The Penguins 5-1 thrashing of the Detroit Red Wings in a back-to-back situation was a true sign of a playoff team. That’s what a legitimate playoff team does to a club in the Red Wings hanging on for dear life in the playoff race. Pittsburgh put the hammer down on the pedal and never let up.

And what the Penguins have given themselves with the massive back-to-back wins early in the week is a lot of room for error over the final seven games.

Suddenly the final wildcard spot has shifted down from what looked liked possibly 99-100 points needing to get in, to around the 96-point mark.

And the same for locking up second place in the Metro and Home-Ice in round one.

Even a poor 2-5 finish might see the Penguins still sit in second place position by seasons end as Islanders and Blue Jackets are each playing at a 96-point pace and Pittsburgh has a major edge in head-to-head tiebreakers.

Pittsburgh’s two regulation wins this week has seen them head into tonight’s game vs Tampa Bay with a +4 edge over the Blue Jackets in regulation wins (31-27) and +3 over the Islanders (31-28).

The Penguins have to be looked at as a team that’s not only likely going to make the playoffs but they’ve emerged as a team that can legitimately win a playoff round.

The primary reason for that is the scoring depth this team possesses and it’s beyond the numbers. This is a very intriguing group coming playoff time in the different waves they can attack you offensively and tweaks personnel wise they can make with their bottom forward group. An injury or someone is struggling and you want more size, Elmer Soderblom can come in and give a different look. While the ceiling is not high long-term, Avery Hayes just has the look of a young player who comes in the middle of a series and gives you a spark for a Game 5 win.

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TIOPS Plus +Anthony Mantha Contract Buzz: The Penguins have the cap space where if they wanted to pay Anthony Mantha $10 million a season they could next season. This talk Pittsburgh can’t afford him is off-base. A great fit on and off the ice and with a young family, Mantha is said to be looking for some security after drastically out-playing his one-year deal.

What Pittsburgh internally has to decide is whether this is a season they can sustain or will it be a Capitals type situation where you take one-step back next season before another step forward. 3 years with an AAV around To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Back-to-Back 40 goal seasons? Could you imagine Jake Guentzel with this Penguins club? For all the home runs Kyle Dubas is hitting this year and the Jake Guentzel trade tree crowd, I will always die on the hill that Guentzel was the wrong player to be overlooked as a short and long-term building piece from the new regime who felt they had to come in and change something and Guentzel’s expiring contract gave them that out.

Guentzel with 81 points (36G-45A) in 74 games, is closing in on back-to-back 40 goal seasons in Tampa Bay. As expected, he’s been a phenomenal fit in Tampa. Just what a player — To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

TIOPS Plus + Prospects Buzz: View of Brunicke/Koivunen/McGroarty has drastically changed outside of Pittsburgh: To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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