7 Things the Pittsburgh Penguins Must Do to Win the Stanley Cup
March 4, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (center) and center Sidney Crosby (right) look at a video replay against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Penguins have appeared to be one of the strongest clubs in the NHL up to this point in the season. Do they have what it takes to make their first return to the Stanley Cup finals in five years, though?
Here are 7 things the Pens need to focus on if they hope to take home the Stanley Cup in 2015:
1. B-E-A-T the Flyers
The Penguins need to find a way to get past their in state rivals. Period.
Despite the fact that the Penguins are the far superior team, they have this annoying knack of playing down to other teams — especially the Flyers.
Last year, the Penguins won only one of their five meetings against the bullies. The teams have matched up only once this year, but the Fly-guys handed the Penguins a 5-3 on home ice.
The Pens cannot continue to be rattled in these rivalries, high-pressure contests, or over-hyped games. After all, that is exactly what the playoffs are made of.
2. Superstar Back-checking
Do you know what the previous five Stanley Cup Champions have in common? Each team has superstars that not only score goals, but also superstars that play defense at a high level.
2014 Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter.
2013 Chicago Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews.
2012 Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter.
2011 Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron.
2010 Chicago Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews.
The old adage that “defense wins championships” does not only apply to defensemen, but also to team defense as a whole.
Once a team gets deep into the playoffs, the offensive talent and skill is mind-boggling. This is why superstar centers need to play exceptional defense to give their teams a chance at Lord Stanley’s Cup.
3. Stay Healthy
I’m not even going to tell you how many man-games the Penguins lost to injury last year. Most of that was during the regular season anyway. What I am going to say is that many Penguins were playing through tough injuries when they were eliminated from the playoffs last year.
Sidney Crosby was battling a wrist injury that needed some serious physical therapy this offseason. The Penguins’ young defensive stud, Olli Maatta, had off-season shoulder surgery from an injury occurring during the 2014 playoffs.
Now, I’m sure every team had their fair share of injuries during the playoffs, but having Crosby and Maatta laboring didn’t do the Penguins any favors, especially in the Rangers series.
4. Depth Scoring
There is no doubt that the Penguins have a surplus of star power.
What they need to do in order to find long-term success in the NHL is compliment that star power with depth scoring.
When the playoffs come, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are going to be victims of some serious defensive match-ups, and it can be extremely tiring for your stars when they are constantly facing the other team’s best defensive pairings and best defensive forwards.
This is where guys like Brandon Sutter, Nick Spaling, and Marcel Goc need to exploit the other team’s lack of defensive depth.
5. Defensemen playing Defense
It’s great that the Penguins can get additional offensive production from their blue line, especially on the powerplay, but that isn’t really their job.
Their job is to play defense, protect their goalie, and limit the other teams scorers as much as possible.
There is a reason that “defense wins championships.” The Penguins need to focus on playing hard-nosed, shut down defense instead of having their blue-liners become a liability and must place a bigger scoring burden on the forwards.
6. Leadership
This might be one area where the Penguins are pretty solid. Crosby is arguably the best captain in the league, and even guys that don’t wear a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ on their chest still have intangible leadership skills.
Players like Sutter, Patric Hornqvist, and Paul Martin lead by example with their play on the ice and are vocal leaders off the ice.
The Penguins need to have a solid core of guys that can lead their team into battle, and it doesn’t have to be the same ones night in and night out.
7. Flower Power
You can’t win a championship in this league without great goaltending.
Marc-Andre Fleury has been having a career season, which is especially impressive considering that he normally has great regular seasons.
Furthermore, his ability to stay healthy and sharp between the pipes has gone unnoticed to this point in his career. Despite his solid play, he continues to improve every season.
The next step is to see him elevate his game even more in the playoffs. Then and only then can he be put in conversations with guys like Jonathan Quick, Henrik Lundqvist, and Tuuka Rask.
What do you think of the Penguins’ Stanley Cup chances this season, Pens fans? Comment below and let us know!