Pens Labyrinth
Fansided

Pittsburgh Penguins: Who to Watch For in the Playoffs

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

Apr 9, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Carter Rowney (37) celebrates with teammates after his goal during the second period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Carter Rowney (37) celebrates with teammates after his goal during the second period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

It’s playoff time for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the boys are going to have to step up big.

If the Pittsburgh Penguins want to become back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, our guys are going to have to come up big. Among injuries, a lot of our usual key players are out, like Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin.

Nevertheless, there are still a few Penguins you will want to watch for to take control of their games big time.

Phil Kessel

Phil Kessel is a pretty obvious one. In last year’s playoffs, he led the entire Penguins team with 22 points (10 goals and 12 assists) in 24 games to help win the Stanley Cup. Now you can debate the Conn Smythe trophy winner, but it’s hard not to admit that without Kessel’s playoff performance, the Penguins arguably would not have won this Cup.

Going into his second playoffs with the Penguins, you can only expect more from him. He did even better in this regular season than last’s, and although the HBK line has been temporarily unavailable he has adapted to new line mates very well. Watch for him to take over games.

Conor Sheary

The kid did not dissapoint in his second season with the Penguins. After a simple 10 points in 44 games during last year’s regular season, he improved in the playoffs, putting up 10 points in 23 games.

This season, Sheary absolutely exploded, putting up 53 points in 61 games for the Penguins. With this kind of improvement for a 24-year-old, it’s hard not to expect an improved playoff performance.

Ron Hainsey

Amongst injuries to the Penguins blue line, Ron Hainsey was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes. Playing on the third defensive pairing, you may not initially expect much from him, but expect him to be looking to step his game up.

Hainsey is 36 with no playoff experience under his belt. You have to think he is hungry for that Stanley Cup. Let’s hope that hunger translates into production. Don’t be surprised if he gives it his all.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

Justin Schultz

With Kris Letang out indefinitely, somebody is going to have to step in and presume that number-one defenceman role. Enter Justin Schultz.

Justin Schultz had the potential to be an elite defenceman, and although things didn’t pan out exactly like that, he’s still 26 and has an abundant amount of skill.

This season, he has definitely shown off this skill, especially when we needed him most. He put up 51 points in 78 games as a defenceman this season. He is having his best season yet and is definitely showing off his desire to fill that number one defenceman role.

This playoffs, he will have to be the Penguins clutch factor. Teams don’t expect him to presume the number one role, but I’m sure he’ll surprise many.

Matt Murray

Matt Murray was absolutely phenomenal during last year’s playoffs, budding into a young star who wasn’t even a rookie yet.

Playing in 49 games this season, he did not disappoint posting a 2.41 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. With a full season finally under his belt, he’ll be looking to make an even bigger splash this post-season than he did last year. Be ready.

Sidney Crosby

Do I really have to tell you to watch him? Crosby has always been the show-stopped, especially during last year’s playoffs where he took home the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP. Expect amazing things from him as he tries to lead our team to glory once more.

Home/Penguins News