PITTSBURGH — After 50 games and about four straight months of hockey, it’s time for the Penguins to take a break — and a well-deserved one.

All-Star weekend and a bye week will give the team about 10 days of rest between games, the longest significant stretch away from the ice this season. While this off time isn’t exactly the midpoint, it does create a natural pause to step back and evaluate where the team has been - and where it’s going.

The Penguins (31-14-5) currently sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division. With 67 points, they trail only the Washington Capitals (71 points). The Penguins also carry the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, behind the Capitals and Boston Bruins (70 points).

So how will the final 32 games unfold? These five questions will help tell the story.

Will the power play ever break out?

For years, the Penguins boasted one of the league’s most efficient power-play units. Last season, they converted on 24.6% of their opportunities (fifth-best in the league). In 2017-18, they were first in the league (26.1%). And in 2016-17, they ranked third (23.1%).

Entering this year, the Penguins knew something would change with the man-advantage after longtime mainstay Phil Kessel was traded to Arizona. What they couldn’t have predicted was that literally every single member of the top power play unit would be forced to miss an extended period of time, including Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, Justin Schultz and now Jake Guentzel.

Currently, the Penguins have scored goals on 19.6% of their power-play opportunities, which ranks 16th in the league. So, basically, the potent power play has become an average one. With Crosby back after eight weeks on injured reserve and Schultz expected to return as early as Jan. 31, there’s reason for optimism.

It stands to reason that Crosby’s playmaking, vision and creativity will improve the power play. But how much?

Which goalie will take the reins?

Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry have both experienced stretches this season during which they have been the clear-cut No. 1 goalie. Murray started 18 of the first 21 games, which put him on pace to start 70 games - more than any other goalie started last season.

But those numbers flipped. Jarry took a stranglehold on the position and started all but three games in December. All three were on the second half of back-to-backs, when even the break-in-case-of-emergency backup goalies typically get the nod.

With Murray’s stats improving in January and Jarry beginning to come back to Earth after some record-setting and chart-topping performances, it will be fascinating to see how the goalie situation unfolds over the final 32 games - and who the coaching staff chooses to start the first game of the postseason.

Will the Penguins get healthy at the right time?

You can argue that no team in the NHL has been bitten harder by the injury bug than the Penguins. In total, Pittsburgh has lost more than 200 man-games (and counting) to injury and illness. That includes some of the most important members of the team like Crosby (28 games), Malkin (13), Rust (14), Brian Dumoulin (27), Nick Bjugstad (39) and Guentzel (11).

Slowly, the Penguins have been getting healthier. Crosby returned in time to play the final five games before the All-Star break. Schultz and Bjugstad could both join the team soon after the break.

Meanwhile, Guentzel will be out for at least the rest of the regular season, leaving the Penguins thin at top-six wingers. Even with their best winger sidelined, if the Penguins can stay relatively healthy, they should be one of the true Stanley Cup contenders. So did they get all that bad luck out of the way early? Or will this season be defined by injury?

Can Malkin and Rust continue their impressive seasons?

The Malkin-Rust combo has been one of the driving forces behind the Penguins’ offensive success this season. For Malkin, it’s a bounce-back season. For Rust, it’s a career year. Together, they’ve found real chemistry together and provided consistent scoring, especially with Crosby sidelined.

Malkin ranks sixth in the league with 1.35 points per game. Meanwhile, Rust has already set a new career high with 21 goals in just 36 games. Now, can these two linemates keep it up?

Is a trade coming?

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has become a Hall of Famer thanks to his ability to evaluate his team’s needs and make a savvy move at the right time. In the offseason, he made a number of moves that have helped shape the character of this club, including adding gritty forward Brandon Tanev and skilled winger Dominik Kahun.

Initially, there was an argument to be made that the Penguins simply needed to get healthy more than they need outside help. But perhaps Guentzel’s injury forces his hand and encourages Rutherford to find a forward from the trading block who can push the Penguins over the edge.

What is the price? And will that change the chemistry the Penguins built over the first 50 games? Those are the two questions that will need to be weighed before it’s time to pull the trigger.