Wed Sep 24 14:28:47 2008

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2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins Preview

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(Sports Network) - Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins reached the NHL's biggest stage earlier than expected, but can the team get back to the Stanley Cup finals this year?

One thing that hurts Pittsburgh's chances to repeat as Eastern Conference champions this year is that winger Marian Hossa will not be back for another playoff run with the Pens. Hossa was acquired by Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero at last year's deadline, but opted to sign a one-year deal in the offseason with Detroit, the club who defeated the Penguins for the Stanley Cup last spring.

Still, with superstar centermen Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in tow as well as franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins plan on being Cup contenders for years to come.

Shero may not have had the cash to lure Hossa back to the Igloo, but did land a handful of new wingers in the offseason for Crosby and Malkin to play with, including former 30-goal scorer Miroslav Satan.

Pittsburgh plans on competing for the top seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing second to Montreal a year ago. With the firepower at the Pens' disposal, that seems like a task well within their reach.

FORWARDS - Two seasons ago Crosby became the youngest scoring champion in the history of major North American professional sports and was also named league MVP by winning both the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award.

Last year, captain Crosby missed nearly 30 games and the Penguins were still able to win the tough Atlantic Division. How did they do that, you ask? Well, Pittsburgh also happens to possess a second MVP-caliber centermen in the 22- year-old Evgeni Malkin, who finished with 106 points (47 goals, 59 assists) in 2007-08 to place second behind Washington's Alexander Ovechkin for both the scoring title and voting for the Hart Trophy.

Malkin, the league's top rookie in 2006-07, also had 22 points (10g, 12a) in 20 postseason games for Pittsburgh, but he ran out of steam in the end, recording just five points in the Pens' last 10 games of the tournament.

The Penguins signed Malkin to a five-year, $43.5 million deal in the offseason.

Crosby, 21, was able to turn in 72 points (24g, 48a) despite playing in just 53 regular-season games in 2007-08 after suffering a severe sprain in his right ankle. "Sid the Kid" was exceptional in the postseason, tying Detroit's Conn Smythe winner Henrik Zetterberg for the most points in the playoffs with 27.

The loss of Hossa ended the three-headed monster approach that worked so well in the playoffs for the Penguins, and the arrival of Satan will not replace that scoring but could help ease the loss of Ryan Malone.

Malone had 27 goals and 51 points last season for Pittsburgh, but the Pens traded the rights to the left winger to Tampa Bay this past summer. Satan, a right wing, had just 16 goals and 41 points for the New York Islanders in 2007-08, but playing with either Crosby or Malkin could help the 33-year-old Slovakian to record his fifth NHL season with 30 goals or more.

Like Satan, left winger Ruslan Fedotenko played with the Isles in 2007-08 before signing with the Pens in the offseason. Fedotenko, who had a career- high 26 goals with Tampa in 2005-06, recorded 33 points (16g, 17a) in 67 contests with New York last year. The Russian forward should also benefit greatly from playing on one of Pittsburgh's top two lines.

Right wing Petr Sykora will be back in the Steel City again after turning in a solid campaign with 28 goals and 63 points a year ago.

With Malone gone, the likely candidate to take his spot on Pittsburgh's formidable power play will be 20-year-old forward Jordan Staal, who had 29 goals as a rookie in 2006-07, but fell to just 12 goals and 28 total points last season. At 6-4, 220 pounds Staal would be an ideal skater to place in front of the opposing goaltender during man-advantage situations.

DEFENSE - The Penguins defense will start the season shorthanded after suffering injuries to their top-two blueliners.

Ryan Whitney is expected to be out until January after undergoing surgery on his left foot last month, while Sergei Gonchar sustained a shoulder injury in a preseason game and is scheduled to undergo an MRI. If Gonchar misses considerable time, it could spell big problems for Pittsburgh's power play.

The loss of Whitney and the potential absence of Gonchar does not bode well for the Penguins. In fact, after Malkin and Crosby the highest-scoring player on last year's edition of the Penguins was Gonchar.

Gonchar notched 12 goals, including eight power-play tallies, and totaled 65 points in 78 contests. The Russian veteran also was a plus-13 to lead all Pittsburgh blueliners in that category.

Whitney is also a solid two-way defensemen and recorded 40 points (12g, 28a) for the Pens in 2007-08.

If Gonchar is out for long, the Penguins could look to Kris Letang to play an increased role on the power play. The 21-year-old was a rookie in 2007-08, when he notched 17 points (6g, 11a) in 63 games.

The injuries could also lead to a job for 23-year-old Alex Goligoski, who is a well-regarded prospect with just three games of experience at the NHL level.

Unlike Gonchar and Whitney, Brooks Orpik plays more of a stay-at-home physical role on the Pittsburgh blue line. Orpik saw action in 78 games and was a plus-11 while also adding 11 points (1g, 10a).

Veterans Hal Gill, Darryl Sydor and Mark Eaton as well as fourth-year player Rob Scuderi are all expected to battle for minutes on the Pittsburgh blueline and a few of those skaters could receive increased roles due to the injury problems.

GOALTENDING - The Penguins have a series of high draft picks on offense in Crosby, Malkin and Staal so it's easy to forget that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2003 draft.

Fleury had a breakout regular season with 40 wins in 2006-07, but a serious ankle injury limited the 23-year-old to just 35 games a year ago. The Quebec native was 19-10-2 with a 2.32 goals against average and .921 save percentage last year.

Fleury was healthy down the stretch and also turned in a superb playoff run, going 14-6 with three shutouts, a 1.97 GAA and .933 save percentage.

Dany Sabourin will back up Fleury this year after posting a 10-9-1 record to go with a 2.75 GAA and .904 save percentage in 24 games with the Penguins last year.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Not being able to deliver a second year with Hossa was a letdown and the mounting injuries on defense could take their toll, especially if Gonchar's shoulder problem turns out to be serious. Still, the Penguins were not only able to survive the loss of Crosby for a lengthy time last year, but won the division as well. Expect the Penguins to make another deep postseason run and possibly challenge for the Stanley Cup crown.