Oct 4, 2009 6:18 am US/Eastern
Pittsburgh Penguins 2009-10 Preview
By: Casey Shea
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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Sidney Crosby No. 87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 2-1 to win Game 7 and the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena on June 12, 2009, in Detroit.
Harry How/Getty Images
The celebratory summer has come to a close for the Pittsburgh Penguins. On Friday, the Penguins will begin their season-long defense of the Stanley Cup.
For some, it may seem like just yesterday that Marc-Andre Fleury dove across the crease in desperation to rob Nicklas Lidstrom as the final horn sounded in Game 7.
However, the Penguins will have to put what happened last year behind them and shift their focus to the upcoming season if they wish to repeat as champions.
2008-09 Season In Review
The Penguins entered the 2008-09 campaign with a renewed sense of purpose and drive after suffering a six-game defeat in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Detroit Red Wings.
Gone was superstar forward Marian Hossa, who left to join the Red Wings. He was replaced by free agent signings Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko.
Also gone was Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone and fan favorite Gary Roberts. Both of whom had their rights traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning during the summer.
The beginning of the season was the beginning of the penultimate roller coaster ride for the 2008-09 campaign.
October was a slow month as the team went 5-4-2, but November was a different story as the Pens started the month 7-0-1 before losing 3-1 to Vancouver on Nov. 22.
They finished the month 9-2-1 and were riding high, but then something changed with the team. The confidence they had exuded to this point in the season was visibly shaken.
Bounces stopped going their way and teams started to pass them in the standings over the next three months. The culmination of the losing woes was on Feb. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The game was Sergei Gonchar's first of the season after suffering a shoulder injury during the pre-season. The Valentine's Day Masacre saw the Pens jump out to a 2-0 lead early and lead 2-1 after two periods before surrendering five goals in the third to lose 6-2.
The next day Michel Therrien was fired and replaced by Dan Bylsma, who had been coaching the AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre. He inherited a team that was 10th in the standings and in desperate need of change.
Bylsma installed a brand new system that utilized the team's strengths, being speed and skill. He brought with him an aggressive forechecking scheme that wreaked havoc on opponents.
The team seemed to respond well to Bylsma and went 5-0 for the first time in team history on a road trip from Feb. 27 to March 8, with wins against the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals.
They started the month of March 8-0-2 before dropping a game on March 22 to the Flyers 3-1, but went on to finish the month 10-1-2.
In April, the Penguins went 4-1-1 to finish the season with a 45-28-9 record, which was good for 99 points and a tie for the No. 4-seed in the playoffs.
Tied with the Penguins heading into the final day of the regular season was cross-state rival Philadelphia.
The Flyers only needed a win or overtime loss to have home-ice against the Pens in the opening round. The Rangers played the role of spoiler and defeated the Flyers 4-3 in regulation to give the Penguins home-ice.
Stanley Cup Playoffs
As with the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, the Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 series lead against Philadelphia.
The Flyers cut the deficit in half with a 6-3 win in Game 3, but the Penguins responded in Game 4 with a 3-1 win to push the Flyers to the brink of elimination.
In Game 5, goaltender Martin Biron made 28 saves to record the only shutout of the series and force a sixth game back in Philadelphia.
Game 6 was arguably the turning point for the Penguins' Stanley Cup dreams.
Trailing 3-0 in the second period and with a seventh game looming, Max Talbot decided to do something to spark his team.
He went up to Flyers' enforcer Daniel Carcillo and challenged him to a fight. Carcillo obliged and while he may have gotten the better of Talbot in the bout, the message Talbot sent to the team was louder than the raucous Wachovia Center crowd.
It was a message of never giving up, about finding a way to win and doing whatever it takes to come out on top.
As Talbot raised his finger to his lips to quiet the home crowd, the Penguins bench came alive.
Just 14 seconds after the fight, Fedotenko scored to make it 3-1. Shortly after that, Eaton found the back of the net to pull the Penguins within one and with 3:01 remaining in the period, Sidney Crosby put the Flyers on life-support with his game-tying goal.
In the third period, the Penguins wasted no time asserting themselves, as Gonchar scored 2:01 into the final frame to put the Pens ahead for good and send the Flyers packing in front of their own fans.
Up next were the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin.
The Caps took the first two games of the series, which forced the Penguins to respond or face an early exit.
In Game 3, Kristopher Letang banked a shot off the post for the game-winning goal in overtime and a 5-3 win in Game 4 sent the series back to Washington tied at 2-2.
Game 5 was not decided in regulation and a fortunate bounce off an attempted Evgeni Malkin pass to Crosby went off a Capitals' stick and through the legs of goaltender Semyon Varlamov to give the Penguins a chance to end the series on home-ice.
As with Games 3 and 5, Game 6 went to overtime, but this time the Penguins came out on the short end of things as Marc-Andre Fleury lost the first playoff overtime game of his career 5-4 setting up a seventh game on the road.
