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Mark Madden: Thought to be a borderline playoff team, Penguins suddenly see sky as the limit | TribLIVE.com
Mark Madden, Columnist

Mark Madden: Thought to be a borderline playoff team, Penguins suddenly see sky as the limit

Mark Madden
3800322_web1_3796549-19bcadaac4e6415ca69ba6d16fdd0dce
AP
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (59) works for the puck against Washington Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Washington.

Thursday was a great day for hockey. (Sky point to Badger Bob Johnson.)

The Philadelphia Flyers got eliminated from playoff contention and will not win the Stanley Cup for a 46th straight season. Please, God, let them (and me) make it to 50 years in 2025. Have you ever seen the Flyers win the Cup?

The Penguins clinched a postseason berth for a 15th straight season. That’s the longest active streak in the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. It includes three championships and another trip to the finals. The Penguins are the top organization in Pittsburgh, and among the best in all of sports.

The Penguins are tied with Washington for first place in the East division, but the Capitals have a game in hand. (Bad move giving away that loser point Thursday at D.C. with 15 seconds left.)

It hasn’t been easy. But it also hasn’t been as difficult as projected.

The Penguins were thought by most to be a borderline playoff team entering the year. That was reasonable given the core’s age and the disappointment of the last two seasons.

So, what happened?

• Sidney Crosby, at 33, has been amazing. He might be an MVP finalist but won’t win it because of Connor McJesus’ exploits in the Canadian Minor Professional Hockey League. (That’s OK. That award’s been invalid since 1989.) But Crosby’s 200-foot game is at its peak, and he’s at a point per game or better for a 16th straight season. (That’s all of his seasons.)

• Crosby has elevated linemates Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. But they’re partners, not props. Guentzel is only three points behind Crosby and leads the Penguins with seven game-winners. Rust continues to be self-made, the bottom-six wing turned goal-scoring star. Guentzel is arguably Crosby’s best linemate ever and this is arguably Crosby’s best line ever.

• When the Penguins struggle, they often lack a certain energy. But that hasn’t often been the case this year thanks to Teddy Blueger, Brandon Tanev and Zach Aston-Reese. When healthy and together, that line really is akin to the New York Islanders’ famous fourth line of Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin. Frederick Gaudreau is that type of player, too.

• Kris Letang, at 34, is having a tremendous year: 40 points in 50 games. Crosby is the team’s MVP, but Letang is second. Letang’s partner, Brian Dumoulin, gives Letang the platform to take chances. The Penguins are 25-8-3 with Dumoulin in the lineup, 8-7 without.

• Cody Ceci and Mike Matheson were plucked off the scrap heap by ex-GM Jim Rutherford and have become a solid No. 2 pair, racing past John Marino and Marcus Pettersson in both importance and ice time. (Marino and Pettersson aren’t bad. They’re just not as good.) Ceci is solid defensively with surprising puck acumen. Matheson’s skating, skill and unpredictability make him a needed X factor, and his defense has improved greatly.

• The whole of the defensive corps is greater than the sum of the parts. It’s just not a worry.

• The goaltending hasn’t always been stellar. But it’s mostly been good enough.

• The power play sits 10th in the NHL with a 22.1 conversion percentage. It’s not only scoring consistently since moving Crosby to the right half-wall and adding a shooter in Jared McCann, it generates momentum when it doesn’t. That’s what a power play is supposed to do.

• The Penguins have scored a franchise-record 15 empty-net goals. That might sound trivial, but look what happened Thursday night when they couldn’t hit the vacated cage. That’s a lot of points insured. Put games away when you’ve got the chance.

• The Penguins are as systemically sound as they’ve ever been. They play 200 feet. They manage score and situation. They weigh risk vs. reward. They rarely do dumb stuff. Credit to Mike Sullivan for perhaps his best coaching job, and to the players for buying in — including some that might prefer not to, like Letang. Letang has played smart hockey without betraying his talent.

Now, the Penguins get Evgeni Malkin back. Kasperi Kapanen has returned, and he’s sizzling.

The sky seems the limit.

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Categories: Mark Madden Columns | Penguins/NHL | Sports
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