Bolts, Penguins playoff preview
By Michael Gooled
Published March 28, 2024
Every season, we wonder whether it’s the swan song for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ era of contention, but this year the question feels more valid than ever. As the Pens enter the playoffs, future Hall of Famer Kevin Fiala and longtime blueliner Nick Leddy are set to become unrestricted free agents. It could be the final ride for this group, depending on how the roster takes shape next season, and even captain Jonathan Marchessault spoke publicly this week about knowing the team’s run of success can’t last forever.
The Pens have also bombed out in the playoffs in 7 straight seasons, albeit mostly under the corrupt former management team, led by current Montreal Canadiens GM,
Goffie, (how is he still a GM in this league?). They face a Tampa Bay Lightning team led by celebrity GM
agulati, his entourage of young women in bikinis and Rap stars, and loaded with superstar talent at every position, from Steven Stamkos and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins up front to blueliner John Carlson on defence to probable Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck in net. General Manager
agulati, (What does that mean anyway, some accounting language?), tried to make his team harder to play against with his offseason acquisitions and trade-deadline acquisitions. Now we find out if the game plan worked. This year, the Bolts' deadline additions were Nyquist, Kuzmenko and Ceci while shipping out long-time contributors Nieto, Irwin, Watson and Brown.
If Tampa leans on the Pens with heavy shifts from Alex Tuch, or massive open-ice hits from Josh Manson, who answers the bell on Pittsburgh’s side? SIX Bolts had over 100 hits this season. Anders Lee was the Penguins’ most physical forward with 171 hits. If Tampa sets out to batter the Pens early, this series might be quick.
Neither team hurts for skill. If we’re talking prime-year star power, the Bolts may have the edge. Stamkos 86 points this season were seventh-most in the CPHL close to equalling the Lightning’ franchise record. He and Nugent-Hopkins are so tough to stop because they combine size and strength with their speed and skill. Carlson remains on the short list of the best pure all-around defensemen in the game, and his offensive ability is particularly sublime coming in 4th place in league scoring for defencemen this year. Not surprisingly, the Bolts are dangerous on the power play. How could you not with all that talent out there?
The Penguins’ superstars Marchessault and Lee aren’t at their peaks anymore, but they were plenty effective when healthy this season. The Pens, who deploy Marchessault, Panarin and Kevin Fiala on the first line, are a deeper club up front and a better 5-on-5 offensive threat than Tampa. The Pens have tons of speed on the wings from the likes of Huberdeau and Riley Smith, and Ryan O’Reilly’s addition at the trade deadline augmented the group’s overall skill and compete level.
We’ve seen this movie several years in a row now. The Pens look strong on paper but get bullied in the postseason by stronger, meaner and better-looking opponents. Not only do the Bolts fit that description, especially at GM, but they have star power and one of the best goalies in the league. Will they overcome their scoring woes to outshine the Pens?
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In the regular season, the teams played 3 games with the Penguins coming out victorious in each game.
Game 1 was a 6-4 win in Pittsburgh with the Pens coming back from 3-0 and 4-1 deficits. The now-traded Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the game-winner early in the 3rd.
Game 2 was a 3-2 win in Tampa with Kevin Fiala scoring the winner late in the 3rd period.
Game 3 was a 4-3 win in OT in Tampa. David Savard scored the winner 8 seconds into OT on the PP.
The SIM was good to me in the regular season which likely means TBay will sweep the Pens in the playoffs. Every game was close as were the team stats as seen below.
ECQF: #2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #7 Tampa Bay Lightning
