In advance of this allegedly colossal game tonight in Columbus, I thought I'd concoct a list of legitimate causes for concern regarding these Penguins entering the Stanley Cup playoffs. As well as a corresponding reason for why each such worry might be ... well, silly.
Hey, it's that time of year around here, right?
If we're being honest, the playoffs never really feel fun in our corner of the world. They're two months of perpetual torment followed by a parade. And even the celebration's more akin to a community-wide sigh of relief.
Here goes a handful ...
Worry: Matt Murray.
Reason that's silly: He's 23, he's won two Cups and all that other stuff everyone already knows. I'll forgo the obvious, even his exceptional January/February tear when he went 9-2-1 with a .926 save percentage in the only span in which he was healthy physically and mentally, and simply point out this single stat: When the Penguins are tied or leading at the second intermission, he's 22-3 with a .928 save percentage.
That's who Murray is. That's who he's always been. He might not steal games night after night, but he'll seal them as well as anyone in the NHL. Especially when those games matter the most.
Worry: The East has risen.
Reason that's silly: In the iconic graphic novel 'Watchmen,' the psychotic, murderous protagonist Rorschach is imprisoned, and many of his worst enemies await. But when one of those convicts pokes him in the cafeteria ... just watch:
"None of you seem to understand!" our anti-hero would shout to the rest of the room. "I'm not locked in here with you! You're locked in here with me!"
It's one of the most memorable lines in the history of comic books and, thus, this 2009 film adaptation.
That's how I see the Penguins.
If anyone's fretting around here about the Lightning or Bruins or even the perpetually cursed Capitals, let the above be a friendly reminder that those teams are about to be locked into a tournament with the two-time champs, not the other way around.
Worry: Lightning, Bruins, etc.
Reason that's silly: It might not be. The Eastern field is the most competitive it's been over the past three years. And I've maintained throughout that Tampa Bay would be the top threat, doubling down on that when Steve Yzerman somehow added Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller at the deadline.
But isolating on the first round, since that's the only one that'll matter at the outset, the Penguins' possible opponents from the Metro -- Capitals, Blue Jackets, Devils, Flyers, -- all have goaltending issues. Braden Holtby and Sergei Bobrovsky shriek in terror at the mere sight of black and gold, New Jersey's going with a backup, and Philadelphia hasn't been competent at the position since the current GM wore the mask. There's nowhere to run or hide from that.
Worry: The defense and penalty-kill haven't been the same since Ian Cole was dealt.
Reason that's silly: This one might not be, either. But it's been taken to preposterous extremes with some suggesting that Cole and Ryan Reaves for Derick Brassard was the wrong move. Canvass all 31 executives in the league, and you'll hear from 31 who would have done the same at the deadline, especially if there had been a season-long need for a third-line center who could bump up to the top two lines in the event that Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin got hurt.
The latter part is the one that seems to be forgotten. Brassard wasn't acquired to bump Riley Sheahan. He was acquired because Sheahan isn't capable of centering one of the top two lines, as Matt Cullen was. That's what's needed to win a championship, in addition to three-line depth.
That said, the defense and PK can and must do better. A lot better than what's been seen of late.
Worry: The Penguins will -- or already have -- run out of gas.
Reason that's silly: I'd have bought it back in December, and maybe it'll still be the case. But the January/February surge felt like a far more solid sign of what this team still can be, especially when recalling the initial impact of that brutal October schedule. They "found their legs," as Carl Hagelin put it at the time. And once they did, they found all facets of their peak selves, even defensively, for a sustained stretch in which they took out a good many of the aforementioned contenders.
Playoffs can be fun. Especially for the team with the top one-two talent combination of the generation.
No one's worried about that, are they?
• Know which teams would annoy the Penguins the most, even if they couldn't beat them?
Maple Leafs and Panthers. Or even the Islanders if they were in the mix.
Call this crazy, but I didn't see any opponents that seemed to flat-out unsettle the Penguins the way those three did, as well as the Devils to a lesser extent. Entirely because of their speed. It's not that those opponents were faster, necessarily, but rather that they challenged the Penguins' manhood in that area and, in turn, the Penguins abandoned any pretense of defending.
• That's a fair way of painting their road issues, I might add:
• The best team in the NHL might be based in its smallest market: Winnipeg, of course.
Really, the Jets are 50-20-10 despite a mess of injuries all winter, notably to superb center Mark Scheifele, they've got a generational-type young goal-scorer in Patrik Laine, and they're stunningly skilled, fast and even big up front and on the back end, plus they've finally addressed all they'd really been missing in previous years with the breakout of Connor Hellebuyck in goal.
If it's a Pittsburgh-Winnipeg final, I'm doing the guided tours at both ends. Just saying.
• Playing baseball in the snow is stupid. And neither the Pirates nor the Twins nor the umpires can be blamed when Major League Baseball inexplicably sticks opening-week interleague games in northern stadiums without domes. Because neither team would want to fly back to Pittsburgh for a single game on some random off-day later in the season, and because there's no open date after the finale, stuff like this and Detroit are the result.
• Sure makes for some pretty pictures, though. Frozen Matt Sunday kept his fingers moving throughout, and the shot above of Minnesota closer Fernando Rodney trying to eat the flakes might be my favorite of 2018 to date.
• No shame at all in a 4-1 start, but the Pirates should be a comfortable 5-0 right now. If they had a competent bullpen. They don't.
• Still in first place, though. Get over to that standings page for the screengrab in a hurry.
• When Dale Lolley exclusively reported last week that the Steelers were bringing Nat Berhe in for a visit -- before he agreed to terms late last night -- it couldn't and shouldn't have generated much of a buzz. He's a special teams guy. But he's also an ace, and Danny Smith's unit has operated for far too long without splash. More is needed, and credit to Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert for straying from the comfort zone -- Robert Golden -- and giving that a shot.
• Hate the Patriots, but don't hate Julian Edelman. Social media threats can't be taken lightly anymore, even from children.
• If you'll excuse me now, I've got to shovel out a spot in front of home plate.