| Jeff Cargerman. 22nd December, 2008 - 11:36 am
 Even transcendent superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin cannot slow the bleeding to the Pittsburgh Penguins? season thus far. After a Stanley Cup Finals appearance last season, the Penguins are currently in 4th place in the Atlantic Division and check in at 7th place in the Eastern Conference playoff race with 38 points. The 9th place team, the Carolina Hurricanes, trail the Penguins by only 3 points.
One excuse for the Penguins? less than stellar record could be a Stanley Cup Finals appearance ?hangover.? In recent seasons, these so called ?hangovers? have plagued the Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers, all of which failed to live up to expectations the season following a Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
The more likely explanation for the Penguins woes up to this point can be attributed to the plethora of injuries sustained to key players. As important to a team as players like Crosby and Malkin are, the most important player on the ice is always the goaltender, and the Penguins are no different. The Penguins live and die by young netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, who has so far missed 16 games this season with injuries. Fleury has been terribly mediocre this season when he does play, but something can be said for a team?s confidence with having your No. 1 goaltender starting in net.
In games that Fleury has started this season, the Penguins are a solid 9-4-2. With all other goaltenders between the pipes, the Penguins are 8-7-2. Regardless of Fluery?s health the rest of the way, the Penguins still have Crosby and Malkin to limp into the playoffs. However, whether the Penguins can return to the Stanley Cup Finals lies solely on the shoulders of their franchise goaltender.
As much as that gets written and said about the Penguins? high powered offense, it was their defense they rode to 102 points last season and a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals. During the 07/08 regular season, Pittsburgh was 3rd in the Eastern Conference in Goals Against Average, giving up an average of 2.63 goals per game. They really turned it up during the postseason though, giving up an average of 1.85 goals per game in the Eastern Conference playoffs, securing them a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.
This season however, the Penguins are giving up an average of 3.03 goals per game. Pittsburgh has an abundance of talent on the blue line, but any team?s amount of talent is irrelevant if the talent never steps out onto the ice. Defenseman Ryan Whitney has been sidelined with a foot problem and has yet to play this season. Skilled blue liner Sergei Gonchar is currently out 4 to 6 months with a shoulder injury. Veteran defensemen Hal Gill and Mark Eaton have missed significant time, as well.
The defense?s play is critical to the Penguins? success. Having skilled defensemen like Whitney and Gonchar out with injuries results in less scoring chances for players like Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal. Their typically outstanding power play has been woefully average this season because of Gonchar?s absence on the point.
Every team goes through injury troubles in a season, but the injuries sustained to Penguins? players is close to knocking a seemingly loaded team out of the playoff picture. Pittsburgh has no control over who gets hurt and when, but they can hope that players like Whitney and Gonchar can come back sooner rather than later and that their franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury can stay on the ice and start performing up to his talent level. If the Penguins can get healed up by postseason play in April, the rest of the conference better take notice, because a healthy Pittsburgh has the talent and determination to be there when the Stanley Cup gets raised.
- Jeff Cargerman can be reached at cargs21@ksu.edu |
