Who are these guys? And what took them so long to get here?

The Penguins' 6-2 win over the Flames at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday extended their winning streak to three games for the first time this season, following wins over the Canucks and Bruins. 

This win, more than those first two, was convincing. The Penguins showed that they're fully capable of doing what it takes to turn their season around. The tide really may be turning.

That team defense that ailed them for much of the season? The Penguins limited the Flames to just eight high-danger shots, a day after allowing three in Boston. A huge improvement from the team that was allowing close to 20 high-danger shots on multiple occasions.

"I think we played as a unit of five," Kris Letang said of what shifted. "We don't give easy offense, forwards are always back, so it makes it easy to either defend or break out. Playing as a unit of five is the key."

Alex Nedeljkovic said the Penguins are "paying attention to details," adding, "Playing a 200-foot game, not cheating for offense, not giving them easy offense in our own end. And you see, we're getting rewarded for it in the other end. The bounces are kind of going our way. But at the same time, we're creating more because of it. We're wearing them down and forcing them to make bad plays or high-risk plays that we were maybe making ourselves a week or two ago."

And the goaltending? A day after Tristan Jarry held the Bruins to just one goal, Alex Nedeljkovic held the Flames to two, conceding both in the final six minutes. When he was tested, especially early, he stood tall:

The third-period collapses -- of course connected to the team defense and goaltending warts -- were also a result of the Penguins getting passive in the final frames, content to sit back and lose any push. The Penguins entered the third period with a 3-0 lead after goals from Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Bunting and Philip Tomasino and continued to push for more, outshooting the Flames 13-12 in the third and adding goals from Rickard Rakell, Letang and Blake Lizotte.

Bunting, who was a healthy scratch early in the season, had two assists in addition to his goal. Beauvillier, who looked like he should have been a scratch at points early in the season, has six points in his last 10 games. Younger players like Tomasino and Owen Pickering are stepping into regular roles and proving to be effective. And then you still have Sidney Crosby doing things like this, his insane feed to Rakell for his goal:

What's stopping the Penguins from playing like this beyond this week? And where could this all go if they don't stop?

The Penguins didn't do themselves any favors with their play early in the season, but they're far from out of it all. Much of the rest of the Eastern Conference hasn't been too hot either, and the Penguins are just three points out of a wild card spot. Three points. 

Kyle Dubas has given the impression during this retooling phase the Penguins are in that he's also not going to shy away from reacting appropriately to the team's play when it comes to making moves -- as in, just how much the Penguins sell or add going into the trade deadline depends on their play. Selling off assets doesn't have to be a foregone conclusion. 

The Penguins hit their stride and started playing the right way too little, too late last season, falling just shy of a playoff spot. Just like last year's New York trip marked a real turning point, this stretch here could be similar. It might be premature to write this team off.