Recap: Penguins 6 - Rangers 2

If every game was like the third period of last night's victory over the Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins would be looking forward to another long playoff run. Unfortunately, the Penguins haven't had many offensive outbursts like that this season, and thus they are struggling to make the playoffs.

The Penguins were lucky to leave the second period tied at one. They took too many penalties, they gave the puck away too often, and the Rangers outworked them. Marc-Andre Fleury held the Penguins in the game.

And then, during the third period, it looked like last season again.

The Penguins were explosive. They were dominant. And they scored goals. It was definitely an outstanding performance.

Those were the same Pittsburgh Penguins that rallied to beat the Red Wings in November, the same Pittsburgh Penguins that humiliated the Islanders in December, the same Pittsburgh Penguins that stormed through the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. Somewhere underneath the blanket of mediocrity that has covered them for the majority of the season, those Pittsburgh Penguins remain.

Now their season depends on how often they can bring that explosive team to the ice.

Yes, Fleury held them in the game until the third, but that's exactly what he has to do. That's exactly what he did during the playoff run. If this game did anything it showed the team - and the fans - that the Penguins do have the talent to dominate. They just need the desire.

That desire was there last night.

Are the Penguins now motivated enough to try? They performed so well in the playoffs last year because they knew they had to win those games. Well now they have to win as well. Maybe they've woken up. Maybe they are going to turn it around. Or maybe this was just one of those blips of success we've seen this season and they will put in a pathetic performance tomorrow night.

We can only wait and see.