Melissa Nelson
1. Matt Murray/Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Pens made the most of their last year with two superb goaltenders. When Murray was injured in the warmups before game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Fleury stepped up. When Fleury was pulled against the Washington Capitals, Murray was solid in relief. Both goalies had great stats. Fleury finished the postseason with a .924 save percentage and 2.56 GAA. Murray ended the year with a .937 save percentage and 1.70 GAA. No way do the Penguins repeat as Cup champs without such great goaltenders.
2. Evgeni Malkin.
Geno is always a force to be reckoned with. He finished the postseason with the most points (28), second in goals (10) behind Jake Guentzel, and second in assists (18) behind Sidney Crosby. He also finished eighth in plus/minus with a rating of +9. Malkin was tied with Phil Kessel for most power play points at 11. Geno is fantastic, dynamic player that rarely gets the credit he deserves.
3. Mike Sullivan.
It’s obvious that the Penguins have flourished under Sullivan’s coaching. Under him, the Pens have a remarkable win percentage of .653. In the regular season, Sullivan’s win percentage is .670. He stepped in when the Penguins were struggling under Mike Johnston and won two Stanley Cups in a row. Sullivan has out-coached every opponent the Pens have faced. He faced the biggest challenge against Guy Boucher and the Ottawa Senators, but came out on top.