The Pittsburgh Penguins are going into the playoffs as the number two seed in the East but a lot of people are overlooking them this year due to injuries and how mediocre they have looked during the past couple weeks. That won’t mean much come playoff time.
Just go back to 2008-2009 when they won the Stanley Cup when they were struggling, replaced their coach then ran through the playoffs and came back to win the cup. How can they get back to Stanley Cup glory? Let’s take a look at five keys to success.
Sidney Crosby: It all starts and ends with the Pens captain. Sidney Crosby is the best player in the world and it has showed this season as he leads the league in scoring by 20 points. He’s a lock to win the Hart Trophy, as league MVP too. He’ll have to come up huge in the playoffs with Evgeni Malkin. Crosby was shut down against the Boston Bruins last year and didn’t even register a point against them. He’ll have to carry this team each round they play in.
Goaltending: Pittsburgh’s goaltending hasn’t been good the past two years especially in 2012 when they got killed by Philadelphia in six games. Marc-Andre Fleury surrendered 30 goals in the Flyers series and then last season he allowed over 12 goals in just four games against the Islanders. His poor play resulted in a benching for the game and then for the rest of the playoffs. He is going to have to be a lot better this year or else he could be benched again if Tomas Vokoun is ready to go or for young goalie Jeff Zatkoff.
Special Teams Success: Pittsburgh has the number one power play in the NHL and it’s going to have to be big in the playoffs where every goal seems to matter more. The first unit can strike at will with Kunitz, Neal, Crosby, Malkin, and Niskanen. If they play a team like Detroit or Columbus in the first round, they’re going to have to take advantage of the special teams on both ends. Let’s see how good their power play is in the playoffs this year. It was amazing last year up until the Boston series.
Avoid Philadelphia: I know this is weird and you’re going to say, “well to win the cup you have to beat the best.” The Flyers may not be the best, but this Penguins’ team just can’t run into the Flyers during the playoffs. They will tear them to pieces since they always take Pittsburgh off their game. The style of Philadelphia seems to match up well with the Penguins, and the Flyers feed off of the energy in the games.
Healthy Defense: Pittsburgh’s defense is now fully healthy after they got Kris Letang back for the Detroit game. This is the best the Penguins have looked defensively all year. They are also going to avoid giving up huge turnovers in the playoffs or it can be deadly. Pittsburgh may not be the favorite like they were last season, but they can be just as dangerous in the playoffs.