For a while on Thursday night, it looked like all the Penguins’ old bugaboos would bite them again, ruining a solid effort in a vital game against the Detroit Red Wings.

• Giving away momentum as soon as they establish it: Twice in the first period, the Red Wings scored goals within five minutes of the Penguins scoring.

• Giving up goals late in a period: The Red Wings scored within the final minute of both the first and second periods.

• No power-play goals: Although to be fair, the power play only had two chances in this one.

• Giving up a late multi-goal lead: A game the Penguins once led 4-2 (and again at 5-3) got to overtime at 5-5.

• Poor management of score and situation: A misplayed pinch by Erik Karlsson while up 5-4 with under six minutes left led to the eventual game-tying goal.

LUCAS RAYMOND HATTY. pic.twitter.com/jgb135aQCv

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 12, 2024

All that was left was to lose in overtime or a shootout. Again. For what would’ve been the 13th time this year.

But that’s when Karlsson pulled a Lloyd Christmas from “Dumb and Dumber” and totally redeemed himself as the Penguins won in the extra session 6-5.

HUGE GAME, ENORMOUS OT WIN. pic.twitter.com/eZJWXdm3EY

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 12, 2024

“I needed that goal. We needed that goal,” Karlsson said.

“I thought me and Marcus (Pettersson) played great. Made a couple of bad reads and it cost us. Luckily we could win it overtime. We’ll take that from it. We learned a lot from this game, hopefully.”

Yeah, “hopefully,” indeed. There hasn’t been much learning through the first 78 contests of the season. Let’s see if No. 79 is the charm.

But irony of ironies. Of all the negative repetitive themes that almost burned the Pens on Thursday, it was a 3-on-3 OT period that bailed them out.

“We did a better job controlling possession. When plays weren’t there, we didn’t try to force it and give away possession. If a play wasn’t there, we pulled it out and made them skate. Make them tired so we can change, and then we are going to get looks,” Pettersson said.

The overtime victory gave the Penguins a crucial second point to elevate their total to 86, currently good for the Eastern Conference’s second and final wild-card spot. It also keeps them within three points of the New York Islanders for the Metropolitan Division’s third automatic qualifying spot.

However, the point they allowed Detroit to steal keeps the Red Wings within one point of the Pens. The Red Wings are tied with Washington and Philadelphia for ninth place at 85 points apiece.

“We didn’t play as smart in certain situations,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after Thursday’s win. “We talk about managing the game, and how important that is to winning. The calculation of risk has to change depending on the score of the game, the time of the game, situational play. That’s an important aspect of winning. I don’t think we checked that box as well (Thursday) as we have (of late).”

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The Penguins have now put up points 10 games in a row, their longest such streak of the season. Collectively, the team is playing its best hockey at exactly the right time of the year.

But with three games left against teams currently in playoff positions — the Boston Bruins (Saturday at home), the Nashville Predators (Monday at home) and the Islanders (Wednesday in New York) — securing a playoff spot is far from a sure thing.

The club’s inability to put teams away with leads in individual games is a microcosm for the inability to bury its Eastern Conference competition in the playoff hunt. Even during this hot streak, the Penguins left three points on the table with losses beyond regulation to Colorado, Columbus and Toronto. The Penguins held a lead at one time in each of those games.

If the Pens had held onto those three points they gave away and beaten the Red Wings in regulation, they’d be in a tie for third place in the Metro with the Islanders and four points clear of Philly and Washington for the second wild-card spot.

Meanwhile, Detroit would have been five points back with just three games to play.

Maybe Karlsson didn’t totally redeem himself after all. And there is probably no way for the Penguins to totally redeem how they’ve squandered so many points throughout this season.

However, as of now with three games left, the Penguins are somehow in a playoff spot when they had been left for dead a month ago.

To quote “Dumb and Dumber” one more time: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

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