The Capitals have a deep ground of points-producing forwards and seem certain to be an Eastern Conference contender again next season.
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But led by coach Mike Sullivan, the Penguins recovered to make the playoffs as the second-place team in the Metropolitan Division.
He is simply the best hockey player in the world. Surprisingly, Crosby was not Pittsburgh’s leading scorer during the playoffs. “I”ll bring the Cup to Russian Federation, but I think it”s Moscow.”. “We were motivated to get it for him, even though he had to watch”. It probably helped us in a way. “I think we just kind of tried to build slowly and eventually found a way to win”.
The 29-year-old center played only three games in February because of what was described as an upper body injury. He credited the hard times with being a catalyst for bringing this group together.
“It’s tracking that I’m coming back”, he said.
“Showtime’s NHL ALL ACCESS has been an entertaining footnote to the Stanley Cup Playoffs” championship rounds, as we hear and see plays from the previous week in ways we haven’t before. You’ve got to understand that trust.
Malkin, 29, remains one of the Penguins’ most important players. It wasn’t anything that he did or said, but he carried a mystique.
Crosby did not score a goal against San Jose, but his two assists in Game 6 gave him four for the series. His NHL resume includes two MVP trophies, two scoring titles and now two Stanley Cups. No one scored more than him since the middle of December.
Every Stanley Cup winning team has a rock-solid goalie at the back.
And it will nearly certainly take everybody to get back. Not only because of the issues that the team has had with winning over the past several seasons, but with what he’s gone through personally.
Crosby’s defensive game improved, too.
“Knowing how tough it is”, he said. “He was going to will this thing”.
Despite a measly 0.37 points per game in the regular season, Ward elevates his game when it matters most as he records 0.62 PPG in the playoffs throughout his career.
Rutherford insists Fleury remains a part of the team’s future, though Fleury acknowledged at times during the playoffs he wasn’t sure what the future will hold.
The championship in Detroit was supposed to be the first of many for a team led by players like Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. “Those guys showed it the best way you can”. “I have lots of emotion, I’m glad the season is over like this”. “We’re both going to be 60 this year and we don’t know how many of these we’re going to see“. When you’re a victor and you’ve won the year before everyone kind of measures themselves against you.
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“I don”t know. It”s a short summer and I have a baby right now, it”s a little bit tough,” Malkin said.
