Will this matter in a month?
As a hockey fan, you'll always want to see your team win because nothing else will really matter in the end but what happens when it DOESN'T matter? That's the situation that the Penguins are in right now. They've already locked up a playoff spot, the Atlantic division, and 1st in the Eastern conference, so all of their remaining games heading into the playoffs are actually "meaningless", but are they really "meaningless". I might disagree with that.
Sure, they always say that the playoffs really are a new season so your regular season statistics no longer matter BUT is there a difference between going into the playoffs on a winning note or on a so-so/losing note? Personally, I believe that there is a difference. The mentality of going into the playoffs at least winning would help build momentum rather than losing and struggling your way into the playoffs. Sure, the Penguins (and many other teams) have proven that it doesn't always matter but when you look at teams that struggled early in the season and had a huge push to get into the playoffs, they actually tend to do better regardless of their standing (eg: LA Kings). So am I concerned that the Penguins just lost their 2nd straight game to non-playoff teams? Yeah, because those are NON-PLAYOFF TEAMS! It's a lot of bad habits and underestimating your opponents and little mistakes that you shouldn't be making in the playoffs that are biting them. That's NOT supposed to happen a week before the playoffs start, especially with a star-studded team like the Penguins (and are they ever star-studded x_x)
So the question becomes, will this matter in a month? I don't know but right now, I'm genuinely concerned, only as a fan can be.
Sure, they always say that the playoffs really are a new season so your regular season statistics no longer matter BUT is there a difference between going into the playoffs on a winning note or on a so-so/losing note? Personally, I believe that there is a difference. The mentality of going into the playoffs at least winning would help build momentum rather than losing and struggling your way into the playoffs. Sure, the Penguins (and many other teams) have proven that it doesn't always matter but when you look at teams that struggled early in the season and had a huge push to get into the playoffs, they actually tend to do better regardless of their standing (eg: LA Kings). So am I concerned that the Penguins just lost their 2nd straight game to non-playoff teams? Yeah, because those are NON-PLAYOFF TEAMS! It's a lot of bad habits and underestimating your opponents and little mistakes that you shouldn't be making in the playoffs that are biting them. That's NOT supposed to happen a week before the playoffs start, especially with a star-studded team like the Penguins (and are they ever star-studded x_x)
So the question becomes, will this matter in a month? I don't know but right now, I'm genuinely concerned, only as a fan can be.