Penguins Left Weighing The Possibilities

The Penguins finished off the Senators last night and have advanced to the 2nd round. While their opponent for round two isn't 100% clear, the Pens get some time in between series' to recoop the body and get on the same page heading into their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup.

Below is the list of all the possible scenarios for the Penguins' 2nd round opponent, with Syracuse being the most likely opponent in round two.

The Penguins play Syracuse if:

Providence and Manchester advance

                  -OR-

Hershey and Springfield advance

The Penguins can play Providence but only if the Bruins can overcome their 2-0 series deficit to the Hershey Bears, while Springfield holds on over Manchester.

The only way the Penguins can play Manchester in the 2nd round is if the Monarchs turn the series around on Springfield and the Bears finish the Bruins.

With Syracuse also advancing to round two, the Penguins cannot match up against 8th seed Hershey or 2nd seed Springfield in the second round. Both of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series can end this weekend on either Saturday or Sunday night, which would push the 2nd round to starting on probably Tuesday or Wednesday. If the Hershey/Providence series goes the distance, the second round could be on hold until next weekend.

Nothing is set in stone yet, and the next practice update probably won't come until Sunday. I might have something in the works to post this weekend in the meantime so be sure to check back for that.