Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 Preview & Predictions

Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

2009-10 record: 47-28-7
Shootout Record: 8-2
Division Finish: 2nd, Atlantic
Conference Finish: 4th, Eastern
Goals For: 257
Goals Against: 237

Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 Preview

The Consol Energy Center, new home of the Penguins, will not be waiting long to host its first playoff games.

A Pittsburgh team that saw its quest of repeating as Stanley Cup champions in 2010 halted in the second round will take up residence in its new rink in October and be on a mission to get back in the Final while its talented core is still together.

The new digs, which cost an estimated $321 million US, will replace Mellon Arena, which was the oldest rink in the League, having been built a few years prior to the Pens’ arrival in the 1967 expansion.

Consol will seat 18,087 for hockey, the last two numerals a nod to the player, Sidney Crosby, who kept the last house filled almost every night and helped to get this one built. The young superstar and Hart Trophy finalist Will be among the most motivated of all, as he was kept to a mortal 19 points in 13 playoff games and held in check for large parts of the conference semifinal against Montreal.

But he had 109 regular season points, 51 of them goals, and continued to mature into the team’s leader in every capacity, while serving as unofficial League ambassador.

Not resting on his 103 points in ’08-09, Crosby worked hard at honing his shot and was thus able to jump 18 goals, having never reached 40 in his first four seasons. He shared the Maurice Richard Trophy with Steven Starnkos of Tampa and was beaten for the MVP by Henrik Sedin, as Crosby’s field of rivals widened from Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals.

Sid the Kid also devoted extra time to his work on face offs as well and won 55.9%, up from his previous best of 51% and rising to 11th best in the League.

Helping Crosby right the ship again will be Evgeni Malkin, looking to bounce back from an injury-marred 77-point year. The Conn Smythe Trophy winner a year earlier, Malkin also had a relatively quiet playoff as April led to May, other than getting four power-play goals.

General manager Ray Shero, in response to speculation that Malkin’s value had slipped, was quick to say he would not be taking any trade offers.

The shock of getting kayoed early in the tournament also was rough on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The man who made the Cup-saving stop late in Game 7 against Detroit in ’09 was expecting to be in the Final a third straight year, but vowed he’d go on an African safari rather than have to sit and watch other teams play for the Cup. He’ll be ready for redemption this autumn, too.

For coach Dan Bylsma, losing in seven to the Canadiens when up 3-2 in the set was the first time he lost a post-season series since taking the job here, so he, too, has something to prove.

Many thought the Pens simply hit a wall after playing too much hockey the past three seasons. In quest of a third visit to the Final, they had 246 regular season games and 57 playoff matches, plus 2010 Olympic Games duty for the likes of Crosby.

The Pens can playa little better team defense this year, with 237 goals against the second-highest of the 16 playoff teams, then giving up 38 more in 13 games in April and May.

Big changes are coming on the blueline with the productive Sergei Gonchar off to Ottawa and two steady men taking his place in Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. Yet newcomer Alex Goligoski did well as a plus-four performer in playoffs. Jordan Staal continues to give the Pens incredible depth down the middle with 49 points and a plus-19, earning a Selke nomination. Placing third among Pittsburgh forwards in ice time behind Malkin and Crosby, Staal played more short-handed minutes than any skater in the Eastern Conference.

2010 Pittsburgh Penguins Offense:

Crosby scored a total of 61 goals last year, if you count the regular season, playoffs and the last of his four Olympic goals that will be the talk of the hockey world the next four years. As long as Malkin doesn’t miss 14 games again this year, he should be back to form, and though he doesn’t get the ink of the other two, Chris Kunitz was out 20 games, before closing strongly in the playoffs. The Pens were not 100% sure about bringing back players such as Bill Guerin for another year, but he had nine playoff points to up his career total to 74, after playing a 19th regular season. However, they did re-sign sparkplug Matt Cooke, who was a plus-17 and is an aggressive presence in the Penguins’ lineup. Ruslan Fedotenko is on thin ice, and though big winger Alexei Ponikarovsky added just one playoff goal after coming from Toronto, he’s been at or near 20 the past five regular seasons.

2010 Pittsburgh Penguins Defense:

Martin was a reliable component of the tight New Jersey system, while Michalek’s Coyotes were the surprise of the West last year, thanks in part to his strong work almost 23 minutes a night. The Minnesota-born Goligoski had a Cup ring for a half season’s service in ’09, but was a full contributor last season, coming behind Gonchar in most categories. Jordan Leopold, moved to his fourth team since the start of the 2008-09 season, had eight points in 20 games here, but was scoreless in just eight starts in the playoffs. Held to a mere three goals in the regular season, Kris Letang broke out for five in playoffs.

2010 Pittsburgh Penguins Goaltending:

Fleury was wincing at his .891 playoff save percentage all summer after leading the League in wins and minutes played the previous two springs. The Pens were in the League’s bottom half in goals-against average (2.87), but Fleury enters this term needing two wins for 150 in his career and not yet reaching his 26th birthday. He was invited as Team Canada’s third goalie and has a lot more to offer the Pens in the years to come. For the Inoment, his backup is Brent Johnson, who was a respectable 10-6-1, to reach double figures in wins in back to- back seasons for the first time since he broke in with St. Louis 10 years ago.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 Special Teams

Partly because of injuries, the CrosbyMalkin- Gonchar flying circus didn’t translate to a potent power play. Pittsburgh was 19th in the League, just barely above 17% efficiency and 13.4% on the road, allowing eight shorthanded goals. After Crosby, Malkin and Guerin’s combined 37 power-play markers, there wasn’t much to see. Malkin and Letang added four each in playoffs. Thanks in large part to Staal and the conference’s best road penalty killing in the regular season, Pittsburgh was a top 10 team in that department. Crosby, Malkin and Staal added two short-handed goals each.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 Season Predictions

The Pens are the latest in a long line of teams that failed to repeat as champions, but with the conference’s second-best offense and a healthy lineup, they should be back challenging for the Presidents’ Trophy and getting their home ice again for another run at the Cup.

We predict that the Pittsburgh Penguins will finish 2nd in the NHL Atlantic.

Pittsburgh Penguins Betting

Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Odds: +600
Pittsburgh Penguins Eastern Conference Odds: +275

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