Huge West Coast Trip for Penguins

The Penguins are on a roll having won four games in a row and doing it in quite an impressive fashion. Beating playoff teams St. Louis and Washington, knocking off playoff hopeful Florida and rival Columbus. The power play is clicking at the right time. Evgeni Malkin is on fire and Marc- Andre Fleury continues to impressive.

The week ahead is brutal though as they go on their annual West Coast trip with stops in Colorado, Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose. The Penguins have fared well this season against the competition from the West going 12-4-2 including a record of 5-2 against teams from the Pacific Division, which is the division they will primarily be playing against this week.

This trip could possibly propel the Penguins to the top of the division. A record of 3-1 after these four games would continue to build up their confidence has we get closer to the postseason.

Wednesday @Colorado 10 PM
Last meeting: December 18, 2014 Penguins win 1-0 in OT. Blake Comeau scores game winner. Marc- Andre Fleury stopped all 29 shots he faced.
Colorado has played better in recent weeks but is still far away from a playoff spot. Prediction: Penguins start off road trip on a good note winning 3-1.

Friday @Anaheim 10 PM
Last meeting: October 9, 2014 Penguins win 6-4 in season opener. Sidney Crosby scored 2 goals. Corey Perry nets hat trick in loss.
Anaheim hit a snag over the last couple weeks but in recent games has looked like the team they've been most of the year. Prediction: First game of a back to back I assume Thomas Greiss starts this game. Even though he has had a solid season as the backup I see him giving up some goals. Anaheim wins 4-2.

Saturday @Los Angeles 10 PM
Last meeting: October 30 ,2014 Penguins win 3-. Chris Kunitz scored 2 goals, Fleury stops all 36 shots.
The Kings recently won 8 games in a row to catapult into a playoff spot but have lost 3 straight games to fall behind Calgary. They are playing Edmonton tonight so I find it difficult to see them losing their 4th straight. Prediction: With Fleury back in net the Penguins win 2-1 in a tight low scoring game.

Monday @San Jose 10:30 PM
Will be first meeting of this season.
The Sharks are a team in "transition". Still competing for a playoff spot but also realizing they aren't the same Stanley Cup contending team they have been in recent seasons resulting in a rebuilding on the fly. Still a dangerous team. Prediction: Penguins win 5-3. Antii Niemi has been inconsistent this season while Joe Pavelski is having a career year. Penalty kill ranks 25th in the NHL, which will be their undoing in this game. Penguins finish the road trip on a high note.

A trip like this would have the Penguins 39-18-9, 87 points, possibly sitting in 1st place in the Metro Division.

Eastern Conference Rankings after Trade Deadline

                                             

Heading into the postseason over the last 4-5 years the Penguins and Bruins have been seen as the favorites to represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals. While the Penguins have disappointed recently these predictions have been mostly accurate as both teams have been in and won the Stanley Cup Finals. This year is different. For the first time in a long time the Eastern Conference is WIDE open with any of the current top 7 teams having a realistic hope of winning the conference. And with Boston sitting at 8^th, would anybody be surprised if a team of their pedigree is standing at the end? Here of the rankings of the teams in the East (that have realistic shot at making the playoffs) after a crazy trade deadline: (Note: This doesn't mean I would pick the higher ranked team over a lower ranked team in a best of 7 series. Matchups matter come playoff time.)

1. Montreal Canadiens

Why #1: Two words: Carey Price. Not only is he the favorite for the Vezina Trophy (top goalie) he also has to be considered a top candidate for the Hart Trophy as the league MVP. While this team lacks a top scoring threat outside of Max Pacioretty they make up for it by having a well balanced lineup from the first line to the fourth line. Throw in P. K. Subban and Andrei Markov on defense this team may be able to take the next step after losing to the New York Rangers in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. One thing is certain, this team is far from sof. 

2. New York Rangers

Why #2: Busy last few days for the Rangers. Huge pickup of Keith Yandle to add to an already deep defensive corp. He’s not considered a shutdown defenseman but when a team already has Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, and Marc Staal his offensive capabilities will be a welcome addition. Rick Nash is having a MVP type season, Martin St. Louis adds massive amounts of postseason experience and having lost in the Stanley Cup Finals last year will only make this team hungrier. One more (huge) thing: Henrik Lundqvist most likely will return before the postseason.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins

Why #3: I know, they've disappointed a number of times now but when a team has Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and a Marc- Andre Fleury that has had a Vezina caliber season, they have to be considered a favorite. The power play has picked up recently and the penalty kill has been one of the best in the league all year. One problem could be the lack of toughness on defense.

4. New York Islanders

Why #4: I was tempted to put them above the Penguins but they are inexperienced and have the 29th ranked penalty kill in the league. John Tavares is one of the best young players in the league and Jaroslav Halak has had a great year. The Kyle Okposo injury is one to watch though.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning 

Why #5: Great offensive team. Steven Stamkos is one of the best scorers in the league. Tyler Johnson is having a great year. Defense is an issue but the addition of Braydon Coburn will help the back end. Ben 

Bishop has to pick up his game but still is one of the top goalies in the league. 

6. Detroit Red Wings

Why #6: Was tempted to put Detroit above Tampa after the additions of Erik Cole and and Marek Zidlicky but Jimmy Howard in net backed me off. When he's on he can be one of the top goalies in the league but he has been too inconsistent. 

7. Washington Capitals

Why #7: Alex Ovechkin is the best pure goal scorer in the league and Nicklas Backstrom is one of the most underrated players in the league. Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen and Head Coach Barry Trotz has helped this team develop more of a defensive mind. The addition of Curtis Glengross will add depth to an already deep winger group. Braden Holtby is having a great year.

8. Boston Bruins

Why #8: Too inconsistent to have higher. A team with a boat load of playoff experience may finally have hit a snag. They have played a lot of hockey over the last 5 years and may have hit the wall. Still, they have talent and I would be a fool to count them out.

9. Florida Panthers

10. Philadelphia Flyers

11. Ottawa Senators