Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Things They Need to Do to Make a Deep Playoff Run

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing superb hockey in March, and they're heating up at the right time for the playoffs.

That being said, they need to continue to be healthy, get production from everybody in their lineup, take plenty of shots, carry the puck, win draws and finish the regular season in a strong way if they want to go deep into the playoffs.

Just because the Penguins have recorded 100 points this season, it doesn't guarantee anything. The Pens have had 100 points in five of their last six seasons, but the one season they won the Stanley Cup was the lone season they had 99 points. 

There's a certain style of game play the Penguins need to be accustomed to. It's similar to the style of play we saw during their impressive 11-game winning streak. 

Here are five things the Pens must do to make a deep playoff run. 

Stay Healthy

This one is obvious. 

If the Pittsburgh Penguins stay healthy, they can roll out three unbelievably lethal scoring lines. 

With Sidney Crosby's return, the Penguins have become a deeper team from top to bottom. Their first line of Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal has been one of the most explosive in the 2011-12 season. 

The trio has combined for 106 goals and 173 points this season. They carried the team when Crosby was out. Speaking of Crosby, his health is dependent on how well Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy play offensively. 

Crosby has oftentimes centered for Cooke and Kennedy, and the impact has been positive and immediate. Cooke has scored seven goals and three assists, and Kennedy has four goals and four assists since Sid's return. 

Oh yeah, then there's the best third line in possibly the history of the NHL with Pascal Dupuis, Steve Sullivan and Jordan Staal. That trio has totaled for 138 points. 

The ability to have solid scoring depth on three lines makes the Pens extremely difficult to play against, and it should give them an edge against opponents.

Defensively, it's important for Kris Letang to stay healthy. He is currently day-to-day after getting hurt against the New Jersey Devils. Letang brings flow and energy to the Penguins offense and is the quarterback of the powerplay. 

Earn No. 1 Seed

With six games left, the Pittsburgh Penguins trail the New York Rangers by just three points. They've had several opportunities to surpass New York in the standings, but they've failed to do so thus far.

It's highly important for the Pens to take the No. 1 seed because it creates the possibility of the team avoiding the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins for the first two rounds.

With the No. 1 seed, the Penguins will be matched up against the Buffalo Sabres or the Washington Capitals, a significantly easier matchup than the Flyers in the likely No. 4 versus No. 5 showdown.

Assuming the New Jersey Devils "upset" the Florida Panthers in the first round, and the other favorites win their series, the No. 1 seed will be matched up against the Devils. If the Pens are a No. 4 seed, they'll probably have to go to Boston and take on the defending champions following a series victory over Philadelphia. 

That's definitely not an easy task. 

The team will find it preferable to be home throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs and possibly even the Stanley Cup Final. They've been dominant at Consol Energy Center as they're coming off a 10-game home winning streak.

Home ice will assure the Penguins go deep into the playoffs because of the fact that they're comfortable playing in Pittsburgh, and their opponents won't be as challenging.

No offense to the Devils and Sabres, but playing against the Flyers, Bruins and Rangers in consecutive rounds is an arduous task.  

Secondary Scoring

As mentioned in the first slide, the Penguins' health will assure three solid scoring lines. Having Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby all in the lineup facilitates the job for secondary guys like Tyler Kennedy, Pascal Dupuis and Steve Sullivan because they have playmakers setting them up.

That said, guys like Dupuis must continue to score. 

Crosby, Malkin and James Neal aren't always going to be scoring the big goals because they're up against the opponents' toughest defensemen. 

When the Pens won the Cup in 2009, it wasn't Sid or Geno that was the hero. In fact, Sid missed almost half of Game 7. It was a role player named Max Talbot that scored both goals and helped bring the Cup to Pittsburgh. 

Contributions from Craig Adams, Arron Asham, Joe Vitale, Richard Park, and maybe some defensemen like Zbynek Michalek and Brooks Orpik, will help take pressure off Pittsburgh's big guns and surprise opponents. 

It'll also give opponents more to worry about, and that will help open up the game for the stars of the team. 

Faceoffs and Puck Possession

Ever since Dan Bylsma took over the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, they've established a style of play that Bylsma likes to call "Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey."

What's Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey?

It's the brand of hockey that involves puck possession, winning face-offs and taking shots whenever possible. It's cycling the puck, keeping the puck in the opposing team's zone as much as possible, and becoming a tough team to play against. 

When the Pens are playing their brand of hockey, it's easy to see. They were doing it consistently during their 11-game run, and they must get to their game early and often during the playoffs if they're going to go deep. 

By winning draws, cycling the puck and taking shots, the Penguins will make opponents uncomfortable and tire them out. The Penguins are second in the league in goal differential in the third period. This exemplifies that their brand of play is successful in draining energy from their opponents. 

How many times have we seen the Pens explode late in games this year? 

Too often. 

If that continues, the rest of the NHL will most definitely need assistance from the hockey gods if they're going to beat the Pens. 

Marc-Andre Fleury Must Rise to the Occasion

The Pittsburgh Penguins might be known for their offense this season, but they're also a solid defensive team. They're in the top 10 in goals allowed, and their penalty killing is third best in the NHL. 

Some of that has to do with their defensemen, but a lot of it has to do with Marc-Andre Fleury.

Who knows if the Pens would've won the Stanley Cup if Fleury didn't make a diving save in the dying seconds of Game 7 in 2009?

At the end of the day, elite goaltending wins Stanley Cups. The Penguins aren't going to put up five goals a game against a team like the Flyers or the Bruins. This means that their backstop must be on top of his game at all times.

Just look at the two finalists from last season. The Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins both had elite goaltenders in Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo, and at the end of the day, Luongo's inconsistencies cost the Canucks the series. 

Or look at the year when Montreal's Jaroslav Halak single-handedly won two series against the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  

The Penguins are very much like the Bruins and Canucks from last season. They can score, defend, kill penalties, control the puck and have a solid goalie. 

It's not too much to ask for. The Pens just need to play the way they've been playing since late February, and they may just get another parade in late June.