Penguins Are Back in the Postseason

Crosby and Co. Are in Playoffs for First Time Since 2001

Last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins were the second-to-worst team in the league.

This year, Sidney Crosby and the Pens are in the playoffs and could make a run.

While the turmoil of the Penguins often distracted from what the team was doing on the ice, the players continued to work hard, clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2001.

Over the last two seasons, the Penguins and owner Mario Lemieux thought the team would be leaving Pittsburgh. But after constant finagling and bartering, the team and the city agreed to a deal to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

The city of Pittsburgh got even more good news when the Pens clinched their playoff invitation on March 27.

The main cog in the Penguins' wheel has been Crosby, a superstar before he set foot on the NHL's ice. The second-year player leads the NHL in points (he finished with 120, 36 goals and 84 assists). His assists rank second in the league, and he finished the season with a pair of assists to beat the Rangers.

The beneficiary of a good number of those passes is rookie winger Evgeni Malkin. Malkin finished the season with 33 goals and 85 points. He led all rookies in goals, assists and points.

Backstopping the Penguins and gobbling up all the wins is goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. The first-overall pick in the 2003 draft (Crosby was No. 1 in 2005) has a career-high 40 victories, putting him in the top five in the NHL, to go with five shutouts. Fleury has been stellar for the Penguins. His save percentage is an impressive .905, while his goals-against average is under 3.0 (2.86) despite the high-flying new NHL.

The Penguins finish the season in the fifth spot, meaning they'll have to play the Ottawa Senators in the first round. Both teams finished with 105 points, but Ottawa gets the No.4 spot because they have more wins (48 to 47). A head-to-head matchup with the Senators could be just what the Pens need to move into the second round. This year the Penguins are 3-1 against Ottawa, including a win against them Thursday night.

Regardless of their first-round results, the fact that the Penguins are back in the playoffs is good for Pittsburgh and the organization.