Internet Hotstove is a series where Last Word On Sports asks the opinions of respected bloggers from around the internet about their team’s chances in the 2013-14 NHL Playoffs. The goal is to get a broad view of opinion from around the league as an alternative to other playoff previews.
After a trade deadline in which they acquired Brenden Morrow, Jerome Iginla and Doug Murray it became very hard to pick against the Pittsburgh Penguins as Stanley Cup Champions. But in the first round they proved they maybe they weren’t as strong as everyone thought they were, having big difficulty with John Tavares and the New York Islanders. This year they come in with far less external expectations, the 1b of the Eastern Conference. But underestimating the Penguins is a very bad move, and could have dire consequences.
Meet the Bloggers:
Ian Altenbaugh- Penguins writer for HockeysFuture.Com @IanAltenbaugh
Sean Griffin- Penguins writer for TheHockeyWriters.Com @griffTHW
1. Who is the Penguins playoff x-factor?
Altenbaugh: Evgeni Malkin. They are a much different, much better, team with him in the lineup. Even if he is not at full strength, Malkin’s presence in the lineup forces matchup problems for the opposition. Without Malkin, the Penguins are not a major offensive threat.
Griffin: The easy answer is Marc-Andre Fleury. Because, at the end of the day, this club will only go as far as the oft-maligned goaltender can take them. It’s hard to imagine Jeff Zatkoff or Tomas Vokoun stepping in this year and carrying the Pens on another long playoff run so it’s likely up to Fleury. Consequently, if The Flower can regain the form that helped carry Pittsburgh to back-to-back Cup Finals in 2008 & 2009, the Penguins have a shot to make some noise this spring. Otherwise, Western Pennsylvania is in for another long summer.
What I’m curious to see, though, is how the third line performs once the playoffs begin and the Penguins ice (in theory) a mostly healthy lineup. Specifically, can Lee Stempniak (or possibly Beau Bennett) team up with Brandon Sutter to comprise part of a more productive unit than we saw during the regular season? If they can consistently chip in some offense (or, at the very least, help improve upon the bottom-six possession numbers), it will go a long way toward avoiding the kind of disastrous exit Pittsburgh suffered last year at the hands of the Bruins.
2. Marc-Andre Fluery has struggled heavily in the post season the past two years. Do you think he is ready this year?
Altenbaugh: Fleury has a new goaltending coach, new pre-game routine, and no veteran backup pushing him for starts, so his situation is different than in the past. That said, the Penguins will not go far without strong play from The Flower.
Griffin: That’s the million dollar question in Pittsburgh this spring. Time will tell if Fleury finally exorcises his recent postseason demons but he certainly appears ready. The Flower played a huge part in Pittsburgh’s Metropolitan crown, backstopping a squad that overcame an absurd amount of injuries/illnesses to win the division in a landslide. The veteran goaltender finished tied for second in the league in wins (39) while his five shutouts tied a career high.
Still, regular season success is nothing new for Fleury so we’ll have to wait and see how he responds to the pressure of the playoffs. I will say, however, while fans and the media still have their doubts, those questions all end when you enter the Pittsburgh facilities. Whether it’s the front office, the coaching staff or Fleury’s teammates, everyone in the organization seems to have faith that Fleury is capable and ready to return to postseason prominence.
3. How important is a healthy Kris Letang to the Penguins in the playoffs?
Altenbaugh: Letang’s value to the roster goes extremely deep. The Pens have smoother zone exits and entries with him in the lineup. His presence (along with Paul Martin) takes considerable pressure off Matt Niskanen and Olli Maatta. Letang allows the Penguins to get the puck out of their zone much quicker. His presence is also hugely beneficial to partner Rob Scuderi, who has been getting pinned in his own zone a lot.
Griffin: I’ll actually have a more detailed piece on this at pensinitiative.com on Thursday but, in short, a healthy Letang is just what the Penguins needed heading into the playoffs. 58 brings a dynamic to the Pittsburgh blue line that’s virtually non-existent without him in the lineup, provides additional offense for a generally top-heavy squad and eats up minutes like few can. Without question, Letang makes this team a more formidable opponent.
4. Many are not taking the Penguins as seriously as usual in this year’s playoffs, is that a mistake?
Altenbaugh: Many in the media are not viewing the Penguins as Stanley Cup front-runners, but they are considered one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Rest assure, other teams are paying attention to them, paying attention to how Letang and Martin have returned to the lineup, as well as keeping tabs on Malkin’s status. Nobody, including Boston, wants to play the Penguins in the playoffs. But they are definitely not the favorites to win it all. That would probably go to Boston. Except for the Bruins, every top team has issues in their lineup, from Anaheim’s goaltending, to the injuries to the top-six forwards in St. Louis, a lot of top teams are going into the post-season in less than ideal situations.
Griffin: I don’t know that “mistake” is the right word. This is a team that’s been heavily favored for a couple of years now and they’ve consistently come up short. Until they actually prove they should be considered the favorite, I don’t think it’s necessarily a mistake to question the Penguins.
That being said, I think people taking Pittsburgh less seriously and questioning the team could work wonders for this group. Entering the playoffs without many expectations, with fans and pundits doubting them, could serve as motivation for a group that underachieved as favorites the past couple of seasons. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll win but, for a team with the potential to be as dangerous as virtually anyone, it could provide an edge that’s been missing during recent playoff disappointments.
5. How far do you see the Penguins going in the 2013-14 Playoffs?
Altenbaugh: The playoffs can be a tricky beast. It largely depends on the health of Malkin. There is never any guarantee, but with a mostly healthy lineup, including Malkin, the Penguins should be able to at least go deeply into the second round of the playoffs, if not the conference finals. Anything short of an appearance in the conference finals will be considered a failure in the eyes of most fans.
Griffin: First off, I think the Blue Jackets have the potential to provide a tougher test than a lot of people anticipate. But, ultimately, with so much seemingly on the line this year, I just don’t see a first round upset in the cards.
Outside of that, though, little would truly surprise me. A lot will depend on match-ups and goaltending. With all the question marks heading into the playoffs, a second round exit wouldn’t be all that shocking. But, at the same time, a suddenly healthy (relatively) Pittsburgh squad could surprise the masses en route to another trip to the Cup Final if all the cards fall into place. Time will tell.
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