With one round of the playoffs behind us and the next one looming, let’s take a look at which Pittsburgh Penguins really stepped up.
The Pittsburgh Penguins all but cruised through the first round of the playoffs against the New York Rangers. While the second game of the series was a bit of a speedbump, every other game showed the Penguins’ might.
Through the five games, nearly every forward and many of the defensemen chipped in offensively, picking up points and demonstrating the depth of the lineup. While those five games aren’t a huge sample size, it’s enough to look at a few players who went above and beyond the rest in their play.
Of course, not all of us as fans have the same opinion on who played the best – and that’s what makes this a fun discussion to have. Admittedly, some of us have become so desensitized to having two of the greatest players in the world, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, on our team that anything they do, no matter how great, is expected.
We asked, and you answered. In our twitter poll following the game four blowout, 69% of you said Matt Murray was the most impressive, while Malkin picked up 18% of the vote and Conor Sheary was close behind with 12%. Only 1% of fans said that a different player had a major impact in that game.
But again, that’s just one game. Each one in the series had a different player really shine, and to me, that’s really exciting.
Next: Golden Goalie(s)