Bad news for the Pens....or devastating news for the Pens.......one thing we know about Staal is that he had surgery last night to repair a tendon injury......the dispute was if it was lacerated, which means he could be back for the next round should the Pens advance, or if it was severed, which would mean he is done for the rest of the playoffs...........the loss of Staal for the Pens is huge.........not only was Staal the teams fourth leading scorer in the regular season, he is a Selke candidate finalist as one of the NHL's best defensive forwards, and a key element on the PK.......he also has a knack for burying BIG goals..........finally, the Staal line when clicking is the line matchup nightmare most teams cannot handle as third line centers like Staal simply do not exist on any other team............that said, part of the beauty of the Stanley Cup playoffs is the fact that it tests skill, will, focus and DEPTH.......the Pens DEPTH and WILL will have to account for the loss of Staal, and it is time for Malkin to step up and play like the guy who won the Conn Smythe last season......he is back to floating and forcing plays, and now that momma is here, and the Pens need people to step up, we will see if Geno has the character to do it...............big moments ahead for the likes of Adams, Talbot, Kennedy, Cooke, and Rupp.........they could use more from Fleury........the good news is that this team is battle tested, and has the personnel to overcome this type of injury......they just have to DO IT!
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