Pens have plenty of reasons to "3elieve"

The Penguins know that trying to become the first team to win three Stanley Cups in a row since the New York Islanders' run of consecutive championships from 1980-83 is a massive challenge.
But they also know that they have a group capable of rising to that challenge.

"The way I look at it is we have core players that are in the prime of their career," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "We've got a surrounding cast of players that are really competitive guys. We believe in this group that we have. They've shown an ability to play their best when the stakes are high, and they know how to win."
Their approach is to have a short-term focus as they work towards their long-term goal, and what will drive them forward is the trust and the belief that they have built up in each other through two straight Stanley Cup championships.
Here's a few reasons why the Penguins are so confident in their group.
It all starts with Crosby and Malkin.
"They're two of the best players in the world," Phil Kessel said. "Whenever they're here, you've always got a chance to win."
Despite the staggering amount of hockey the two superstar centers have played over the last couple of years, they both produced terrific individual seasons while leading their team to the playoffs for a 12th-straight year.
Crosby followed up back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophies (playoff MVP) by maintaining his standing as the top all-around player in the NHL. He skated in all 82 games for the first time and finished in the top-10 in scoring with 29 goals and 89 points. After leading the league in playoff scoring last season, Malkin finished this season with 42 goals and 98 points, each ranking fourth in the league - making him the only skater to finish in the top-five in both categories.
Both centers started to trend upward when the calendar flipped, playing their best hockey over the second half and down the stretch as the Penguins battled for a playoff spot.
"They're ultimate competitors," Sullivan said. "They love to win, they love to compete. When the stakes are high, they play their best and they've shown it over and over again. These two guys are not only our best players, but also our leaders.
"First and foremost, they lead by example through their compete level, through their preparedness and their mental toughness to be able to go through some of the adversities that championship teams inevitably go through because it's hard to win and it doesn't always go your way. These are the guys we look to when those adversities hit and those challenges occur throughout the course of a game or a series, and these guys are always part of the solution to try to find ways to have success. They're great competitors and I think they're terrific team guys."
Oh yeah - they have Phil Kessel, too.
Kessel is another player who is at his best when the stakes are high.
"Phil has shown an ability to elevate his game at key times," Sullivan said during last year's playoffs. "Phil's a guy that I've gotten to know better the last two seasons. I've watched him raise his game at the most important time of the year. That's obviously a high compliment for an elite player."
An elite player whose third season with the Penguins has been his best in black and gold. Like Crosby and Malkin, he also managed to take his game to another level and was remarkably consistent while doing so. Kessel had six point streaks of five or more games on his way to scoring 92 points - a new career high.
All three players are difference-makers who can carry the team and win games on their own. And that capability inspires so much confidence throughout the locker room.
"Knowing we have them, two of the best players in the world, and Phil's pretty (darn) good too - there's just a lot of really good guys in this room," forward Bryan Rust said. "Just knowing the type of caliber of players we have, it breeds confidence."
The "young guys" haven't lost.
It's not just the Penguins' stars that have shown an ability to play their best when the stakes are high. The players that have come up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over the last two years have also proven capable of doing that. Just look at some of their accomplishments during the springtime:
* Rust has posted 8 goals and 9 points in 15 career elimination NHL playoff games. He's recorded three career two-goal games in the postseason, all three of which were elimination games. He became the first player since Jeremy Roenick (1990-92) to have his first three multi-point games in clinchers. He also became the fourth player in NHL history to have each of his first three career playoff game-winning goals decide a series.
* After proving himself to be a dynamic playoff performer in the AHL, winger Conor Sheary translated that to the NHL. He scored the biggest goal of his career in overtime of Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. He became the first rookie to score an OT winner in a Stanley Cup Final since Montreal's Brian Skrudland on May 18, 1986.
* Forward Jake Guentzel led the NHL in with 13 goals and 5 game-winning goals in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. His 13 goals are the 2nd-most ever by a rookie in a single postseason in NHL history. His 21 points tied the league record for a rookie, while his 5 game-winners was a new NHL rookie mark.
Guentzel, Rust and Sheary have all seen extended stretches on a line with Crosby, who said he's been most impressed by their ability to contribute right away.
"There's always that early process of feeling out your game and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't," Crosby said. "But I think in those guys' case, they've come in and been confident and really wanted it and played the right way and been a big part of our team's success. You need that if you want to win, especially at this time of year. That depth is so important and they've provided it."
The two-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie in net.
Matt Murray was a rookie for each of his first two playoff runs, both of which culminated in his teammates rushing to the crease to celebrate. In 2016, he became the fourth rookie goaltender in NHL history to lead his team to the Stanley Cup title, joining Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Cam Ward. In 2017, he became the second rookie goaltender in NHL history to start in multiple Stanley Cup Finals (Jacques Plante, 3, 1953-55).
