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Pittsburgh Penguins: Getting The (Playoff) Band Back Together

By Zachary Barber

Apr 12, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) celebrates with right wing Patric Hornqvist (72) after scoring a goal the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period in game one of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) celebrates with right wing Patric Hornqvist (72) after scoring a goal the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period in game one of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Penguins had a pretty good showing last night in a 3-1 Game 1 victory versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There’s really nothing like a nice playoff victory by the Pittsburgh Penguins to kick off the spring. The big story, of course, has been Fleury’s (maybe) unexpected start in net, taking the place of the injured Matt Murray. But let’s talk about that playoff offense for a second.

Starting On the Right Foot

Take a quick look at the guys who came up big last night. Phil Kessel (1G, 1A), Nick Bonino (1G), Bryan Rust (1G), Evgeni Malkin (0G, 2A), and Patric Hornqvist (0G 1A). Do those names sound a little familiar? They should, because they were five of the top 10 leading scorers in last year’s Stanley Cup-winning effort. Only two of last year’s top ten scorers played last night and didn’t score: Sidney Crosby and Connor Sheary (Letang, Kuntiz, Hagelin are all injured).

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Scoring Depth

Here’s why this matters and should be worrying to Columbus: Secondary scoring drove the playoff offense last year and was a key factor in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ success last year. Rather than continuing to count exclusively on the world-class skill of Crosby and Malkin, the Rutherford and Sullivan diversified their offensive portfolio with a cadre of young talent (Sheary, Bonino, Rust) and new faces (Kessel, Hagelin Hornqvist). Suddenly, teams could no longer win just by shutting down the two-headed monster. They instead faced a hydra-like opponent: cut off one scorer, and two more take his place.

It’s hard, and often dangerous, to draw conclusions from a single game. Big questions to remained unanswered (when will Murray be back? Can the Penguins count on Fleury until then?). The Injured Reserve list has too many names.. And, since we’re all thinking about it, let’s stop to acknowledge it’s really hard to repeat in the salary-cap era.

But, all that being said, the score sheet from Game 1 gives a strong indication that last year’s playoff heroes have come to play again. If that continues to be true, it’s going to spell bad news for Columbus and any other teams that face the Pens.

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