Pittsburgh Penguins at a glance

Posted October 03, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

LAST SEASON: 48-26-8, 104 points. Finished 2nd in Metropolitan Division. Beat San Jose Sharks in six games to win Stanley Cup.

COACH: Mike Sullivan (second season, fourth NHL season).

ADDED: D David Warsofsky.

LOST: G Jeff Zatkoff, F Beau Bennett, D Ben Lovejoy.

PLAYER TO WATCH: C Sidney Crosby. Less than a year removed from a prolonged slump, the two-time MVP is on a major roll as he enters his 12th season. Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy while leading the Penguins to the franchise's fourth Cup and followed it up by being named the MVP of the World Cup of Hockey while leading Team Canada to a title. He averaged 1.32 points after Sullivan took over for Mike Johnston in mid-December, a pace that would have won him the scoring title over the course of a full season.

OUTLOOK: The Penguins did little to tinker with a formula that led them back to the top for the first time since 2009. Crosby and teammate Evgeni Malkin remain the heart of the franchise and there's plenty of young legs (and a few older ones) in key supporting roles. The biggest question will be how the goaltending situation gets settled between Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray, who backstopped the Penguins to the Cup after Fleury suffered a concussion late in the regular season.

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Hockey NHL Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.