Bleacher Report - Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins' 5 Most Impressive Players During 2013 Playoffs

Steve Rodenbaugh — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:33:28 -0400

After a surviving a hard-fought series against the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to face the Ottawa Senators in the second round.

While some Penguin players have disappointed with their performance, most notably goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, others have risen to the occasion and been instrumental in the Penguins' success thus far.

While there is still a lot of hockey left to be played and plenty of time for new heroes to emerge, here is a countdown of the five most impressive Penguins players during the playoffs so far.

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Sidney Crosby: Complete Timeline of the Kid's Amazing 2013 Season

Nicholas Goss — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:29:45 -0400

Sidney Crosby proved why he's the best player in the world with a magnificent hat trick against the Ottawa Senators on Friday in what is the high point of an astonishing season for the Pittsburgh Penguins captain.

Led by a vintage Crosby performance, the Penguins have earned a 2-0 second-round advantage over the Senators as the series shifts north of the border for Sunday's Game 3.

Crosby was able to start the lockout-shortened year fully healthy after missing over 100 games over the last two years because of injuries, and he made up for lost time by having one of the best seasons of his career.

The Kid led the league in scoring for most of the year until a broken jaw ended his regular season with 11 games left to play on the schedule. As he has multiple times in the past, Crosby worked hard to recover from a serious injury and returned to the ice as if he never left.

With its best player back in the lineup and playing at a high level, Pittsburgh is hoping to reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time since the team won its third championship in 2008-09.

Let's look at a complete timeline of Crosby's spectacular 2013 season (as of May 17).

Jan. 25: Crosby Has First Multi-Goal Game in Loss to Winnipeg Jets

Crosby's first multi-goal game of the season came in Winnipeg during a 4-2 loss to the Jets. Pittsburgh was given a 2-0 first-period lead thanks to a spectacular scoring display from its captain, but Winnipeg scored four unanswered goals to earn a confidence-boosting victory in front of the home fans.

March 10: Playmaking Brilliance Lifts Penguins over Islanders

Crosby set a season high with five assists against the New York Islanders on March 10 in a 6-1 victory. It was the fifth five-point game of his career and the second time he recorded five assists in one game.

This performance gave Crosby 75 points in 41 career games versus the Islanders, which is his highest total against any opponent.

Crosby would extend that point total to 84 after Pittsburgh defeated the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs in six games (more on that below).

March 30: Crosby Breaks Jaw, Misses Rest of Regular Season

The low point for Crosby's season was March 30, when a deflected Brooks Orpik shot from the point hit the Penguins center in the face, resulting in a broken jaw and a lot of dental work.

Given his history of head and neck injuries over the last two seasons, there was some concern that Crosby would miss a considerable amount of time.

Eight days after suffering the injury, Crosby spoke to the media about the play. He made his return to the ice on April 15 (per the Penguins).

Crosby's total of regular-season games missed because of upper-body injuries since the start of the 2010-11 season rose to 113 due to his broken jaw.

April 1: Crosby Named NHL's First Star for Month of March

March was a dominant month for the Penguins and Crosby. Pittsburgh went 15-0 to become the first team to go undefeated in a single month (with at least 10 games played), bringing them to within two wins of the NHL record for consecutive victories, which, incidentally, the 1992-93 Penguins own.

Crosby was named the first star of the month with a league-leading 19 assists and 25 points. The Penguins superstar tallied at least one point in 12 of the team's 15 games and was almost impossible to shut down whenever he stepped onto the ice.

May 3-11: Crosby Returns to the Ice, Dominates vs. Islanders in Round 1

After missing 11 regular-season games and Game 1 of the Penguins' first-round series versus the Islanders, Crosby returned to the lineup for Game 2 and scored two goals in a 4-3 loss. To protect his jaw from another injury, No. 87 wore a special helmet (h/t Dana Heinze):

In the crucial Game 5 of the series, Crosby scored one of the best goals of his career to help Pittsburgh earn an important win and a 3-2 series advantage:

The Penguins would go on to win the series in Game 6 with a 4-3 overtime victory at the Nassau Coliseum.

