Penguins' Playoff Preview

It’s that wonderful time of year again - playoff season! For those who have teams in the playoffs, congrats! Myself, I’m a Flames fan, which means that the other day was locker clean out day and the Flames are on their way out of the arena for the off-season. But for those of you, including Pittsburgh Penguins fans, I salute you!

There are a lot of talented teams in the playoffs this year and it will not be an easy task to get past the first round. With the likes of some original six hockey teams, such as the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings, they won’t make things easy for the Penguins. And with up and coming young talent on expansion teams like the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nashville Predators, it won’t be a walk in the park trying to make it past the first round. In learning more about the Penguins, I’ve come to realize that they have the fire power to do so as long as all the cards fall into place and some of the players can heal up from injuries.

Not only did the Penguins end the season on a positive note, winning their last 9 of 10 games to end the regular season, they have an effective lineup of two-way players that will cause havoc against any opponent. Here’s a quick look at my reasons why I believe Pittsburgh could make a deep run in the post season this year.

Marc-Andre Fleury (G)

I know Marc-Andre Fleury has been out with a concussion since last month, but it sounds like chances are good that he'll return sometime during playoffs. He’s recently returned to practice, but I don’t know if he’s quite ready to play the first game yet. His season was a charmed one before his injury, earning a .921 save percentage and 2.29 GAA. Personally, I think he’s one of the best goalies in the league and he’s always on-point every time he steps on the ice.

Kris Letang (D)

In his last 5 games, Letang averaged 27:28 time on ice and notched 1 goal and 7 assists. That’s some aggressive, impressive defence! The Penguins must know how much of an asset Letang is because they have him locked into a multi-year contract that doesn’t see the 28 year old going anywhere soon.

Carl Hagelin (F)

Since being acquired this season in a trade involving David Perron and Adam Clendening, Hagelin has proven his worth. He’s earned 4 points in his last 5 games which resulted in a total of 10 goals and 17 assists throughout the season.

Olli Maatta (D)

He missed the last 9 regular season games with an injury, but he recently returned to practice and said he feels good in spite of not playing for a few weeks. At the age of 21, Maatta has made quite an impact on the Penguins. This season, he’s played 67 games and notched 19 points. He’s a consistent, underrated defenceman who is a young shining star on a team full of other shining stars. At this rate, Maatta will have a long, prosperous career in the future.

Evgeni Malkin (F)

One of my personal favourite players to watch, he's slick on the ice with amazing hands and he's had a great career so far in the NHL. With 58 points in 57 games, he’s over a point-per-game leader on ice and has been locked up into a multi-year contract with a 9.5 million dollar cap hit. Even while being on the injured list with an upper body injury, Malkin is still an important part of the team, and I’m hoping to be able to see him play sometime during the playoff run.

Sidney Crosby (F)

I'm Canadian, so cheering for Sidney Crosby really isn't too much of a stretch for me. He's a talented veteran with an amazing eye for opportunities. There has been a lot of talk about how “overrated” Crosby has been the past couple of season, but I don’t see it. With 85 points in 80 games this season, Crosby is still at the top of leader list, being 3rd in the NHL in points behind Jamie Benn and Patrick Kane. “Overrated”? I don’t think so.

So, with a lineup like this, it will be hard for the opponent to get past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. My only hope for the Penguins is that the injured list will shrink and those effective players will find the opportunity to contribute to what could be one of their best runs in a few years.

Good luck to the Penguins and their fans!

*all cap stats care of www.capfriendly.com

*all player stats care of www.NHL.com/ESPN.com