5 reasons why Pittsburgh Penguins will win Stanley Cup

The Pittsburgh Penguins will attempt to make history as they enter the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, which is currently the longest playoff streak in the league.

With that, they have the chance to be the first team to win three consecutive Stanley Cups since the Islanders did it in the ’80s. Pittsburgh is again going to be a popular pick to win it all, and here are five reasons why they will make history this season.

5. Their Depth

The Penguins are again a very deep team, especially after they acquired Derick Brassard from the Ottawa Senators. Brassard has been hurt, but it seems like he’s going to be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, which start on Wednesday. Having lots of center depth is one of the main reasons why Pittsburgh has won the last two seasons. When they can roll out Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan as their centers, there are not many teams who can match that.

When healthy, Phil Kessel, who has the first 90-point season of his career, is the Penguins’ third line right wing centered by Brassard. On a lot of teams, that’s part of a first line. It’s going to be hard for teams to match that line, especially with Conor Sheary playing much better over the last couple weeks. He has three goals in his last four games and scored a highlight reel goal Friday night against the Blue Jackets:

On the fourth line, Pittsburgh can roll out Sheahan with someone such as Zach Aston-Reese who was playing well before his injury and another rookie such as Dominik Simon who hasn’t been bad either. Their top six is already very good with Jake Guentzel playing with Crosby and Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist playing with Malkin. Hornqvist has enjoyed his best season yet with the Penguins, as he’s just shy of 30 goals with 28.

Pittsburgh has players who can score on any line, which is what any cup contender needs going into the playoffs.