May 9: Crosby Selected as Ted Lindsay Award Finalist

Crosby was named as a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award last week, which is given annually to the most outstanding player in the league. Due to the fact that it's an NHLPA award, the players are responsible for the voting.

The Penguins star should win the award unanimously, since he led the NHL in scoring by a considerable margin with 56 points (15 goals, 41 assists) when he suffered a broken jaw on March 30. When the regular season ended on April 28, Crosby was only four points behind Art Ross Trophy winner Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Crosby was one or two levels above his competition all season, and this was pretty obvious to anyone who watched him play on a daily basis. Even though he only played in 36 regular-season games, Crosby still built one of the most impressive resumes for the Ted Lindsay Award that we have seen in some time:

T-3rd in points with 55
2nd in assists with 41
17 multi-point games
Led Penguins in time on ice (21:06)

May 10: Crosby Selected as Hart Trophy Finalist

Despite missing a quarter of the regular season, Crosby was selected as a finalist for the Hart Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. The other finalists are New York Islanders star forward John Tavares and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.

Even though Crosby was fantastic during the regular season and would have easily won the scoring title if he played all 48 games, he wasn't the most valuable player in the league. The Penguins went 8-4 without their captain in the lineup to finish the regular season and still scored 3.67 goals per game.

Crosby won the award in the 2006-07 season when he tallied a career-high 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists). If he wins, he will become the second Penguins player to win the Hart Trophy more than once (Mario Lemieux won three times, 1987-88, 1992-93 and 1995-96).

Even if No. 87 does not win the Hart, he will still have one MVP award on his 2013 resume:

May 14: Crosby Selected as Finalist for Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Earlier this week, Crosby was named as a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy along with Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding and Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid.

The Masterton Trophy is given annually to the player who shows exceptional perseverance, dedication to the game and sportsmanship.

Crosby has a strong case for this award because after missing 101 regular-season games over the last two years, he came into the shortened 2013 season healthy and completely dominated the league with 56 points in just 36 games. When he broke his jaw on March 30, Crosby recovered in time to join his team for Game 2 of the first round against the Islanders. He finished the series with nine points in five games.

The Penguins captain's perseverance through several injuries to not only make a return to the ice, but also play at a level far above his competition, has been truly impressive.

May 17: Crosby Makes Team History with Hat Trick in Round 2 vs. Senators

Sidney Crosby dominated the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 of his team's second-round series with a hat trick just 21 minutes into the contest. ESPN's John Buccigross provided an interesting stat involving No. 87 and the greatest Penguins player ever:

His first goal of the game helped him reach the century mark for career postseason points, which also moved him into a tie with former Penguins star Ron Francis for fourth place on the team's all-time playoff scoring list.

Crosby finished the night with three points, and now sits four points behind Kevin Stevens for third place on the Penguins all-time postseason scoring list. It took both Francis and Stevens over 95 games to reach 100 playoff points, but Crosby has reached this level in just 75 games (via ESPN Stats and Info), which makes his accomplishment even more special.

Nicholas Goss is an NHL lead writer at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter. Nick was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup final and 2012 NHL playoffs, and he is also a credentialed writer at the 2013 NHL playoffs in Boston.

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Sidney Crosby's Game 2 Hat Trick Elevates Him to Conn Smythe Contention

Tyler Conway — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:33:31 -0400

Just when Sidney Crosby makes us think he's reached his peak as a player, the Pittsburgh Penguins center has yet another performance to raise our expectations up to unforeseen levels.

Pittsburgh's captain recorded his second career playoff hat trick, leading his team to a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The victory gives the Penguins a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which will resume Sunday back in Ottawa.

