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Can the Pens contend for the Cup?
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Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 9:53pm Edit Note Delete
Can it be true that your Pittsburgh Penguins, the team left for dead 5 weeks ago is the hottest team in the NHL? Can they not only make the playoffs, but contend for Lord Stanley's Cup?? Yes, and Yes! First off, do you remember the Super Bowl XL Steelers season? The team that started strong, stunk in the middle of the season, ALMOST falling from the playoff race, only to catch fire, run the table to end the season and reel off three road playoff victories before winning the Super Bowl? I know, that is football and this is hockey BUT the lesson is that does not matter who is the best in the beginning of the season or even the middle...........a playoff team that peaks at the right time, playing its best hockey going into the playoffs is a force to be reckoned with......January football is equal to April/May Hockey, and the parallels are striking. Does anybody remember the catalyst to the last two Penguins Stanley Cups? Trading deadline deals that brought in Francis, Ulfie, and Grant Jennings for Cup #1, and Tocchet, Wregget and Kjell Samuelsson for Cup #2. In a similar fashion Shero dealt from strength, to address weaknesses in adding Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin to the top lines, and Craig Adams as depth and fourth line grit to a team that lacked top line wingers and grit.......Guerin and Kunitz add grit, scoring, leadership and Stanley Cup championship experience. Yes, Ray Shero made some mistakes in the offseason letting grit, talent and leadership walk out the door, but give him credit for fixing those mistakes in time for a playoff run..........Call me crazy.....you wont be the first, but I am not sure this Pens team is not as good or better in some ways than the team that made a deep run into last years playoffs......I know, we did not add a player that directly compensates for the loss of Hossa, and Malones grit will be missed..........BUT, our team now boasts four solid lines, the top 2 of which will match up in scoring with any top 2 lines in the game....Kunitz with his speed and willingness to hit and go to the net, along with soft hands is taylor made to play next to a playmaker like Sid.......and Guerin is the right handed shot, who lives in front of net, to finish off plays even strength and on the PP. Moving Dupuis off the first line and down to the fourth puts him in a place where he can use his energy and speed in a useful manner, and he helps give our fourth line more of a scoring threat than most. Add to this the fact that Jordan Staal is playing so much better, giving us three dangerous lines and a match up nightmare for any coach.........which liine do you match up your defensive checking lines with? Sids line? Genos line? Staals line can shut your top unit down, and oh by the way Staal, Cooke, and Kennedy can skate, hit, kill penalties and SCORE!When your fourth unit is Talbot, Dupuis and Adams (Godard will not dress during the playoffs), you are not a bad team!!Gonchar is fresh due to missing 2/3 of the season, but already scoring at a rapid clip, Letang is playing his best offensive hockey, adding more scoring punch from the blue line, Eaton is much improved, and the rest of the D is the same solid unit from last year. Finally, Fleury and that young core of Pens stars like Malkin, Crosby, Staal, Orpik, Letang now have the experience gained from last years run to make them even better in this years run.......the addiions of Guerin and Kunitz just may be the formula......as we all know, winning 4 straignt best of seven series is no easy task for ANY team, but the Penguins will have 2 of the top 3 scorers in the NHL, quite possibly the top 2 in their deep and balanced lineup, AND if you project Gonchars numbers over a full season, probably the top scoring defenseman in the NHL. The supporting cast that surrounds these three players is now deep and balanced. I would not be shocked to be hosting a playoff party that involved swimming as part of the pregame festivities again this year. LETS GO PENS
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