2008-2009 Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
Crosby, Malkin, Fleury Continue to Carry Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are finally living up to expectations.
After last season’s trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were consequently dominated by a superior Detroit Red Wings team, the Pens were expected to make a waves in the postseason once again due to not just the fact they had a high rate of returning players and a wide range of All-Star skill, but also because they were going to be solid in all the key positions: a strong, veteran defense; a young, fast, highly skilled forward line led by two of the top three players in the league; and a dependable goalie.
The Baby Penguins
Another major factor for the lofty expectations was the experience that the young Penguins forward line gained as a result of their deep trip into the 2008 postseason. The Pens’ top eight forwards have an average age of 25 years old. In contrast, the Pens' top four defensemen average 29 years old.
Their Captain, Sidney Crosby, and Co-Assistant Captain, Evgeni Malkin, are 21 and 22, respectively. Their goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury is 24. What makes the age factor more impressive is the level at which their young stars play.
In only his second year in the league, 2007, Crosby won the Art Ross Trophy (top NHL scorer), the Hart Trophy (league MVP according to Professional Hockey Writers Association), and the Lester B. Pearson Award (league MVP according to players).
Malkin won the Calder Memorial Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year) in 2007 and the Art Ross Trophy in 2009.
Regular Season Turnaround
Through the first four and a half months of the season the Penguins did not live up to expectations.
Coach Michel Therrien’s locker room style grew tiresome on the team's star-studded lineup and their play showed it. Therrien demanded everyone on the team play stringent defense and some players did not respond well to the disciplinarian way. The Pens had compiled a 27-25-5 record and were buried at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race, five points out of the final spot.
However, after the coaching change – which brought Dan Bylsma, coach of the Penguins’s Wilkes-Barre, PA farm team, to the bench – the Pens went on a tear, winning 9 of their first 11 and 18 of their last 25. Bylsma turned the team back into an offense-oriented team and they finished 45-38-9; good enough for the fourth seed.
During the first round of the 2009 Playoffs, the Pens faced cross-state and inter-division rival, the fifth seeded Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh won the series 4-2, but their play varied at times. In Pittsburgh wins they outscored Philly 15-7, but were outscored by the Flyers 9-3 in games they lost.
The Kid vs. The Great
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the NHL received the series they craved: Alexander “The Great” Ovechkin (2009 Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award) and his Washington Capitals against Sid the Kid and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The series lived up to expectations as Crosby and Ovechkin clashed head on and carried their teams single-handedly.
Through the first two games, Penguin losses, Crosby tallied four of the Pens’ five goals while Ovechkin scored four of the Caps’ seven goals. Game two featured Crosby and Ovechkin each recording hat-tricks.
Games three though seven told a different story. Crosby received help from his teammates and recorded only four of 22 goals with five assists. Ovechkin also had four goals (and six assists) during that span, but his team only recorded 15 goals, comparatively.
After game three, Bylsma assigned defender Rob Scuderi to shadow Ovechkin’s every move. That, added to the emergence of Malkin, Fleury and forward Jordan Staal, proved enough to derail Alex The Great. The Penguins stopped relying solely on Crosby and stepped up to defeat the number two seed.
On the Brink
Now, the Penguins are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season and after a game one win over the Carolina Hurricanes, are primed for more than a “we’re just glad to be here” appearance in the Finals.
In game one the Penguins gutted out a 3-2 win despite subpar play from their defense. However, Fleury (23 saves; several of the highlight variety) minded the net like a golden veteran and with goals from unlikely heroes, Miroslav Satan and Philippe Boucher (as well as Malkin), the Pens held out.
The Hurricanes will not go quietly, however, and the Penguins better not overlook them. Forward Eric Staal (Jordan’s older brother) is a scoring machine and ‘Cane’s goalie Cam Ward is one of the best in the game.
Nevertheless, the Penguins were supposed to be here. The Penguins are supposed to go to the Finals. Crosby and Malkin are supposed to be this good. Fleury is supposed to deflect everything in his path. Finally, the Penguins are playing like they were supposed to.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles