Penguins win Stanley Cup: 5 reasons Pittsburgh will three-peat

Jun 11, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (left) and center Evgeni Malkin (right) celebrate with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Nashville Predators in game six of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dave Sandford/NHLI/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports /

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May 1, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz (4) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) collide chasing the puck during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Consistency in the middle of turmoil in the Eastern Conference

Just like their ability to keep their talent together through their two straight Stanley Cup wins, the way the Penguins stayed their course in the midst of absolute chaos in the Eastern Conference showed how consistent their success will be.

Three big questions in the Eastern Conference come from three of the Penguins’ biggest rivals: the Montreal Canadiens, the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers. All three are facing large issues in different fashions, all while the Penguins continued to ride a wave of success in their conference.

For the Canadiens, they’ve shown how they are an absolutely dominant regular season team, but continue to struggle in the postseason. While the Penguins make all their runs to the finals, the Canadiens have only made two conference finals in the last 20 years, and are continuing to falter on the league’s biggest stage.

Meanwhile, the Capitals and the Rangers each have some big issues going with their biggest stars. The Capitals have questions surrounding their star forward Alexander Ovechkin, with trade rumors swirling given the team’s inability to succeed in the postseason even with the offensive stud in their lineup. On the other hand, the Rangers haven’t been able to provide support for Henrik Lundqvist in net, and King Henrik hasn’t been to find himself a crown with a Stanley Cup win.

The Penguins have a consistent model going for them through two full seasons with serious results to show for it, all while the rest of their top opponents in their conference are slowly falling apart at the seams.

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