Last Dance

Against all odds, the Pittsburgh Penguins have clinched the final Lemieux Conference playoff spot, making the playoffs for the second consecutive year and third time in Gurtowski’s five years as GM.

The Penguins are set for a first round matchup with the New Jersey Devils, who is a major divisional and geographical rival. Both GMs in this series have a personal connection as well. GMs Gurtowski and Knedel are close friends dating back to even before they joined the EHE, and this series will surely provide for some interesting fodder in the text chain.

The Penguins went 2-2 against the Devils this year, scoring 14 goals while allowing 15. Bo Horvat and Josh Norris both lead the way in the season series for the Penguins with 3 goals and 2 assists each. Semyon Varlamov posted a .907 save percentage and a goals against average of 3.75 in the four games. Despite those stats, it will be Jeremy Swayman getting the start for the Penguins in the series, who became the starter with 15 games remaining in the season.

Of note in this playoff run for the Pittsburgh Penguins are the implications for some of their players. Forwards David Krejci and Andrew Ladd, and defenseman Alexander Edler, are all in the final years of their respective contracts and could be playing in the final few games of their NHL careers.

David Krejci was brought in to add some jump to the third line and power play, and was an instant success, posting 33 points in 41 games. Krejci has never made it further than the second round of the playoffs, and hopes to be a major player in getting the Penguins to the promised land. Krejci also showed an ability to move up in the lineup should the situation require it, which should benefit the Penguins with line matching as the games progress.

Andrew Ladd was brought in to round out the forward group, and while he isn’t the same player offensively that he once was, he’s shown to be a good rallying point for this Penguins team, stepping into the lineup when needed and also proving to be an important player off the ice, whether it’s during practice, in the gym, or during team bonding activities. Ladd was on the team when the Penguins went to the conference final in 2016, and while it’s not guaranteed he’ll even play this time around, he’ll be ready if needed.

Alexander Edler has been a fixture of the Penguins for years now, time and time again showing a commitment to the organization. Despite having a brutal and debilitating and definitely non-playable injury for the last 19 games of the season, Edler is 100% ready to go for game one of the playoffs and hopes to help tighten things defensively for the Penguins. Edler, who has won a Cup before, wants to win one with this group, and the Penguins are hoping to accommodate.

The Penguins have the highest Leadership and Experience ratings in the entire Lemieux Conference playoff picture, and are hoping that will propel them to a lengthy playoff run. With the three above players all potentially being in the final moments of their NHL career, nothing will be left off the table for the Penguins to try and get the job done.

Game 1 of the series vs the Devils will begin on Thursday and be shown on TNT in the United States and Sportsnet 1 in Canada.