NHL Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the best team in the NHL. When healthy. Charlie Boccanegra reports.

Last year’s loss of the league’s best player Sidney Crosby & top 10 scorer Evgeni Malkin pretty much eliminated any realistic chance of them winning the Cup.

However, what it did do was force coach Byslma to find new ways to win hockey games implementing a more defensive system getting the most of the remaining talent on the roster. This should be pay off this season because the return of Crosby and Malkin restores the offense to its original potency, but a terrific defensive system means they will be unstoppable come playoff time. I would be very inclined to wager on them Pens to win the Stanley Cup at NHL betting odds of 10/1.

That being said I would stay away from any regular season wagers favoring the Penguins. Most times you would assume a Cup contender should have a chance to win their division and record a lot of points in the regular season. At +175 to win the Atlantic and to finish OVER the 100.5 regular season point total might be a lot to ask.

Keep in mind both years the Penguins made it to the final they did NOT win their division, finishing 4th in regular season conference standings, finishing with 102 and 99 points in those years respectively.

There will be no rush to get Crosby back in the lineup and the Penguins generally don’t put as much stock and value into their regular season record. This could cause them to once again not dominant in the regular season, preferring to wait until it matters most in the post season.

Pittsburgh has some great role players to support Crosby and Malkin. Jordan Staal is the best 3rd liner center in the NHL and could be a #1 on most teams in the NHL. He’s one of the best two way centres in the NHL being able to shut down opposing teams first lines while chipping with 50-60 points.

Wingers James Neal, Chris Kunitz and Tyler Kennedy all have speed and scoring touch. They’ll be able to take advantage of playing with two of more creative centers in the NHL. Also, don’t count out newly signed veteran Steve Sullivan, who’s still capable of being an effective top six forward if he can stay healthy.

Defensively, the Pens have an outstanding group of players, featuring a mesh of complementary talents and styles. Paul Martin and Kris Letang bring the offense needed from the back end while they rely on Brooks Orpik and Zybanek Michalek to play the shut down role. Having Matt Niskanen as your #5 defenseman is an absolute luxury – his presence gives Pittsburgh one of the deeper back ends in the NHL.

In the net it seems Marc Andre Fleury continues to improve on a yearly basis. His pure athleticism allows him to make tons of great saves. Even if the Penguins are getting outplays he can steal games and kept the Pens alive. I expect him to continue improving and being a Vezina caliber goaltender.