Inside Report

Third playoff berth in three seasons: The Penguins clinched their third playoff berth in three seasons Tuesday night after a 6-4 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

At the 95 point mark, the Penguins are currently settled in the #6 spot in the Eastern Conference and would play the New Jersey Devils in a first round matchup if the playoff started today.

Four weeks ago, nhl pundits would have said the Devils were the worst possible matchup for the Penguins in the East, but that is no longer the case.

The Devils don’t scare the Penguins one bit and inside the locker room, the Penguins believe they made a statement in last Wednesday’s 6-1 win over the Devils. The Penguins have the momentum going into a potential first round series, if the two teams are to meet.

The Penguins cannot finish any worst than 7th in the Eastern Conference.

Contract worries having an effect on Sykora?: Petr Sykora came closer to reaching a contract extension about 6 weeks ago than most fans know about. A team official tells me