Recap: No one is going to question the ability of Sidney Crosby and his first half numbers back him as the best young player in the NHL. At 20 years old, Crosby continues to impress teams by evading double teams and finding his open teammates. This style of unselfish play is great for the team, and good enough to put Crosby among the league leaders in points (63) and in the lead for assists (43). Youth is the weapon for the Pittsburgh Penguins and they look forward to getting back their young goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury who suffered a severe ankle sprain back on Dec. 6th. Prior to his injury, Fleury had won his previous 4 decisions, allowing only 6 goals in 6 games.

2nd Half: It is easy to win games in October and November but come March and April when the pressure is on, games will become wars and the Penguins lack of veteran leadership will hurt them down the stretch. Gary Roberts has been in the league 19 years and is the team’s oldest member, but lacks the crucial playoff experience to bring together this young and talented team during the crunch.

Team Name: Pittsburgh Penguins (27-17-4)

Atlantic Division Standing: 1nd place

Conference Standing: T-2rd place

Final Standing Predictions: 3rd in Atlantic Division, 5th in the Eastern Conference