Feature Story

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a high caliber team that has done a great job this year making their way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a pre-season record of 45-28-9 and are currently in the Conference Finals for the Stanley Cup. Their trip through the playoffs though wasn’t easy as they played some great teams to get where they are now.
The Penguins started off their playoff journey playing against the Phillidelphia Flyers. They won the series 4 games to 2 to move on to the second round. Success was highly attributed to Evgeni Malkin and Sidney “The Kid” Crosby. Crosby, who is in his 4th season of being in the NHL, has shown remarkable skill on the ice as a leader for the team as well as having terrific solo play. In the second round they faced off against the Washington Capitals. It was an intense series with goals being exchanged back and forth by Crosby and the Capitals lead scorer Alexander Ovechkin. In the series 3 games weren’t decided until overtime and after 6 games the series was tied. The Penguins stepped up though in game 7 and beat the Capitals 6-2 knocking them out of the playoffs. In the third round the Penguins are facing off against the Carolina Hurricanes. So far the Penguins are dominating the series with 3 games under their belt and 1 more win needed to progress to the final round.
While the third round is not over I predict that the Penguins will sweep the Canes. They will most likely face off against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings have been dominating in their climb to the cup and the series should be one that is full of intense play by both teams. The Penguins have playoff goal scoring leader Sidney Crosby as well as playoff assist leader Evgeni Malkin on their side. Detroit may not have the top goal scorers on their team but they have such aggressive play on offense that can wear down any defense. They showed this prominently during their series with the Anaheim Ducks as they were able to power through the Ducks defense including Scott Neidermayer and Chris Pronger.
The Stanley cup playoffs this year have been a exciting ride for all fans and players alike. The final round should prove to be a great end to the season for both of the teams facing off. Hopefully all goes as planned and the Pittsburgh Penguins take home the cup to end a strong season.