The Pittsburgh Penguins Hope To Cap Off Their Season With a Stanley Cup Championship
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a difficult start to their 2010 National Hockey League season; however, the team pulled together and has spent much of the year near or at the top of the NHL standings.
The Penguins have as much or more talent on their roster as any team in the NHL, and will likely skate into the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team has been playing exceptional special teams that has contributed largely to their success, but has recently lost team captain Sidney Crosby to a concussion.
Injuries and streaks continue to be a concern for the Penguins. Center Jordan Staal recently returned from foot and hand injuries, but is slowly adapting his game back to a high level. Evgeni Malkin is mired in one of his worst runs of form in his career, but has shown flashes of brilliance over the past few weeks. The Penguins will need Malkin to play at or near the top of his game until team captain Sidney Crosby returns to the lineup.
Crosby has been sidelined with a concussion, but should return to the lineup fairly soon. Saying Sidney is having a fine NHL season is something of an understatement, as his run of twenty five consecutive games with a point catapulted him to the front of the scoring race. Once the streak stopped however, Crosby seemed to struggle to find his goal scoring touch. The Penguins rely on Crosby to produce chances for the rest of the team, especially on the power play, and his absence in the lineup can be felt.
Still, going deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs requires strong play in goal, and goal tender Marc-Andre Fleury has been magnificent for long stretches this season. However, Fleury has also appeared rattled at times giving up early and easy goals. Brent Johnson, on the other hand, has also played well when given the chance, but is likely not the goalie the Pens will rely on in the playoffs and down the stretch.
The Penguins will need some inspired play from their goaltenders to get their hands on the Stanley Cup again, but they are a young team with some of the best players in the league, which means they stand a great chance of making a long run into the post season.
