It’s been three back to back down days. To dilute the Offseason Priorities posts, let’s take a look at the two Stanley Cup teams – the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins took a very hard path to get here, going through the remnants of a great team in the New York Rangers (done in five games), the President’s Cup winners and what should have been a great post-season team in the Washington Capitals (beaten in 6), and the Tampa Bay Lightning, looking to return to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals (defeated in 7). The Penguins were able to out muscle them, although they lost some good players along the way (Trevor Daley).
The Penguins lineup as it currently stands:
Connor Sheary – Sidney Crosby – Patric Hornqvist
Chris Kunitz – Evgeni Malkin – Bryan Rust
Carl Hagelin – Nick Bonino – Phil Kessel
Tom Kuhnhackl – Matt Cullen – Eric Fehr
Brian Dumoulin – Kris Letang
Olli Maatta – Ben Lovejoy
Ian Cole – Justin Schultz
Matt Murray
Despite the controversy that happened between goaltenders Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury (and the debate that in some parts still continue), Matt Murray should be the Penguins goaltender throughout this series, and heading into the future. He’s proved through three series that his play is not a fluke, and he’s one of the key members who got this team to where they are now.
The other key members are the third line of the Penguins, made up of Nick Bonino, Phil Kessel, and Carl Hagelin, all brought in within the last year, and the reason Jim Rutherford will be this year’s Executive of the Year. This line has been solid, playing out of their minds well since being put together by Mike Sullivan. Phil Kessel, if the Penguins get the Cup, will not only be the first (or second, if Crosby elects to give the Cup to 40 year old Matt Cullen) to get the Cup, but most likely the Conn Smythe winner. After a let down of a regular season, Kessel has done what the Penguins brought him in for and has gotten Pittsburgh over the hump. Quite simply, without Phil Kessel the Penguins might not make it out of either the Washington or Tampa series.
And the weak spot of the Penguins? Their defense is significantly less talented than the Sharks. The Sharks offense has faced tougher defenses in Nashville and St. Louis, and while the Penguins with Trevor Daley are a different story, the Penguins without him don’t have the depth on defense to step up to the depth the Sharks possess on offense.
Another downfall is the lack of Evgeni Malkin. Malkin has not played as well as the Penguins would have liked to this point, and it’s why Sullivan may consider switching the line order to give the dominant HBK line more time on ice.
Don’t get me wrong, Rust and Kunitz have played well, but without Evgeni Malkin, the highest paid Penguin, they don’t have as good a defense as they should have, and against a Sharks defense, it’s already going to be a tall order for the Penguins to score.
How the Penguins could win: Martin Jones can’t stand on his head, and the third line figures out the Sharks defense. Malkin finally steps up and Crosby and his line are significant players as well. Somehow, the Penguins defense and Matt Murray block enough shots to stop the Sharks from scoring more than the Penguins. The x-factor for the Penguins will be Evgeni Malkin. It’s possible for the Penguins to win, but the favorites are the San Jose Sharks.
2. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks path to the SCF has been equally hard as the Penguins. They’ve played the same number of games, and while the Penguins have gone through some great offenses, the Sharks have been facing great defenses. The Sharks beat the LA Kings in 5, beat the Nashville Predators in 7, and went through the Blues in 6, including two back-to-back shutouts. The Sharks showed they have what it takes to be a winner in the last two series, and have been able to dominate good teams throughout the playoffs, but have also shown an ability to lose close games.
The Sharks lineup as it currently stands:
Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Joonas Donskoi
Melker Karlsson – Chris Tierney – Joel Ward
Dainius Zubrus – Nick Spaling – Tommy Wingels
Paul Martin – Brett Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon – Roman Polak
Martin Jones
Having only been pulled once throughout the playoffs, Martin Jones should remain in net throughout the entire series for the San Jose Sharks. James Reimer is a great goalie, but he was brought in to be a backup, and a backup he shall be.
The strong spots of the Sharks are plentifold. From the depth of the defense, where the team is the most likely and capable to roll each defenseman 20 minutes, and give the others plenty of rest, to the offense, where the first line of Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski is active, quick, and smart, to the depth of the offense, with four/five capable centers (depending on whether the Sharks want to move Marleau to the third line and play center) and a truckload of wings, to Brett Burns, the last Norris contender left, and probably the best defenseman on either team.
The weak spots of this team are close games. That’s about it. If the offense can’t get going, and the defense isn’t clearing the paint, Martin Jones can’t do much on his own. If the Penguins are able to keep the games close, they could beat the Sharks in the dying seconds of games. The Penguins are a better overtime team than the Sharks, and that should be their goal. If the game ends in regulation, it will likely be a win for the Sharks.
And that’s how the Sharks win. They win in regulation. Their offense starts firing and they don’t stop. Pavelski and Thornton out maneuver the Penguins defense, the depth of the Sharks defense shows up and everybody scores, and the defense is able to restrain the speedy lines of the Penguins. The x-factor for the Sharks will be Paul Martin, and if he can step up as Burns’ counterpart as the defensive defenseman and help contain whatever line they are currently covering. The Sharks are the favorite to win the series, and I’ve stuck with them since round 2.
Sharks in 6.