Rank the Top 5 most Difficult Eastern Conference Opponents

[ronduguayshair]

From least to most difficult

5. Toronto - Young and hungry. A coach who knows how to beat pgh. Have they arrived yet? (Really thought about flipping #4 and #5)

4. Washington - Although pencilled in for a set back this year they have played well. One of these years will be their year. I’m just not sure when.

3. Philly - just cause.

2. Tampa Bay - A team that can truly matchup with pgh’s depth and star power. One would think goaltending would be the tipping point of the series (even more so than normal)

1. Boston - Although no Julien Boston has shown major success against the pens in a previous series. If Pgh is able to get a third line center better than Sheehan then let’s hope it’s one who can offset bergereon’s face off success.

West team that scares me the most: Nashville...maybe more after the deadline.

Click to read more...

 

[ColePens]

Well... this is a unique thread because the answers are not simple.

Boston/Tampa/Toronto will be playing one another to the ECF. So we could only get to them in the ECF. They equally have their own pros/cons. Toronto is crazy fast/young but their defense is suspect. Tampa is by far the most well-rounded team. Boston is the hottest team and they have the hottest goalie. But I can't rank them because we would only be playing 1 of those teams.

As for the Metro - NJ/Philly are equally as dangerous because they are fast/skilled/inexperienced. Both have goalie issues right now. Both also have defensive issues.

Washington/CBJ - Both teams with ups/downs this year. Washington is trending up albeit a much lesser team than last year. CBJ is trending down.

Isles/Canes - This one speaks for itself. The inconsistencies have been shown for a long time. They still have their pros/cons and can be dangerous if they get hot.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

It's tough to really talk about this right now. In two weeks, things could change with the TDL. I think Tampa is going to try and load up, and they're already probably the team to be in the East. Boston is probably overachieving a bit this season, but they're still a team with some really good players. Washington is Washington, and regardless of their record they have the talent to overwhelm you offensively. I don't really worry about Philly or NJ too much with respect to the other three aforementioned teams.

I don't think the Pens are nearly as good as their 2018 record shows, though. I think this is a team missing significant pieces and playing relatively poor hockey but that's being covered up more often than not by elite play from elite players (Sid, Geno and Kessel). I hope that continues, because I worry about this team if those guys cool off for a long period of time.

 

[Tom Hanks]

My list is only really one. Tampa.

Side note gut feeling, I don’t want to play New Jersey. Everyone else I feel confident-ish about. I’d be more clear on the night of Feb 26 though.

 

[ronduguayshair]

I want to post this before the deadline then review after moves have been made.

 

[ncm7772]

5) NJD
4) Washington
3) Boston
2) Philly
1) Tampa

Don't feel like going into detail. Philly scares me. I have an awful feeling about the first round matchup we're likely to see.

 

[Peat]

1) Tampa
2) Boston
3) *tumbleweed*

Everyone other than those two, if we turn up near our best we're winning. No guarantees, plenty who could beat us if we go a little awry.

But only Tampa and Boston I think could beat us if we're very near our best. Or maybe even at our best.

 

[Andy99]

If they are playing well, remain injury free and get good goal tending, the Pens can make it out of the Metro without a problem.

The three teams in the Atlantic are another story. Unless we get some help at the deadline, I don't see us winning any ECF against Tampa, Boston or Toronto. Anything can happen of course, but our depth is really suspect compared to those teams.

Lets see if the TDL changes anything...

 

[DegenX]

**MOD WARNING**

Non-Pens fans are always welcome to join in our discussions so long as it stays friendly and respectful. If you root for another team and are just coming here to troll, don't.

 

[StaalForOne]

1. Tampa



2. Boston
3. Toronto, but we'll see how they play them on Saturday.

4. Philly
5. Washington/Columbus/New Jersey

The Devils are a bit of an unknown for the playoffs. I don't think they have a ton of playoff experience, and even then it was with different teams.
Philly has some good flashes, but they have a young D core, and I think they are top heavy. Can't give that PP chances though. Then they have the classic Philly goaltending issue.

2 through 5 change week to week. Tampa is by far, imo, the best team in the east. Pittsburgh is second then the rest. Boston has been very hot the past 20 or so, but how much longer can they keep it up? They are a fairly young team outside of the core from their last cup. (Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Chara, Raask) They have some kids that can play though. They could make a splash at the deadline and be a real threat. Of course everything could change at the deadline.

Not sold on the Caps. Didn't replace the guys they lost last year with anything of substance.

Columbus is on a nosedive right now, but they could always turn it around. Even at their peak I don't think they crack top 3 in the East.

 

[Fatty McLardy]

Tampa and Boston for sure. I see the pens losing to either of those as it stands right now, then it would be a coin toss between against Caps. We need to get some depth before the trade deadline..

