Penguins are Built for Another Cup Run in 2016-17

Coming off the next Stanley Cup success of the Crosby-Malkin era, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be attempting to become the first team of the 2000s to repeat as Cup winners. They are set to make a significant run again this year as the majority of the best talent remains under 30 years old. The Pens smothered their competitions during the playoffs with a fast-break offensive fashion that found them outshoot their opponent in 20 of 24 playoff matches. Maintaining that pace over the course of an whole season won’t be simple, but Pittsburgh should nevertheless be one of the best displays on ice this year.
They turned into a much different team under Mike Sullivan, who had been brought in as head coach on December 12 after a 15-13 start. They enhanced under Sullivan, heading 33-21 to finish out the regular season and finished top 5 goals per game in each of the last four months of the year after being at the bottom third prior to the Sullivan hire. Perhaps most evident was Sidney Crosby’s advancement as his point total increased per month during the regular season.
Here’s a look at their odds entering the season:
Stanley Cup +1000
We don’t see many repeat winners at the NHL like we do in other professional sports leagues. The last to do so was the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998, but with the heart of last year’s team returning, this might be the year that the back drought comes to an end. They find themselves behind the Blackhawks (+750) on the oddsboard and are connected with the Capitals and Lightning.
Their push to the Cup was fueled by an incredible ability to bounce back, as they ended the season with a 19-1 record in matches after a loss. This is far from a coincidence — it’s a mentality instituted by Sullivan along with the coaching staff and when it’s something they can carry forward into this season, they’ll be tough to knock out in a seven-game series.
Eastern Conference +400
Comparable to the Stanley Cup champion, we don’t see many back-to-back Eastern Conference champions, but it will occur more often. It last occurred with the — you guessed it — Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and 2009. Just three groups since 1988 are repeat winners in the seminar, together with all the Pens accomplishing the feat twice.
Sidney Crosby and company are the faves to win the conference again this season and their biggest challenger will probably be the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team they beat in seven games in last season’s conference final. Pittsburgh might have captured a small break in the show with Lightning captain Steven Stamkos being on the shelf for a few of those games while recovering from surgery.
Metropolitan Division +180
Pittsburgh is your favorite to win the division but the Washington Capitals are hot on their heels at +195. Unless the New York Rangers can get their act together, this will probably be a two-team race. Considering that the new division realignment three seasons before, the Pens, Rangers and Caps have won the Metropolitan, while they each possess a second-place finish as well.
Since Sidney Crosby entered the NHL in 2005, the Penguins have won their division three occasions. Of note seeing their stiffest competition from the division, the Capitals have won their division six occasions because Alex Ovechkin entered the league in 2005.
Point complete OVER/UNDER 103.5
Only two groups have a greater OVER/UNDER point total than the Pens — Tampa Bay (105.5) and Washington (106.5). Either side of this wager come in at -115. Not including the strike-shortened season of 2012-13, Pittsburgh has really gone over 103.5 points in four of their last five complete seasons. Taking that into consideration and considering how dominant they had been during their Cup run, the OVER looks like a good bet.

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