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Arizona Coyotes 2015 Opponents: Pittsburgh Penguins

By William Grigsby

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The Arizona Coyotes are looking forward to possibly improving their season.  A team with continued  success is the Pittsburgh Penguins.  

How they look for this year:

Today we look at: Pittsburgh Penguins

2014-15 record: 43-27-12, 4th in the Metropolitan, Lost in five games to the New York Rangers in the conference quarterfinals

How the Arizona Coyotes did last season against the Penguins: 2 games, 0-2-0

Schedule this year against the Arizona Coyotes: Sat 10/10 Home (home opener), Mon 2/29 at Pittsburgh

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Team Newcomers:  RW Phil Kessel, C Eric Fehr, LW Sergei Plotnikov, C Matt Cullen, C Nick Bonino

Now ex-players: RW Craig Adams, LW Blake Comeau, RW Steve Downie, D Christian Ehrhoff, G Thomas Greiss, C Maxim Lapierre, D Paul Martin, C Daniel Winnik, C Brandon Sutter

Coached by: Mike Johnston (2nd year)

Who’s in Net:

There’s no debate (well, maybe a little) that Marc-Andre Fleury is still the main man in Pittsburgh, Jeff Zatkoff is the team’s new backup.

Quick thoughts about the Penguins:

  • Without a doubt, the huge trade to acquire Phil Kessel made headlines. He will enjoy just being out of the limelight of playing in Toronto.
  • The Penguins can score with the best of them, but is their top defense a M.A.S.H. unit? They spend lots of time on the IR, which doesn’t help them win games.
  • Is Marc-Andre Fleury the star goalie who can carry them to the promise land? Some say no, that he is inconsistent and doesn’t stay focused.
  • Will the Kessel trade put them over the top? Can one exceptional player be the key they have been missing? We’ll see on Saturday, October 10th if Kessel is all that, or what.

Why the Penguins will win the Stanley Cup:

The addition of Sergei Plotnikov from the KHL could be just what they needed. He may play with Malkin to add a Russian duo affect. Hey, whatever works.

Why the Penguins won’t win the Stanley Cup:

Their weakness (yeah even a team with Crosby and Malkin, AND Kessel have weaknesses) may be their defense and goaltending. The young defense must perform, or they won’t be holding that Cup again for a while.

Three Things We Like About You:

  1. Mario Lemieux and other players from your history who make your team great and classy. We may be in the minority, but selling the team is a good business decision. Lemieux bought the team in 1999 for $107 million. It may be worth five times that now. Lemieux was no dummy on the ice, and he’s proving he’s not off the ice.
  2. Sid Crosby. What’s not to like?
  3. Shane Doan won’t have to fight Steve Downie this season, since they will be teammates.

Three Things We Don’t Like About You:

  1. We are so sick tired of seeing Pittsburgh, New York, and Philadelphia on NBC on every single game.  There are other teams in the league you know. That goes for the outdoor games too.
  2. That you will win the Cup sooner than us. With the firepower of Crosby, Malkin, and Kessel, you can’t miss.
  3. Okay, so we are a little jealous that you stole Phil Kessel from the Leafs and we weren’t even in the market for him.

Prediction:

With all the injuries the Penguins had last season, they have got to stay healthier. They will be in the playoffs, and may even win the Metro Division, we are just suspect of their weak defense. Sorry.

Next: Arizona Coyotes Final Roster Set For New Season

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