Round 1 Preview Wings #3 vs Pens #6
In an interesting round 1 matchup the Atlantic Division Champions Detroit Red Wings play the 3rd seed in the Metro Division the Pittsburgh Penguins
Scoring:
Wings 4th in CPHL 242 goals
Pens 13th in CPHL 210 goals
Edge: Wings
Defense/Goaltending:
Wings 6th in CPHL with 199 goals against
Pens 1st in CPHL with 181 goals against
Edge: Pens
Key Players:
Wings
Dustin Brown - lead the team with 63 points adds a physical element
Gabriel Landeskog - Faces his old team with something to prove
Freddie Anderson - Will need to make key saves
Pens
Matt Murray/Marc Andre Fleury - Will need to build off the regular season success
Patrick Kane - Had a off year and will need to prove himself in the playoffs
Erik Karlsson - Powerplays will be key in this series and Karlsson anchors the Pens top unit.
Keys to the series: The Pens D is top unit in the league during the regular season with a top 4 of Pietroangelo, Subban, Karlsson and Provorov combining for 197 points while allowing the leagues fewest goals. They will need to lead the way in front of the goalie duo of Fleury and Murray who are both capable of winning games.
The Wings have the makeup of a great sim team and will be hard to beat. If they get key saves from Anderson the Pens will have a tough time, as their offense was medicore during the season.
I really think this series will come down to one goal games. Key scoring and saves will be the key and whatever team gets the most will move on.
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