There has been a lot of talk over the last two or three months about the Penguins not looking like they’re ready to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
The 0-10 record against New jersey and Washington has given lots of people the impression that the Penguins think that they can “Just flip a switch” and turn into the team that won the whole thing last year.
The conventional wisdom seems to be that they can’t.
I disagree.
This is a team that has been to the Stanley Cup Finals two years in a row. It knows all about the grind. There is a locker room full of players that knows better than any team in the league, with the possible exception of the Detroit Red Wings, how much differenlty you have to play in the playoffs to still be playing in June.
Not as many east to west passes. Don’t take stupid penalties. Keep your shifts short and really concentrate on taking a one shift at a time attitude. Get the puck on net.
When the puck drops tonight, the Penguins will get that old feeling back and you will see a much different team. The switch will have been flipped.
That’s not to say that they can’t lose to the Senators. If they don’t win, it won’t be because of anything that happened in January or February.
At least one guy at the Hockey News seems to like the Penguins’ chances of repeating.