It may not be Christmas Eve, but with the excitement of a new season starting tomorrow, it sure does feel a lot like Christmas Eve. The Pittsburgh Penguins get the new season underway tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators, the team that killed us in the playoffs in 2007 and also the team we crushed in the first round of the playoffs on our way to the Stanley Cup Final last season. Needless to say, both the Senators and the Penguins are different teams now. Not to say that either team forgets the playoff exits each have dealt each other. However, those days are in the past now and it is a new season.
Most analysts and columnists are predicting the Pens to take a few steps back from what they accomplished last season. Many say the blow of losing Whitney and Gonchar has severely crippled our defense and that we will struggle greatly for it. Yes, it will be a struggle, we our down our top two defensemen, but have the Pens ever let an obstacle get in the way of reaching their goal? Their goal is to win and the Pens will not let their injuries on defense be an excuse to lose. This is the team that lost their number one goalie last season for months. This is the team that was without the league's top player for 28 games. Did we let those misfortunes get in the way of our goal? No, and in the end, I believe it made the Pens stronger. Ty Conklin did a superb job in net while Fleury was down and Conks is now gone, but the impact he made on Fleury could have been the extra thing Fleury was missing all along to make him an even better goalie. Obviously, Fleury proved what he is capable of in the latter part of last season and especially in the playoffs. In Crosby's absence, the player we all expected and needed to step up did so and it was of course Evgeni Malkin. If Malkin comes out strong like he did in Crosby's absence, he may very well be on Crosby's heels in point production. Even without Gonchar and Whitney, the Pens have a lineup that many teams would be jealous of.
I don't care how many people say that we won't be as good this season, that we'll make the playoffs but duck out a lot earlier than last season, and the curse of the Stanley Cup Final losers. These people may be correct, but they most certainly can be wrong as well. I am an optimistic person and I always believe the Pens will be one of the best teams. One thing is a guarantee with these Pens though, they will always play their hardest and do their best. In the end, that's all I can ask for.
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