From the opening drop of the puck, the folks at CONSOL Energy Center could tell that this was going to be a special night. Crosby's first goal came a mere 3:16 into Friday night's action. Taking a pass at the defensive blue line, Crosby dashed up the left side of the ice, deked Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson so bad he might have to go into Witness Protection and finished with a beautiful wrister to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

It was his second you-gotta-see this goal of the playoffs, following his well-covered split of the Islanders defense in Game 5 of that series.

Of course, Crosby wasn't done pounding the Senators defense into submission. He was back on the board a little less than 13 minutes later to answer a Kyle Turris goal, getting a semi-lucky bounce off Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

Crosby didn't waste anytime finishing off his hat trick, either. He rocketed a slap shot past Anderson and into the Ottawa goal less than two minutes into the second period, painting the home crowd with a coat of unrepentant glee. The Penguins' Instagram sent out a picture of the Pittsburgh crowd celebrating their star's big night.

Though the remainder of evening was uneventful—relatively speaking—Crosby made history in the first 22 minutes of Friday's contest. As pointed out by John Buccigross of ESPN, Crosby became just the second Penguins player in history to record multiple hat tricks in the postseason and he's just one behind Mario Lemieux club record of three:

The National Post's Bruce Arthur notes how easy Crosby made the quick-strike goal barrage look:

This is a good time to remind you Sidney Crosby is just 25 years old. And that he'll be playing in an innumerable amount of postseason games going forward, barring some catastrophic injury or unforeseen misfortune to the prospering Penguins franchise.

In other words, that record is coming down—probably before Crosby turns 30.

It's almost strange that Crosby has accomplished so much at such a young age. It's almost as if he's run out ways to prove he's the world's best player. The Pittsburgh captain is already become the youngest player in NHL history to captain a Stanley Cup team, won a Hart Trophy and captured a Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy—all of which he did in different seasons.

However, Friday night's ascendant performance could singlehandedly put him in consideration to do one of the select few things he never has—win a Conn Smythe Trophy. Pete Paguaga of The Register Citizen noted that Crosby's recent play has put him in consideration for the trophy already:

Through eight games played—he missed Game 1 of the Islanders series—Crosby has put up 12 points, matching his six goals with as many assists. That currently puts him behind Boston's David Krejci and teammate Evgeni Malkin on the points list for the playoffs, but it stands to reason Crosby will only be getting better as the postseason goes along. He's still recovering from the broken jaw that caused him to miss the final month of the season and still has him wearing a bulky mask on his face.

As Crosby continues to work himself into shape—which he's been doing quite well—the consistency of his outings should only improve.

Of course, we're ridiculously early in this process. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford has been so good in these playoffs (5-1, 1.27 GAA, .950 SV%) that it's almost blasphemy to mention anyone alongside him at this point. Crawford has seemingly sprouted tentacles during the postseason, swatting away opposing shots like Dikembe Mutombo in a GEICO commercial.

And as we've seen over these past few playoffs, the Penguins aren't a guarantee to go rampaging to the Stanley Cup Finals. Pittsburgh is up on Ottawa 2-0 on the teams' semifinals series and has looked like the far superior team, but both of those contests have been played at the friendly confines of CONSOL Energy Center. And even if the Penguins make slight work of the Senators, there are still, you know, two more series left on the docket before individual awards are even considered.

It's always important for context in these discussions. There's too much time, too many mitigating circumstances to be ascribing sweeping declarations about a playoff run in its infancy.

That being said, Crosby was on a historic pace before going down during the regular season. He had 56 points in only 36 games and was on pace to obliterate everyone in the scoring race—and to likely win the Hart Trophy.

With Friday night's hat trick, Crosby placed himself in the discussion for a bigger, more important trophy—at least for now.

Follow @tylerconway22

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3 Adjustments Pittsburgh Penguins Must Make to Continue Stanley Cup Playoff Run

Steve Rodenbaugh — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:38:36 -0400

Seeking to end their four-year run of postseason disappointments, the Pittsburgh Penguins entered the 2013 NHL Playoffs as the popular choice among many hockey experts to once again hoist the Stanley Cup.

