By Mark Madden
Special to The Beaver County Times | Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 12:12 am
Unbeatable is a poor word to use within the context of the uncertainty of sports.
A three games-to-none edge looked unbeatable in 1975.
A 3-1 lead in the third period looked unbeatable in 1982.
A team with 119 points and two straight Stanley Cups looked unbeatable in 1993.
But David Volek and John Tonelli will not dress for the New York Islanders tomorrow night. Chico Resch will not be in goal. History will not repeat itself.
These Islanders are like the Penguins in 2007. Young, talented and promising, but not ready for prime time. It’s their first time in a long time, but it will be a short time, not a good time. The Penguins will win in five, perhaps four.
Unbeatable doesn’t just apply to the Penguins in this series. They look to be unbeatable for the entirety of the Eastern Conference playoffs. In their respective halves of the draw, the Penguins and Chicago seem as heavy as favorites can be.
The Penguins went 22-3 against Eastern Conference playoff teams. They went 9-0 against seeds 2-4. Predicting anything shy of 12 wins is crazy talk.
That means pressure. Lots and lots of pressure.
Every team says Stanley Cup or bust. But that’s really the case with the Penguins.
GM Ray Shero crafted his team with precision and attention to detail worthy of Michelangelo. All the ingredients are there. The depth is mind-boggling. Only a series of grievous injuries would provide a logical excuse for an early exit.
The Penguins must at least make the Stanley Cup final. Only the Blackhawks are a truly worthy foe.
If the Penguins fall short, it raises questions. After four-plus years of Dan Bylsma, do they need coached by a disciplinarian? Is the two-superstar model working? Should Shero engineer an overhaul? The cap mandates steady change anyway.
This team was designed to win multiple Cups. This won’t be their last shot. But the Penguins will never have a better shot. This might be their best team during the Sidney Crosby era. But there is only one way to validate that.
They will. It’s not a lock. But it’s certainly the way to bet.
Quote chapter and verse about the Penguins’ talent, depth, solid systematic play, cohesion, physicality and grit. Go up and down the lineup. Count the stars. There are lies and damned lies, but you can’t deny the Penguins statistics. The Penguins are as advertised, every bit as good as people say and maybe even better.
But the Penguins’ intangibles are what have me convinced. Seeing this team go about its business, I know the Penguins won’t flinch. Ego is absolutely minimal. They never get bored, never get tired of winning. They don’t take anything for granted. The Penguins have the perfect playoff mindset.
Jarome Iginla and Brenden Morrow have upped that ante. Iginla is 35, Morrow 34. Both have been in a Stanley Cup final. Neither has a ring. Each knows this may be his last, best chance. Their desire is tangible. It drips from their pores.
Add men like that to 11 players who drank from the Cup in ’09, and that’s a perfect mix. The assembly thereof should get Shero a psychology degree.
Picking the Penguins to beat the Islanders in five games is too easy.
Penguins in 22 sounds about right. Two five-game series, two six-game series. That’s the prediction here: Penguins in 22.
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