In his first full season as the Penguins' franchise goalie following the departure of Marc-Andre Fleury, Murray dealt with injuries and inconsistent stretches. But what stayed consistent was his approach. Murray has said repeatedly that his mindset is focused around getting better each and every day and simply staying in the moment, and it's a mindset that has served him extremely well thus far and gives both him and his teammates a lot of confidence.
They have heart, soul and great hair.
It's critical not to understate Patric Hornqvist's importance to this team. A player like him is invaluable at this time of year, and what makes the Penguins so fortunate is that there is no player like him.
Hornqvist is the heart and soul of the Penguins. The winger wants so badly to help this team win and literally does whatever he can to do so. His energy, his passion, his positivity, his competitiveness - he wears all of those emotions right on his chest. He's someone that comes ready to go to battle every single night and it's impossible to not be inspired by him and the warrior - or Viking - that he is.
Hornqvist never, evertakes a shift off. As Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has put it, "he's one of those players that when things aren't going right at a certain time or things aren't going right in a game, that he brings a certain element of 110-percent effort that rubs off on other players." Sometimes, it honestly feels like Hornqvist just wills plays to happen with the superhuman effort he puts forth.
Hornqvist ended the regular season as the Penguins' hottest player, with goals in 5 straight games, 6 of his last 7 and 11 of his past 14. He said it's the best he's ever felt heading into a postseason, which is fantastic news for the Penguins, as they're going to need him more than ever against the Flyers.
His fellow Swede Carl Hagelin has also become a huge part of the team since being acquired from Anaheim in January 2016. He brings speed, which is so crucial to the Penguins' identity, along with a quiet confidence and swagger that comes with experience. Hagelin has never missed the playoffs in his career, appearing in 112 career playoff games since he broke into the NHL for the 2011-12 season - which is the NHL's most over that span.
Letang is healthy.
When the Penguins won their second Stanley Cup, they did so without the player who had been the most important part of the team when they won their first Stanley Cup.
Kris Letang missed the entire 2017 postseason after undergoing surgery for a herniated disc in his neck, but was able to return this season and is back to being the Penguins' best defenseman and biggest workhorse. Letang averaged 25:19 minutes a night while appearing in 79 games. And thanks to a late-season surge, Letang finished with 51 points and got on the scoresheet in six of his final seven games.
Having Letang back is a huge boost for the blue line, which has a lot to feel good about heading into the playoffs:
* Brian Dumoulin, who anchored the D corps last year in Letang's absence, continued growing his game this season. He's always been so reliable in his own end, but started chipping in at the other end with a career-high 5 goals and 18 points.
* Olli Maatta played in all 82 games for the first time in his career and reached a new level of consistency as a result.
* Justin Schultz saw a decrease in power-play time with Letang's return, which affected his numbers, but started to surge offensively down the stretch. Schultz finished with 7 assists in his last 7 games and overall, this was probably the best he's been across all 200 feet of the ice.
* Jamie Oleksiak reached his potential in Pittsburgh after being acquired from Dallas, using his 6-foot-7 frame to his advantage while showcasing the underrated aspects of his skillset, which includes agility, quickness on his feet and soft hands.
* Chad Ruhwedel has been steady and solid when called upon, while Matt Hunwick is a veteran guy who will also be more than capable of stepping in when needed.
The new additions have fit right in
The Penguins lost a number of players off their roster, but Rutherford addressed the holes throughout the season - cumulating with the marquee acquisition of Derick Brassard at the trade deadline.
"We lost a couple good players but we're still great. We (traded for) Brassard, he's helped so much for us," Malkin said the other day. He and the rest of the Penguins were absolutely thrilled about getting a player with the nickname "Big Game Brass," acquired for his playoff pedigree.
Brassard has produced 22 goals and 55 points in 78 playoff games, reaching three Eastern Conference Finals and one Stanley Cup Final. He had gone up against the Penguins each of the last four years, recording nine goals and 15 points in 24 postseason games versus Pittsburgh. He's come close, but has never won the Cup, and nobody will be hungrier than him.
A big reason the Penguins won back-to-back championships was because of their depth down the middle. And heading into these playoffs, the Penguins might be even stronger at center thanks to the additions of Brassard and Riley Sheahan. Sheahan finished with 32 points (11G-21A) in 73 games following his arrival from Detroit in October and proved himself capable of stepping up when needed and clicking with players like Kessel.
"They've brought a lot of depth," Sheary said. "When 'Brass' was out I think Riley stepped up into a bigger role and really played well for us. With Brass back, he's obviously got a good track record in playoffs. We're hoping he can bring that for us too."