Having survived a hard-fought first-round series against the New York Islanders, the Penguins emerged as a different team than the one that started the playoffs. By replacing Marc-Andre Fleury with Tomas Vokoun in net and inserting Tyler Kennedy and Joe Vitale in place of Tanner Glass and Jussi Jokinen, Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma has shown that he is willing to make the necessary adjustments.

The question remains whether the Penguin players themselves are willing to make the necessary adjustments as well.

As the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins, here are three adjustments that the Penguins must make if they are to continue their march to the Stanley Cup.

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The Jarome Iginla Effect: Penguins Fueled by Star's Thirst for Stanley Cup Glory

Nicholas Goss — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:48:19 -0400

Jarome Iginla is the best player in the NHL who has never experienced what it's like to lift the Stanley Cup, and winning a championship for him is serving as a powerful motivator for a Pittsburgh Penguins team that is favored by many to win its first title in four years.

For Iginla, it's all about hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2013, and anything less would be a disappointing failure. There is one mission for Pittsburgh this season: Win one for Jarome.

There are 12 players on this year's roster that also played on the Penguins' championship team four years ago, and oftentimes, the most effective way to motivate these types of players who aren't starving for a championship as much as Iginla is to add a player like the former Calgary Flames captain to the group.

After a spending 16 remarkable seasons as a member of the Flames, where he built a resume that will one day be showcased at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, time was running out for Iginla to pursue the one thing that has eluded him in his NHL career, a Stanley Cup ring.

Iginla was traded to the Penguins on March 28 in a deal that sent a 2013 first-round draft pick and two NCAA prospects to Calgary, thus beginning a new era for the superstar winger.

With a no-trade clause in his contract, Iginla had the power to choose which team he wanted to go to if he was moved before the deadline, and given his history with Penguins star Sidney Crosby from their time spent on Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Pittsburgh was the best fit for him.

At his press conference following the trade, Iginla explained the decision to start the next chapter of his storied career.

If I was going to leave [Calgary], I'd love the best opportunity to try to win...Getting an opportunity as a player to go and play on a team with the two best players in the world, and a team on a roll like they're on, and the success they've had, as a player I wanted that opportunity.

I do really want to win a Stanley Cup.

The comparisons between Iginla and former Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque were made at the time of the trade, and they will continue to be mentioned throughout the 2013 NHL playoffs. Both superstars were dealt from struggling teams to star-studded Cup contenders with hopes of finally winning a championship.

But for these two players to share a common memory of lifting the Stanley Cup for a new team in the last part of their careers, the Penguins must show the same drive and determination to win for Iginla that the Avalanche showed for Bourque during the 2000-01 season.

The Avalanche displayed incredible character, resiliency and effort during the 2001 playoffs, which culminated in a Game 7 victory to win the Stanley Cup over the defending champion New Jersey Devils.

Many fans assume that Bourque won the Cup in the same season he was traded (1999-00) from Boston to Colorado, but he actually had to play an additional year in Denver to have his lifelong dream come true.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, they may not have the luxury of another season to win for Iginla because keeping the 2013 edition of their team will be a significant challenge due to the salary cap going down about $6 million for the 2013-14 season, in addition to star players such as Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Brenden Morrow and Iginla having contracts that expire this summer or next year (via Capgeek).

There's a very real possibility that this year's playoff run will be the best chance that Iginla has to win a Stanley Cup for the remainder of his career, especially since it's rare in the salary cap era (2005-present) for a team to be as loaded with talent up-and-down its roster as this year's Penguins squad.

With that said, there is a strong sense of urgency to finish the job this postseason and help Iginla climb to the summit of professional hockey.

When Iginla's teammates see him playing every single shift like it's his last, it's contagious for the rest of the group.

Going into Game 5 of the team's first-round series with the New York Islanders tied 2-2, Iginla stepped up as a leader with an important assist and strong defensive play. When a veteran player of his pedigree takes control like that, everyone else on the team follows and gives 100 percent effort in support of that player, and this will continue throughout the postseason as long as the Penguins keep winning games.

