Report: Penguins lead the league over last 3 seasons with an incredible record

The Pittsburgh Penguins nearly failed to do something that is completely uncharacteristic to them Thursday night against the New York Islanders.

The Penguins are a league leading 85-1-1 for a .970 win percentage when leading after two periods since 2015-16, and while they went into the 3rd period against the Isles tied 1-1, this statistic points to their incredible ability to hold a lead and finish off a game.

Pittsburgh scored 2 quick goals in succession in the 3rd period to take a 3-1 lead, but strangely blew it in the last 5 minutes, after having seemingly complete control over the game.

A wild back and forth overtime saw Matt Hunwick finally end the game and give the Pens a much-needed two points.

The big takeaway here though is how clutch Pittsburgh is with a lead - to have only lost once in regulation and another time in the extra frame in the last 2 and a third seasons is an incredible feat, and a very important trait for a team to possess for the playoffs.

To know that it's almost a guaranteed win when going into the third period with a lead is a great confidence booster for the Penguins and their fans. They don't expect to win and play accordingly - they fight until the final whistle and have a great system in place that allows them to shut things down.

Hopefully this is a trend that continues throughout this season.