So is the imprint of general manager Jim Rutherford, whose aggressive roster retooling since taking over for Ray Shero less than two years ago have made the Penguins faster, deeper and more resilient, qualities it lacked in abundance when Rutherford arrived. “We have to be prepared for that”.
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The Penguins were able to weather his absence against Tampa because 21-year-old Olli Maatta played so well after re-entering the lineup following a string of scratches. San Jose will be playing with some extra motivation. San Jose in 6. The Sharks own a 40-18-4 record (including playoff games) since January 9. I have to admit, I think I watched all 18 losses, including a home spanking by the playoff-eliminated Winnipeg Jets late in early April.
But after all the Memorial Day barbecues and fireworks are done, Monday night brings with it Game 1 of what is an intriguing Stanley Cup final between the Penguins and the Sharks.
However even if Daley was healthy, this defensive group is suspect enough where the Sharks can take advantage.
Noteworthy: Both teams won on the road when they met during the regular season. Nobody backed into this thing because an opponent had too many injuries or an opposing goalie folded up.
So I hear all the people saying “this has been a special season and even if they can’t beat San Jose, that’s OK because they will be back again and be even better than this year because the rookies will have more experience!”
The Penguins have advanced to the Stanley Cup final and if we have learned anything from sports – especially the National Hockey League – they need to go win it. The Pens are doing the right things in getting pucks on net, but against San Jose they’ll have to find a way, or benefit from some good fortune, to finish more of those chances.
Against San Jose, Pittsburgh needs to get bodies in front of Jones (especially on the power play) so that he can’t see the puck.
The story in San Jose, however, is not Jones so much as it’s Joe Thornton. Jones is boasting a.919 save percentage thus far in the postseason and will need to continue his strong play to give the sharks the best chance to win. But he’s not just hanging on to win.
Kessel, with playoff team highs of nine goals and nine assists, has sparked the Penguins in the post-season alongside linemates Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino.
“We’re 100 games in, ” he said. “As great of a player as he is and as good as a season as he’s had, nobody talks that much about him”.
An interesting aspect of the recent deal worked out by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association regarding expansion draft rules is that only players with a full no-movement clause will have to be protected by their team, according to a source.
Couture (16), Thornton (15) and Burns (14) are also the top three assist producers after three rounds. He is not going through the motions. Phil Kessel leads the Penguins in points and is a serious candidate for a Con Smythe but we’ll get to him in the next section. He reached the Western Conference final in 2008 with the Stars, but also endured five consecutive seasons out of the playoffs after that.
Each team has a goaltender that is making the best of their first postseason action as a main starter in the National Hockey League.
Meanwhile, Logan Couture has got a handle on the playoff scoring categories that Pavelski didn’t. The Penguins were part of the NHL’s first big expansion from six teams to 12 in 1967; the Sharks were admitted as the 22nd franchise, for the 1991-92 season, kicking off a concerted push into non-traditional markets.
Despite criticism of Crosby that has come and gone since that first Stanley Cup win, his former coach believes Sid, no longer really a “kid”, has handled it all in stride. Crosby has been terrific. “Coach Sullivan is probably the best communicator of any coach I’ve ever had”.
When you think of the Pittsburgh Penguins, you think of Sidney Crosby. He’s been outstanding, not just for Brent Burns but for all the players to understand what a professional really is. The distance between the two airports is 2,250 miles. San Jose won in 6 and Pittsburgh won in 7. He is also looking to join Cam Ward, Ken Dryden, and Patrick Roy as the only rookie goaltenders to lead their teams to a Stanley Cup victory.
Both teams have the ability to split up their talent in order to have three highly functioning scoring lines. There were no flukes.
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“I think the fact he’s one of the first four defensemen named to Team Canada [for the World Cup] should scream to everybody how good this guy is”, DeBoer said during the West finals.
