Penguins’ Crosby expects to play in opener
Can you believe it’s time for another NHL season? It hasn’t even been four months since the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in a terrific Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup, but the pucks drops on the 2009-10 NHL season on Thursday night.
The Penguins are the WagerWeb.com betting favorites to repeat, slightly ahead of those Wings. And why shouldn’t the Pens be favored, as this team looks like a dynasty in the making. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal all in their early to mid-20s, Pittsburgh could be the team to beat for the next few seasons. The 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers were the last time to play in the Stanley Cup Finals for three straight years, something the Pens are looking to accomplish this year (as is Detroit).
“We’re probably even more confident than we were before,” defenseman Sergei Gonchar said as the Penguins get ready for Friday’s opener against the Rangers. “Obviously, we want to prove again that we can do it.”
While Crosby gets most of the publicity, Malkin is the best player on this team. He led the NHL in scoring during the regular season with 113 points on 35 goals and 78 assists. He added 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 24 playoff games to earn the Conn Smythe Trophy. It marked just the fifth time since 1968 that a player led the regular season and playoffs in scoring during the same season. Crosby finished third in the NHL with 103 points during the regular season and added 31 points in 24 postseason contests.
However, the team did lose its top defensive pairing of last season, with Rob Scuderi now with the Kings and Hal Gill with the Canadiens.
As for Crosby, he expects to play in Friday’s opener against the Rangers – bet on the game at WagerWeb.com. He practiced Tuesday for the first time since injuring his groin during a preseason game Thursday in Columbus.
The Penguins will raise their Stanley Cup championship banner at Mellon Arena on Friday, so you know Crosby won’t miss that.
NHL Betting at WagerWeb.com
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
