Atlantic Division Preview

The toughest division just got tougher.

Not only does the Atlantic Division host the defending Stanley Cup champs, but offseason moves saw future hall-of-famer Chris Pronger and superstar scorer Marian Gaborik join this already tough division.

Oh yeah, and the best goaltender of all-time still roams the net in New Jersey.

Two straight years have seen the Atlantic send four teams to the playoffs, and we will see that again this season.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

Rearview Mirror

The Pittsburgh Penguins used their resilience all the way to a Stanley Cup championship.

To be five points out of a playoff spot with 25 games to play, to come back from 2-0 vs. both the Capitals and the Red Wings in a playoff series, and to win a tough Game Six and Game Seven to capture the franchise's first cup since 1992, is the epitome of resilience.

The Penguins were led offensively by their two superstars, Sidney Crosby (77GP, 33G-70A-103P) and Art Ross/Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin (82GP, 35G-78A-113P). They also picked up a much-needed offensive boast with trade deadline acquisitions Bill Guerin (12 pts in 17 games) and Chris Kunitz (18 pts in 20 games).

The champions were led by rookie head coach Dan Bylsma, who replaced Michel Therrien, and his aggressive style led the team to an 18-3-4 record down the stretch.

Offseason Ins

D Jay Mckee (STL: 69GP, 185BkS), G Brent Johnson (WSH: 12-6-2, 2.81GAA, .908SV%), LW Mike Rupp (NJ: 72GP, 136PIM), RW Chris Conner (DAL: 38GP, 3G-10A-13P)

Offseason Outs

D Rob Scuderi (164BkS), D Hal Gill (78Hits), RW Petr Sykora (25G), RW Miroslav Satan 36P), D Philippe Boucher (+10), C Mike Zigomanis (63.0FO%), G Mathieu Garon (2W)

What Makes Them Tick

When a team has two of the top three scorers in their lineup, it’s hard not to point out the obvious: they are a team that is hard to match up against.

Both Crosby and Malkin followed up their successful regular seasons with even better postseasons, showing that these young stars were ready to take the next step in their development.

Also having a bounce back year was third-line center Jordan Staal, who followed his sophomore slump (12 goals, -5) with a productive year (22 goals, -5) as the shutdown center.

While his numbers weren’t even good for the top twenty in goaltending stats, former first overall pick Marc-Andre Fleury just continues to win when it matters the most, with a 31-18 career playoff record.

Defensively, the Penguins will get a boost now that Sergei Gonchar will be available to play from week one. It is no coincidence that the Penguins were a better team and made their surge when Gonchar returned from shoulder surgery. A top-line pairing for Gonchar and hit man Brooks Orpik, who was second in the league with 309 hits, is top notch.

What Could Make Them Go Boom

With 204 games in the past two seasons and their top players not only being asked to shoulder the load of the team, but also their entire countries in an Olympic year, could have an effect on this team.

We see it every year, the team that makes the Stanley Cup struggles to find a groove early. Just ask the Penguins from last year and they will admit they needed time to find their swagger.

Though this team has some youth on their side, it is bound to catch up to them at some point, especially with team leaders Crosby, Malkin, and Gonchar having to play big parts in their respective country’s bid for a gold medal.

Very rarely does a coach, with no prior head-coaching experience, step in with 25 games to play and go on to win a Stanley Cup. In fact, it has only happened one other time—when Al MacNeil in 1971 took over the Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup as a rookie midseason replacement.

So how the 39-year-old Bylsma will fair in a full season worth of game planning, balancing his ice time, and dealing with the stress of being a coach will be a key to this team success or downfall.

Player to Watch

With the injury to Gonchar last season, Kristopher Letang was forced into playing top-line minutes in only his second season in the league and flourished.

The 22-year-old defenseman scored 10 goals and assisted on 23 others. His development allowed the Penguins to trade highly-touted defenseman Ryan Whitney for much needed scoring.

The sky is the limit for this mobile, puck-moving defenseman, who also went on to contribute 13 points in the playoffs. Letang will be a restricted free agent next season and is off to prove he can be a top-line defenseman in this league.

Prediction

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