The veteran forward has set a great example for his teammates during this year's postseason with a point in all of the Penguins' seven games (which is a new personal record for most consecutive playoff games with a point). His 10 points rank second on the team in scoring and third among all players. His eight assists are tied with Bruins center David Krejci for the second-most in the playoffs.

He's well on his way to having the most productive playoffs of his career.

Iginla has made a smooth transition to the Penguins lineup, and his willingness to play in any role to help the team win speaks to the character and hard work that he displays on the ice each game. Even though the obvious desire to win a Cup impacts his performance every night, just being back in the playoffs for the first time since 2009 is a motivational factor in itself.

It's tough being out of the playoffs. This last year was pretty tough because we were hoping for a lot better there in Calgary. It's hard when you see it slipping way and you that changes changes are going to be coming and ultimately I knew I was probably [going to be moving].

So it was a little bit different. But it's been a great experience being here. To be back in the playoffs, the team here right from day one you can tell it has been winning and having fun and enjoying playing together...Now definitely this time is the best time of the year and we want to keep it going.

Iginla is the finest example of what every coach wants his player to be like. He's one of the best players of his generation, he plays the game the right way and his motivation to win a Stanley Cup as a 35-year-old veteran is greater than at any other point in his career.

The Penguins' No. 1 goal before acquiring Iginla was to win a championship, especially when you consider that they haven't reached the Eastern Conference Finals in the three years since their 2008-09 title-winning campaign.

But with Iginla in the fold and focused on lifting the Stanley Cup to cap off an all-time career, his desire and determination will fuel Pittsburgh's hunger for success to a level higher than anything we have seen since Bourque's dream came true 12 years ago in Colorado.

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter. Nick was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 NHL playoffs, and he is also a credentialed writer at the 2013 NHL playoffs in Boston.

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Can the Pittsburgh Penguins Win the Stanley Cup with Tomas Vokoun in Net?

Nicholas Goss — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:04:55 -0400

When the Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves in an unexpected 2-2 first-round series tie with the New York Islanders, head coach Dan Bylsma made the decision to replace struggling goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with veteran backup Tomas Vokoun.

Vokoun pitched a shutout in Game 5 and then helped his team close out the Islanders in a Game 6 overtime victory on the road.

With a win against the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Vokoun has established himself as the undisputed No. 1 goalie for the Penguins with a 3-0 record, a 1.28 GAA and a .962 save percentage since taking over.

But can this team win the Stanley Cup with the 36-year-old netminder anchoring the back end? To put it simply, Vokoun does have the ability to lead his team to a championship, and there are a few reasons why.

The biggest difference between Vokoun and Fleury is that the Czech netminder makes timely saves late in games that instill confidence in his teammates.

Fleury allowed too many confidence-deflating goals against the Islanders (many of which should have been easy saves). When a goaltender is giving up soft goals and allows the opposition to dominate third periods (Fleury allowed six third-period goals in his last three starts), teams start to panic.

Vokoun is cool, calm and collected in net and positions himself very well, which lessens the chances of a fluky bounce off the end boards sneaking into his net.

In the series opener against the Senators, he allowed a bad-angle shot to get past him—his first soft goal this postseason. But unlike Fleury, Vokoun was able to quickly move on and focus on the next save.

He bounced back and shut the door for the rest of the game, not allowing that soft goal to impact his confidence or performance. This is the kind of mental toughness that makes him a reliable goaltender.

Once Vokoun became the starter, the Penguins started to protect the puck better (about one less turnover per game), the penalty kill has improved and the wins have started to pile up.

Pittsburgh's penalty kill has to be effective for this team to make a deep playoff run, and with Vokoun, the Penguins are not allowing the opposition to capitalize on the power play. As the chart below shows, failing to kill penalties was a problem for the Penguins in their last two playoff exits.

