Pittsburgh Penguins Fans Should Embrace the Presidents' Trophy Race

The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a good start in 2014-15.

After a 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, the Penguins boast a 17-5-2 record through 24 games. That's good for top spot in the Metropolitan Division and second overall in the NHL.

Last weekend, for a brief moment, Pittsburgh sat at the top of the league standings. The race for No. 1 is very tight this season, but the Penguins are in line to contend for the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best regular-season record.

Though Pittsburgh has won three Stanley Cups in its 47-year franchise history, the team has topped the regular-season standings just once. Coming off back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, the Penguins went 56-21-7 for 119 points in 1992-93—10 better than the second-place Boston Bruins. 

Dreams of a third championship were dashed when the New York Islanders surprised the powerhouse Penguins with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, effectively ending early-'90s Pittsburgh's chance to achieve true dynasty status.

Some sports heap tremendous adulation on teams that come out on top in regular-season play, but the Presidents' Trophy is eyed with an air of suspicion in the hockey world.

Here's why Penguins fans should support their team's chance to grab top spot in the NHL in 2014-15.

It's true that, in recent years, not many Presidents' Trophy winners have also gone on to have Stanley Cup success. The Chicago Blackhawks pulled off the double in 2012-13. So did the 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings, who beat out the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.

Of the 28 teams that have won the Presidents' Trophy since its introduction in 1985-86, six have bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. Three of those losses happened in a span of four years quite recently. Between 2008-09 and 2011-12, the San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks each watched a good year's work evaporate over just a couple of weeks.

Overall, however, 11 Presidents' Trophy winners have reached the Stanley Cup Final, and eight of them emerged as champions. After their playoff hardships in recent years, Penguins fans should embrace any scenario that would project a 39 percent chance of reaching the fourth round in June.

The biggest reason why the Penguins haven't challenged for top spot earlier this season has been their schedule. Through Tuesday's games, Pittsburgh has played just 24 games, while the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning have played 26—with just one more point to show for their efforts. Pittsburgh does boast the league's best point percentage: Its 36 points are an even three-quarters of the 48 points that have been made available to it so far this season.

The Penguins are also currently leading the league with a goal differential of 27 and a 30.8 percent success rate on the power play, as well as the NHL's fifth-best penalty killing.

On the individual side, Sidney Crosby is leading the scoring race with 33 points, while Evgeni Malkin is fourth with 30. Marc-Andre Fleury leads the league with five shutouts and is among the top 10 goaltenders with his .928 save percentage and 2.08 goals-against average.

To their credit, the Penguins' successes in 2014-15 have come despite an array of challenges. First, there was the adjustment period to new coach Mike Johnston and general manager Jim Rutherford. Then, there were offseason injury concerns about Crosby and Malkin—now long forgotten. 

Without missing a beat, the team has worked through a cancer scare for defenseman Olli Maatta and the long-term loss of winger Pascal Dupuis. Now, forwards Beau Bennett and Chris Kunitz and defenseman Kris Letang are all sidelined with injuries while tough blueliner Robert Bortuzzo has been assessed a two-game suspension, per NHL.com.

Despite the decimated lineup, there's no reason to think that the Penguins won't press through. 

A Presidents' Trophy in 2015 would be an impressive symbol of this group's ability to succeed despite adversity—the hallmark of a winner. It would also set them up for a strong run at the Stanley Cup next spring.