Penguins, Kraken need to win now to contend for playoff berths

With the NHL trade deadline six weeks away, it would appear the Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken are in a similar circumstance.

They can either get it going soon, or both could be sellers come March 7.

The Penguins, in the midst of a seven-game trip on which they're 2-2-0 thus far, play Saturday afternoon in Seattle, followed by stops Monday in San Jose and Wednesday in Utah.

The Penguins currently sit 14th in the Eastern Conference standings with 48 points. They're only five points out of a wild-card playoff berth but would need to pass six teams to reach that second and final spot.

"If we're going to claw our way back into it again, you need to do so on this trip," Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said on the GM Show, "because suddenly you get to the end and you've only got a few games, and then you're on a two-week break (for the 4 Nations Face-Off), then suddenly you're into March, and it's decision-making time."

The Penguins opened their trip with a 5-2 victory at Buffalo, then lost 4-1 at Washington. The West Coast swing started with a 5-1 victory at Los Angeles, followed by a 5-1 loss Thursday at Anaheim.

Against the Ducks, Michael Bunting scored the lone goal and Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves for the Penguins, who are 3-6-3 over their past 12 games.

"The best teams in the league are the ones that bring it every single night," Nedeljkovic said. "You have to earn your two points every single night, and it's not always going to go your way. You play a great game and just get some unfortunate bounces, but for the most part, things are going to even out and they're going to fall in your favor if you keep bringing it."

The Kraken can relate. They had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 3-0 loss to league-leading Washington on Thursday, a game in which they trailed by just a goal with two minutes left in the second period. Alex Ovechkin's empty-netter sealed Seattle's fate.

"Just not enough, that's for sure," Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. "Just not enough.

"That was a game against a good team, and we weren't able to abate their pressure enough to be able to get to our pressure. It was a tough-sledding game, for sure."

The Kraken (21-25-3, 45 points) are sixth in the Western Conference wild-card race but have eight points to make up. Seattle wraps up a four-game homestand Saturday and then, after a game Monday at Edmonton, plays five more in a row at Climate Pledge Arena.

"We've got to grasp it from within and turn this around quickly," Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz said. "Because it's unacceptable, and there's no one to blame but ourselves."

Both teams could be short-handed up front on Saturday.

Pittsburgh's Bryan Rust and Seattle's Chandler Stephenson both left late in the second period of their respective games Thursday and didn't return. Rust suffered a lower-body injury and Stephenson was hit on the left hand by a slap shot from the point.

--Field Level Media