Year	Opponent	Round/Result	PK% (NHL Rank)
2010-11	Tampa Bay Lightning	1st/Lost 4-3	70.4 (15/16)
2011-12	Philadelphia Flyers	1st/Lost 4-2	47.8 (16/16)

Through the first seven games these playoffs, the Penguins' penalty kill has been much improved.

PK% Overall (NHL Rank)	PK% with Vokoun	PK% with Fleury
90.0 (3rd)	11/11(100.0)	13/15 (86.7)

Not only has the Penguins' penalty kill been a bit more effective with Vokoun in net, the team is also better at even strength.

Goalie	+/- at ES
Fleury	3
Vokoun	5

It's very important for Pittsburgh to play well at even strength, because relying on its power play to carry the team to a championship is not an ideal situation (regardless of how successful it has been with the man advantage).

In his last three starts of the Islanders series, Fleury allowed three even-strength goals per game, while Vokoun has allowed a total of just four even-strength goals in his last three appearances.

Vokoun's consistency is impressive, and it will give the Penguins a great chance when the referees put their whistles away and let the players play (as normally happens in the later rounds).

What Vokoun has done thus far has been remarkable, but we really shouldn't be surprised. He's been one of the league's best goaltenders since the 2004-05 lockout, and his career stats are especially impressive for someone who has been stuck on a lot of bad teams.

Vokoun has won 300 games at the NHL level with a save percentage of .917 and has 51 shutouts since making his debut in '96-97. He knows what it takes to win and is highly motivated to capture the first championship of his career.

Having not played a single postseason game since 2007, Vokoun's performance against the Islanders under all the difficult circumstances proved that he's capable of leading his team to a title. He had just 11 games of playoff experience and never played past the first round, but you wouldn't know it.

The change in net has proven to be the right decision by Bylsma, and unless Vokoun's performance significantly drops off and the team is in danger of elimination, Fleury should not get his job back this season.

The Penguins' best chance of winning a Stanley Cup is with Tomas Vokoun between the pipes, because he's talented enough to beat elite teams, he's mentally tougher than Fleury and he doesn't crumble when the pressure mounts.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter. He was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 NHL playoffs in Boston.

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Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators: NHL Playoff Preview and Prediction

Steve Silverman — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:13:02 -0400

The Pittsburgh Penguins have mopped their brow and breathed a sigh of relief after they disposed of the New York Islanders.

While it wasn't always pretty, the Penguins survived a tough six-game series against the eighth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference.

The Ottawa Senators didn't have to go through nearly the same amount of stress as they rolled by the second-seeded Montreal Canadiens in five games.

This conference semifinal features two teams with distinctly different makeups. The Penguins are loaded with superstars, and they can fill up the net.

The Senators are strong defensively, but they struggle to score goals.

The team that can impose its will on the other will probably have the best chance of advancing to the conference final.

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5 Moves That Saved the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1

Steve Rodenbaugh — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:11:03 -0400

The Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves in a difficult position following a Game 4 loss to the New York Islanders. The Penguins were in danger of losing to a lower-seeded team for the fourth year in a row and failing to advance beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight year.

After watching the Penguins get outworked, outskated and outhit through four games, head coach Dan Bylsma decided that changes to the lineup were needed. Some of the adjustments were expected, but some were not.

While the Penguins still have a lot of hockey between them and the Stanley Cup, the early returns on these lineup changes have been positive, and a closer look reveals how Bylsma's decisions may have saved the Penguins postseason, at least for now.

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Report Card for Pittsburgh Penguins' 1st-Round Playoff Victory

Michael Prunka — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:19:57 -0400

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are favorites in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. After conquering the New York Islanders in six games, not much has changed.

The Penguins got off to a hot start in the postseason by ousting the Islanders 5-0. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 26 shots he faced, while Pascal Dupuis netted two goals. The Penguins forwards even managed to chase Evgeni Nabokov from the net less than two minutes into the second period.

Despite dropping two close games to the Islanders in the series, the Penguins performed well and proved they’re still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

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