Las Vegas says that the Pens have a 6/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup in 2013, they may be convinced, but I'm not. Ok so I'm a die hard Penguins fan, but I'm also a realist. I will never forget watching Sid the kid raise the cup in 2009 with his sorry excuse for a playoff beard (stash), but I'm not so sure that the Pens will be able to get it done in 2013. Am I wrong? I hope so. But here are a few things the Pens are lacking this year that the Stanley Cup winning 2009 team had.
A Shutdown D-pairing: Everyone remembers the series of a lifetime with the Washington Capitals in 2009. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin lit the lamp constantly, and everytime Ovi touched the puck it made me uncomfortable. But who kept Ovechkin under raps for parts of the series (namely game 7) cue Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. These two gentlemen were the heart and soul of the Penguins defense, and frankly were the reason that Ovi didn't singlehandedly eliminate the Pens. There are however, early season claims that Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik are the Pens shutdown pairing. Although Paul Martin's play through the first 8 games is promising, it remains to be seen if they have the ability to shutdown the top weapons of cup contenders.
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A Veteran Presence: In the 2008-2009 season Ray Shero ingeniously brought Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedotenko into the Pens organization. Pens fans remember the fireworks of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby but forget about the veteran voices in the locker room for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, these guys didn't lead the penguins in points or scoring in the 2009 playoffs, however they brought Stanley cup rings to the table. Ruslan Fedotenko scored the game winning goal for Tampa Bay in 2004 against the Calgary Flames (Game 7) to win his first Stanley cup. Bill Guerin won the Stanley cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995 and in 2009 was on the last legs of his playing career. You also can't forget about guys like Sergei Gonchar, Miroslav Satan, and Petr Sykora. I know what your thinking. "There are still guys on the Penguins that have won a Stanley cup" . True. But keep in mind these guys understood where they were in their careers, and that this could be their last chance at winning a championship. They brought a composure into the Penguins locker room. A composure that the Penguins severely lacked last year in their meltdown against the Flyers.
Third/Fourth Line Magic: Let me start this off by saying that Brandon Sutter is a great player. But is he capable of the same magic that Jordan Staal brought to the 2009 playoffs? It may be too early to tell. Draw from the memory bank Jordan Staal's shorthanded goal in game 4 of the finals. Before you call me an idiot, keep in mind that the respective third and fourth lines of the '09 Penguins generated a total of at least 20+ goals and 25+ assists during the course of the 09 playoffs. Can you see the combination of Kennedy-Sutter-Cooke and Glass-Adams-Vitale producing the same output. I don't.
In all reality there is plenty of time to prove me wrong, and frankly I hope I am wrong. I would love nothing more than to watch the Pens hoist their fourth Stanley cup in 2013, but I'm not convinced that it is very likely. Call me a pessimist, I actually consider myself an optimist. Ultimately if the Penguins can sustain an injury free year in a shortened season (doubtful) and they can play sound two way hockey I'm not sure there is anyone in the league that can touch them. When you possess two world class talents like Sid and Geno, you are a cup contender every year. Do they have all the pieces in place to make another run at the cup? I guess Ray Shero will decide.
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