In what should have been a capstone to an epic series, one play turned the tide.
Early on in the first period, Ovechkin walked in on a breakaway against Fleury, who made a remarkable save to keep the game scoreless. That big spark was all the Pens needed as they opened up the floodgates and comfortably won the game 6-2.
The Eastern Conference Finals pitted Jordan Staal against older brother Eric and the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes reached the finals by defeating the New Jersey Devils and top-seeded Boston Bruins in seven game series.
Their fatigue showed as the Penguins dominated the series and swept the Hurricanes to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight year.
Their opponent would once again be the Detroit Red Wings, who were now armed with a familiar face in Hossa.
Stanley Cup Finals
Through three games the script remained the same from 2008. The Wings took the first two games on home-ice thanks to some fortunate bounces and the Penguins took Game 3 at the Mellon Arena.
However, the script changed in Game 4 as the Penguins evened up the series with a 4-2 win. Jordan Staal's shorthanded goal in the second period tied the game and may very well have turned the tide in the series.
Riding high and with the series tied at 2-2 the Penguins went back to Detroit for Game 5 looking for a win and a chance to win the Stanley Cup in front of the home crowd.
They came out buzzing, but Chris Osgood held the fort. The Penguins then got away from their game and started taking too many penalties.
Detroit capitalized early and often and chased Fleury from the pipes en route to a 5-0 win and an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup at the Mellon Arena for the second straight year.
As it turns out, Fleury was saving his best playoff performances for the final two games and he got some help from his teammates as well.
Leading 2-1 in the final moments of Game 6, Detroit was banging away at a loose puck in the crease. Fleury was not the one making the saves, however. It was Rob Scuderi with a Steel Curtain-esque goalline stand that forced a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Detroit.
The spotlight shifted to the some of the game's brightest stars for Game 7. Expectations were high for Crosby, Malkin and Fleury to rise to the occasion if the Pens were going to win.
While Fleury stood on his head, it was not Crosby or Malkin who took over the game. Crosby was injured in the second period and was only able to play one shift in the third.
The hero was Talbot and his two goals in the second period that gave Fleury all the support he would need.
Fleury did get some help from the crossbar in the final minutes, but his diving save on Lidstrom sealed the win and the third title in team history.
KDKA-TV's Expert Predictions
Bob Pompeani- For the first time in 17 years, the Penguins have hoisted the Stanley Cup. Don't look for it to take another 17 years before they do it again.
This team, as constructed, will be a perennial challenger. Unlike other teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, who are against the salary cap but don't have their two best young players signed long term. The Penguins have already taken care of their most important players for the next four years.
Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Orpik and Staal will all be around for four to five years, which makes the Penguins the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. This does not, however, mean they will automatically get to the Stanley Cup Finals.
As we see in every professional sport, it takes everything to line up for a title to be won. They must stay away from significant injury. They must get lucky along the way. They must play their best hockey in April through June. That is not always guaranteed.
I see the Penguins biggest challenge coming from the Washington Capitals and it should be this way for many years to come, which should also be great for the sport.
Out west, the Chicago Blackhawk's, despite their financial future, will be the team to beat in that conference.
My prediction, the Penguins will take on Chicago and it should be a series for the ages.
Player To Watch In 2009-10
Marc-Andre Fleury – Now that the monkey is off his back, will the critics finally give him the credit he deserves? How will Fleury react after winning the Stanley Cup? Both are good questions, but if the Penguins are going to entertain thoughts of a repeat it will be Fleury's job to get them there.
Alex Goligoski – Gone are Scuderi and Hal Gill, so this year will be Goligoski's first full season in the NHL. He played 45 games with the Penguins last year and recorded six goals and 14 assists. He also saw time on the powerplay and figures to get more time on the man advantage this season. It's no secret he has offensive ability, but his play in the defensive zone will be closely watched.
Tyler Kennedy – With Talbot out of the lineup due to offseason shoulder surgery, Kennedy figures to be the guy to play on the second line with Malkin. Kennedy plays a similar style to Talbot and will continue to muck it up in the corners to win pucks and keep the pressure on opponents.
Key Games For 2009
Oct. 2, 2009 vs. New York Rangers – The Penguins open up the 2009-10 season at home against the Rangers. It will be a special night at the Mellon Arena as it will be the final season opener at the building before the team moves to the Consol Energy Center next season. The Penguins will also raise their third Stanley Cup championship banner to the rafters.
Jan. 31, 2010 At Detroit – The Penguins will return to the site where they won the Stanley Cup to take on the Red Wings. Chances are both teams will be ready to go and it should make for an interesting re-match.
Feb. 7, 2010 At Washington – This will be the first of four meetings between the Penguins and Capitals. Ovechkin and Co. have not forgotten their poor showing in Game 7 of their playoff series and will look to send a message.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Penguins 2009-10 Season In Pictures
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