What’s a Third Period? Only the Penguins Future (+)

If the Pittsburgh Penguins miss the 2023 NHL playoffs, they will have regrets spanning not singular games or weeks of games but conglomerations of periods. Third periods, specifically.

Late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt once joked that he won the Daytona 499 a bunch of times before finally winning the Daytona 500 late in his career.

If NHL games were only 50 minutes, the Penguins might have something close to the second-best record in the NHL rather than scrounging for points late in the season to hold off the rejuvenated Florida Panthers for the final wild card.

As of last week, only one team coughed up, lost, or gagged on more third period leads than the Penguins (San Jose Sharks).