins are playing erratically. After beginning the post-Olympic break with a four-game winning streak, they won successive games only once more in their final 16 games.

The playoff opponent is very familiar — this is the third time in four seasons the Penguins and Ottawa Senators meet in the first round. Pittsburgh lost in five games in 2007, its first playoff appearance since 2001, but won in a sweep the following season.

Maybe playing the dangerous Senators will “drive us into playing some good hockey,” center Jordan Staal said, starting with Game 1 on Wednesday night.

The Penguins had only one challenging round while winning the Eastern Conference the last two seasons, needing seven games to eliminate Washington last year. In 2008, they lost only two games, one each to the Rangers and Flyers, in three rounds.

The route to the finals appears to be much more difficult this year. As challenging, perhaps, as it has been for the Penguins to “get to our game” — one of Bylsma’s favorite phrases and a rarely reached goal of late.

“I like our guys in terms of being playoff tested and playoff proven,” Bylsma said. “We know how we are going to need to play.”

The biggest concern: The Penguins’ inability to beat the conference’s top two teams. They lost all four to the Washington Capitals, two in extra time, and all six to the New Jersey Devils. Should the top four-seeded teams advance past the first round, the Penguins might have to beat both teams — each time without the home-ice advantage — to return to the finals for the third straight season.