2023-24 Schedule by Month: February

Month: February
Number of games: 11
First Game: February 6th
Home-Road: 6-5
Conference Breakdown: 4 vs. East/7 vs. West
vs. Metro Division: 2
Back-to-Backs: 2
Highlights: Slow start to the month as the long bye week/All Star break wraps up before games resume...Heavy Western Conference schedule coming in February with five of the seven games against the opposite conference coming on the road...Two back-to-back sets but those games come during a stretch of just five games in ten days and each set features a multi-day break before and after...Four game homestand in the second half of the month is their longest home stretch since October and their longest for the rest of the season...the annual Western Canada swing kicks off to round out the month and will carry into March.

Quick Thoughts

—Once the calendar flips from January to February there will still be about a week of down time until the Pittsburgh Penguins are back in action following their break. Once the games do begin it’s still a relatively quiet month for the Penguins even with a pair of back-to-backs thrown in. Hopefully they can enjoy the rest now because once March comes everything changes as we enter the home stretch.

—For a schedule loaded with Western Conference opponents the travel isn’t too bad until the very end of the month. They get the Winnipeg Jets and Los Angeles Kings at home and the farthest travel before Vancouver is for the return fixture with the Jets. Other than that trips to Chicago and Minnesota aren’t bad at all.

—Beginning with the Kings, the Penguins are at home for four straight, their longest home stand since all the way back in October and the first time they play more than two straight at home since the new year. A nice chance to bag some points before heading on the road for the grind that is Western Canada.

—There is a notable lack of Metro games on the schedule in February. Just the Islanders and Flyers await the Penguins and both are at home. Given how last season played out, that game against the Islanders could have serious playoff implications. February will also bring to a close The Battle of Pennsylvania for the 2023-24 season barring a playoff meeting.

—Once February comes to a close, the Penguins will have played 57 of 82 games, or 70% of their season. That leaves just 25 games in March and April to sort out their playoff hopes. By this point the path to a playoff return should be very clear.

—We’ll discuss it more when we look at March next week, but it should be noted that the trade deadline for the 2023-24 season is set for March 1st when the Penguins are in the middle of a road trip to Western Canada/Seattle.

—Next week we will flip the calendar once again as March arrives and the home stretch begins. This will be the busiest month of the Penguins season meaning there will be plenty to break down.

Do you have any thoughts on the February schedule? Any game you are looking forward to? Let’s discuss in the comments.