August 31, 2010
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Season Opener Important for Rest of the Season
The NHL is starting the Penguins’ season off with a bang by pairing the team with their cross-state rival for the season opener. If you are a Pens fan like me, you are trying to forget that the Flyers made it to the finals while we were eliminated by the “fairy tale” Canadiens during the second round.
The final Pens game of the 2009-2010 postseason was overly disappointing to watch. From the beginning seconds after the puck dropped, the team failed to set a winning mood for the game and it was almost over before it even began. It was a case of trying too hard and losing their Cup winning flow from the year before.
Working on getting a new flow running with the new Pens players will be a major focus in training camp for the coaches but forgetting about last season will be the biggest challenge last year’s players will have to worry about.
There is no doubt that the big players such as Crosby, Staal, and Malkin were beating themselves up for the team’s mistakes in the weeks after the elimination but by dwelling on it at the start of this season, they are destined to repeat the same mistakes again.
The Pens have six preseason games including two against last year’s Stanley Cup Champions but there is no doubt the Flyers will be their main target during the next few months. Not only will a win build the team confidence back up but it will also set the tone for the season.
There’s only 37 days until the Penguins hit the ice and try to make it back to the Cup finals. That’s only 37 more days for Penguins fans and players to cringe at the thought of last year’s playoffs. The question now becomes: can we survive the wait?
Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com
Related posts:
- Will Sergei Gonchar Be Back with Pittsburgh Penguins Next Season?
- Pittsburgh Penguins: A Look Back at a Successful Season
- The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Toughest Opponents for the 2010-11 NHL Season
- Philadelphia Flyers’ Season Opener: Keys to Beating the Pesky Penguins
- Sid, Staal, and Style: Pittsburgh Penguins 2010-11 NHL Season Preview
