The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Ottawa Senators in game 7 on Thursday night to advance to their second straight Stanley Cup Finals.
The Eastern Conference brought a lot of ups and downs for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We had good games and bad games, but above all, we had many players step up and get us the wins when we needed them.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Let’s take a look at a few of our players who deserve credit for their efforts
Sidney Crosby
Our captain and our superstar. In this series against Ottawa, he put up six points in seven games, which included three goals. He led our team in more ways than one.
His spot on this list is almost guaranteed. No matter what, he will be the best player on our team and has contributed a lot.
Evgeni Malkin
Just like Crosby, Malkin is also a superstar that is currently leading the league in playoff scoring. Malkin also had six points in seven games this series. It’s important to note that he had an impressive three point game in game five which helped propel us to victory. Overall Malkin’s contributions were essential.
Trevor Daley
With the absence of Kris Letang this season, Justin Schultz had to assume the role of number one defenceman. Well with Justin Schultz also suffering from injury for this round, Trevor Daley had to step up.
He did exactly that and the Penguins defence were able to hold it together. Great efforts all around.
Marc-Andre Fleury/Matt Murray
With Matt Murray returning from injury, the pair of goalies split games throughout this round. They both played excellently as well in order to get us to the Finals.
So far in five starts, Matt Murray has put up a 1.35 goals against average and a .946% save percentage. Marc-Andre Fleury has played more games during these playoffs but has still put up a 2.56 goals against average and a .924% save percentage in 15 games.
Chris Kunitz
Chris Kunitz has been in a slump all playoffs long. Let’s face it, he wasn’t the best player on the ice all the time, but he makes this list for coming in clutch when we needed him.
Next: Penguins Defeat Senators
Game seven went to double overtime, and who was the one to win the game for us? Chris Kunitz. He was there when we needed him most and he definitely was a star in game seven.