Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Bringing the Cup back to the Burgh?

Most hockey fans know that last year was a disappointing one for the sport.  The lockout took almost half of the season away, many players were lost to injury because of their lack of conditioning, and the most dominant team in the league scored only 2 goals in a 4 game sweep in the eastern conference finals.  It seemed that during the whole season the Pittsburgh Penguins would not be stopped.  They were the highest scoring team in the league, and they were led by captain Sidney Crosby who even after he was hurt, sat on the scoring title for quite some time.  The Penguins breezed through the Playoffs, seeming destined to win the Stanley Cup.  Then, they met the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals.  The highest scoring offense in the league managed to put up 2 goals in 4 games against the Bruins.  This season however is looking different, after clearing up some space on their roster because of the salary cap (losing Iginla, Morrow, Kennedy, and nearly Kris Letang), the Penguins are back.  They have a few fresh faces like Chuck Kobasew and Olli Maata combined with their usual cast which includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, (the injured) James Neal, and Kris Letang.  Coach Dan Bylsma is looking to recreate the offensive success from last season combined with a new commitment to defense.  I guess we'll have to wait and see if this new strategy will help bring the Cup back to the Burgh.

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