Pittsburgh is firmly entrenched in second place, and only three points out if first, in the Atlantic Division with 67 points based on their 33-20-1 record, which is also good enough for fourth place in the Eastern Conference and seventh in the entire NHL.
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As expected, the Penguins are led by franchise player Sidney Crosby, making his mark atop the team points and goals lists, ahead of fellow center Evgeni Malkin who has missed a few games due to injury; Crosby’s 67 points and 33 goals (both 3rd in NHL) lead Pittsburgh, while Malkin (53 points, 18 goals) leads in the assist column with 35.
The Pens undeniably have the offensive weapons to be considered as serious contenders for a second consecutive Stanley Cup, but it will be equally important for the defense to step up in support of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (26-14-1, 2.59 GAA, .908 SV%) if they truly wish to repeat.
The Penguins took a hard hit on the offense with the loss of forward Chris Kunitz (30 games, 20 points - 6 goals, 14 assists), who undergone surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle, and expected to be out until the middle or end of February. The Penguins recalled forward Luca Caputi from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to replace Kunitz, who had only 3 goals and 5 assists while playing injured in his last 14 games. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who has 33 points (8 goals, 25 assists) has returned from injury, and added a few more points back into the mix as well.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins have shown over the past few years, they can always be counted on to create their own ways of winning, and will most likely do so again in order to improve upon their two-game winning streak and most recent 6-4 ten game record. Make sure to always have tickets when this team takes the ice, because the Pens are always going to give it their all and provide some great NHL excitement wherever they go.
The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup on June 12th 2009. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings with a score of 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup championship final. The Game 7 victory was the first by a road team since 1971 and the first in professional sports since 1979. The Pittsburgh Penguins tickets will certainly be a must have in the coming season.