The NHL playoffs are on and the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to win the Stanely Cup for the third time in a row. Personally, I’d rather see the younger Winnipeg Jets win their first cup in franchise history but it looks like the Penguins mean some serious business despite some struggles earlier in the season.
Pittsburg finished the regular season with a record of 47-29-6 for 100 points, securing second place in the Metropolitan Division but fifth in the Eastern Conference overall. Statistically speaking, Tampa Bay Lightning (45-23-5, 113 points) should be the favourites to win the cup or at least get to the final but if Washington Capitals have taught us anything, it’s that conference winners rarely become cup winners.
It is the third time in a row superstar Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals have won the Metropolitan title and the eighth time they have achieved it since the 2007-08 season. They have also gone to win the Presidents’ Trophy (best overall record) three times, (2009-10, 2015-16, 2016-17) and yet have come up with no cup wins.
The last time the team who won the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year were the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2012-13 season. Before that, it was the Detroit Red Wings in 2007-08 and again in 2001-02. In total, it has only happened eight times in 33 years.
This season’s President’s Trophy winner was the Nashville Predators (53-18-11, 117 points) out in the Western Conference and are up against long-time suffering but rejuvenated Colorado Avalanche (43-30-9, 95 points). The Tennessean team is already winning the series 2-0 and will most likely finish Colorado off in the Denver-based team’s first sniff of the playoffs since 2013-14. However, Nashville isn’t looking as dominant as Pittsburgh are.
Already up 2-1 in their series against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins are looking threatening in every corner, especially offensively. Only Boston is looking more dangerous but is playing a nervous and young Toronto Maple Leafs and only Boston’s right winger, David Pastrnak, is more explosive than Sidney Crosby. The Bruins are also a young team, with the exception of a few players and will probably fizzle after the Leafs series.
Stacked with veterans and cup winners, the Penguins already know what they need to do to get their hands on the cup. Rarely does it boil down to where you finished in the regular season and the playoffs are a whole new breed of hockey, which the Penguins already know how to play.
