Pittsburgh Penguins Preview | 
| Last Season | |
| Record | 45-28-9 |
| Points | 99 |
| Conference | 4th |
| League | 8th |
| Offense | 3.15 GPG (6th) |
| Defense | 2.84 GAA (17th) |
| Power Play | 17.2% (20th) |
| Penalty Kill | 82.7% (8th) |
| Points leader | Evgeni Malkin – 113 |
| Goals | Evgeni Malkin – 35 |
| Team Facts | |
| GM | Ray Shero |
| Coach | Dan Blysma |
| Arena | Mellon Arena |
| Capacity | 16,940 |
| 08/09 attendance | 16,975 (18th) |
| AHL Affiliate | W-B/Scranton |
Departures
Philippe Boucher, Mathieu Garon, Hal Gill, Miroslav Satan, Petr Sykora, Rob Scuderi, Mike Zigomanis
Arrivals
Michael Rupp, Chris Conner, Jay McKee, Nate Guenin, Brent Johnson
Forwards
The Pens are the deepest team in the NHL at the center position. Jordan Staal would be a number two guy at least on most teams. He showed just how good a shut down guy he can be in the finals when he was matched up against Datsyuk and Zetterberg.
Every season we hear that Malkin and Crosby need wingers to play with. Well they still don’t have anyone special and they still put up 113 and 103 points respectively. Although Guerin and Kunitz are upgrades.
The losses of Sykora and Satan won’t sting especially after each only had spot duty during the playoffs.
Luca Caputi and Eric Tangradi will see some action this season and they will be on the top lines. However both will start with the baby Pens.
If Talbot can score at half the pace he did in the playoffs (13 points over 24 games he had 22 over 75 games during the season) he could be a 25+ goal scorer along with Tyler Kennedy.
Defenseman
This is the only position where anybody of significance was lost. Both shut down guys, Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi bolted on July first. The loss creates a permanent spot for offensive whiz Alex Goligoski who played in 45 games last season when Gonchar was out. Spkering of Gonch, how scary is this powerplay going to be with him back for a full season. Veteran Jay McKee will help fill the void left by Scuderi, who was made famous by his huge goal line save in game six of the finals.
Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury was rushed into the NHL at 18 but over the past two season the 25-year-old has proven that he’s a winner. He got rid of the yellow pads and no longer relies as much on pure athletic ability. the most games he’s played in a season is 67 which seems to suit him fine. Brent Johnson is a solid back-up and will give Flower the rest he’ll need this season.
Strengths
- Having Crosby and Malkin on the same team is a strength being able to put them out at the same time with Gonchar on the blueline is just plain mean to the opposition.
- The PowerPlay on this team is going to be at the top of the league. Having Blysma as a coach for a full season will help. Malkin and Crosby if both stay healthy will be one two in scoring.
- Fleury has come in to his own over the past two seasons. He’s no longer remembered as the goalie that tripped skating onto the ice at Joe Louis or the guy that lost the gold medal in Grand Forks.
Weaknesses
- No matter how much Leafs’ fans didn’t like him, Hal Gill was a valuable commodity in Pittsburgh he and Scuderi will be sorely missed as shut down guys. Especially when one of their replacements is an offensive guy.
- The Pens have gone to back-to-back finals. Fatigue is going to set in for a few players. Crsoby and Malkin will be playing in the Olympics as well. Watch for Blysma to limit their ice-time if he can afford to do so.
Analysis
It’s going to be an exciting season in Pittsburgh. Once Michel Therrien left the Pens started playing a very in-your-face fast paced game which suits their players much better. Goal scoring will not be hard to come by. But expect a mid-season slump due to pure fatigue. They’ll rebound and challenge to be the first back-to-back champions since the Wings did it in ‘97 and ‘98.
Prediction: 4th in the East
Topics: Alex Goligoski, Chris Kunitz, Dan Bylsma, Eric Tangradi, Evgeni Malkin, Luca Caputi, Maxim Talbot, NHL Preview, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy
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