Pittsburgh Penguins Playoff Outlook

Now that the arena deal has finally been made, Pittsburgh Penguins fans can focus on the team's next big step - the playoffs. Since the Pittsburgh Penguins have not been in the playoffs since 2001, the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff outlook is especially exciting. With the Pittsburgh Penguins playing particularly well this year, winning 25 out of their last 36 games, it seems as though they should have a good chance of making a fairly strong playoff showing. So, what should fans expect from the 2007 Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run?

First, fans should anticipate that the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run will consist of exciting and close games. Note that nine of their first 11 games in March had been decided by one goal, with seven of these games going into an overtime period. While the Penguins had had issues with shootouts at the beginning of the year, shootouts should actually be one of their strong suits, as the Penguins won five of their six shootouts in March.

Fans should also expect to see more amazing plays from the team's young talent during the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run. With the league's leading scorer (Sidney Crosby) and the league's leading rookie (Evgeni Malkin), the Penguins certainly have a lot of star power. Strong short-handed goal scorer Jordan Staal, shootout star Erik Christensen, and goal Marc-Andre Fleury are others who will be key players in the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run.

With their youth comes many questions about how the Penguins will perform when faced with the added pressure that the playoffs will bring. The team has certainly shown poise throughout their recent winning stretch. Many have said that this close-knit team is having a lot of fun and should not have an issue with pressure during the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run. Seasoned veterans such as Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts will certainly provide a great deal of leadership during this time, helping to keep the team grounded throughout the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run. You may be interested to know that these veterans have provided leadership on and off the ice, with young players living with more experienced players and their families throughout the season (Sidney Crosby lives with former Penguin Mario Lemieux, Evgeni Malkin lives with Sergei Gonchar, and Jordan Staal lives with Mark Recchi). This certainly helps with team bonding and also has helped the younger players to mature more quickly, which will further help the team's chances during the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run.

The overall position on the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff outlook is that they should perform strongly, as long as they can maintain their strength, focus, and poise. It will be interesting to see how this young team holds up during their first of many playoff runs.