Sidney Crosby is good, and arguably the best hockey player in the world right now. Despite only playing 36 regular season games, the Penguins star nearly captured the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer. Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis managed 60 points, only four above Crosby, but it took him an additional 12 games to hit that mark.
However, with their trade acquisitions, and offensive depth, the Penguins are proving they don’t actually need the best player in the world.
Since being acquired, Jarome Iginla tallied 5 goals and 6 assists in 13 games played with the Penguins. Another acquisition, Brendon Morrow, has similar statistics. His 6 goals and 8 assists provided the Penguins with 14 points in 15 games down the stretch. Even Jussi Jokinen matched his 33 game production with the Hurricanes in only 11 games with Pittsburgh.
These are all late additions to the team, and do not include the regulars who have been producing all year. Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Chris Kunitz, Kris Letang, Pascal Dupuis, and the list goes on. This is a team that is rock solid, and at least as good as any other team – even without their captain.
As the Penguins playoff push began last night, they continued to prove that they can dominate. Their leader remained sidelined with a broken jaw, but the team carried on with a 5-0 victory. Rookie scoring came via Beau Bennet, Pascal Dupuis added two goals, and both Kris Letang and Tanner Glass tallied as well. The big names picked up assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury notched the sixth post-season shutout of his career.
The 5-0 victory came without Crosby, and even without Neal for much of the game. Pittsburgh has a tremendous amount of scoring depth, and will continue to show their dominance throughout the playoffs. Their efforts to build a dominant roster have appeared to pay off, and it is looking like all or nothing for the Pittsburgh Penguins this post-season. With the tools they have, it’s looking to me like another Stanley Cup is in their future.
