from Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

When they woke up Jan. 1, the Penguins were 19-17-3, owners of the 19th-best record in the league. They ranked 20th in goals for at 2.77 per game and 25th in goals against at 3.15 per game.

Starting with a 5-1 victory over the rival Flyers on Jan. 2 and ramping up with a four-game winning streak that started in Brooklyn three days later, the Penguins have been a different team since the calendar flipped.

They're 7-3-0, posting the fifth-best record in the league during that span. They rank seventh in goals for at 3.40 per game and sixth in goals against at 2.20 per game.

These facts raise a simple but loaded question.

Were the Penguins, having played 213 games over the previous two championships seasons, simply conserving their energy during the first half of the season? Did they wait until the dawning of the new year to give their full effort and attention to the season at hand?

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