The NHL season began in October 2021 and is scheduled to end in June 2022. Every year, the top 8 teams from the Western and Eastern conferences compete in the Stanley Cup playoffs to secure a spot in the finals: the top three teams in each of the four divisions plus the two conference teams with the next highest number of points. The two conference champions proceed to the Stanley Cup Finals and the winner is crowned the NHL champion and winner of the Stanley Cup.

Over the last couple of years, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had pretty great regular seasons, but have suffered many post-season defeats. In the 2020-21 season, they had a 37-16-3 record and a first place finish in the East Division. This season, they have a 33-14-8 record after having played 55 out of the 82 games this season.