 

[GuentzelPlayoffSnipe]

Tampa the team to beat in the East,but Boston will be a tough matchup for them before we play them if we get that far.

Islanders, Hurricanes and Rangers to miss playoffs. Caps should be the hardest match up purely because they most likely will have home ice. Devils and Flyers have goalie issues so don't worry about them! Jackets could be a dark horse as they have had bad injuries of late, but again Bob isn't the most reliable goalie in the playoffs.

Caps v Pens
Lightning v Bruins

Pens v Lightning

Lightning advance.

This would be my prediction at the moment but see how TDL plays out and what injuries occur from now till then.

 

[Shockmaster]

From least to most difficult

5. Toronto - Young and hungry. A coach who knows how to beat pgh. Have they arrived yet? (Really thought about flipping #4 and #5)

4. Washington - Although pencilled in for a set back this year they have played well. One of these years will be their year. I’m just not sure when.

3. Philly - just cause.

2. Tampa Bay - A team that can truly matchup with pgh’s depth and star power. One would think goaltending would be the tipping point of the series (even more so than normal)

1. Boston - Although no Julien Boston has shown major success against the pens in a previous series. If Pgh is able to get a third line center better than Sheehan then let’s hope it’s one who can offset bergereon’s face off success.

West team that scares me the most: Nashville...maybe more after the deadline.

So we've all heard for the past 10 years.

 

[Gurglesons]

1. Boston.

The exact type of team that can neutralize is offensively and then have bottom lines take advantage of our weaker bottom six.

2. Tampa.

I’d be worried about their offense, but the D and goalie situation is something I think we can take advantage of. Vas seems beatable when he is in the zone versus Rask.

3. Flyers

Just because they are the Flyers and we should wipe the floor with them, but the Pens would let them back in every game because that is what they do.

On that note it is funny to me that Flyers fans bring up 2012 and how we would be scared of them because of their recent success against us ignoring we absolutely decimated them in 08 and 09.

4. Columbus

If a team were to beat us this year, I’d hope it was C-Bus. Be good for the rivalry and aside from Torts and Dubi I really like their management and roster. Still think we outplay them.

5. Washington

No pressure may be a scary thing for them. Still their numbers are horrible.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I always hate these questions because teams who can not lose do every year (I am looking at you Washington) and teams that can not win do every year. Lower seeds beat higher at only slightly under a 50/50 rate and home team advantage is not more often than not.

I suppose TB is the popular pick in this poll, rightly so, but I am not sure how much that means.

More pressing of a question is whether as not just I speculated if the Pens were sandbagging it, especially in 2017. 2018 they not only have won something like three of every four games, but have looked much more like the Pens of old more often than not. They could use another center but aside from that is there any reason to think that they would not come out as an entirely different team when the playoffs come?

So the other teams can all drop in the ocean for all that I care, tell me what you think of the Pens and will the real Pens team please stand up.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

Tampa, Boston and Washington.

No other eastern team is very good.

 

[BHD]

Tampa Bay
Boston
Washington
Toronto
Carolina (if they make it)

I expect the Bolts and Bruins to be equally dangerous. The Bolts, as we saw in the ECF that year, are lethal off the rush. Meanwhile, the Bruins are relentless on the forecheck, and would definitely be a tough task for the defense.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

The only team that scares me in the east is Boston, I don’t see any way they beat them in a 7 game series.

 

[3074326]

Depends on the Penguins team that we get when the playoffs start. If we get the current Pens, Tampa is the only team in the league that I think could beat the Pens.

If we get pre-Jan 1 Pens, I'll take the field.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

93 Islanders

 

[Pens1566]

Tampa
Boston

Washington
NJ
C-bus

 

[Will Hunting]

3 most dangerous opponents are in Atlantic and we will only have to play one of them (hopefully they will kill one another too), if it comes to that. In Metro, objectively Washington is the most solid opponent, but not that scary. Philly maybe the more tricky for us, but yeah, we still have to handle this.

 

[cygnus47]

For us -

1) Tampa - Pretty obvious. Depth everywhere, system that can compete with ours on offense over 7 games. We'd have to score a bunch of first goals and beat them at special teams.

2) Toronto - Toronto plays a faster, looser version of our game, they're one team that is legitimately faster than us. We'd probably manage because they don't have the defensive depth to shut us down, but they would only need a couple breaks for it to go the other way.

3) Boston - We've shown before that you need depth to consistently win. Boston can't even get close to matching our depth. Their top line would have to score 3 goals a game. We'd have 3 lines that are better than theirs and they have 1.5 quality defensemen. They don't have the speed or defense to keep up with us over 7 games.

4) Washington - We're in Washington's heads and they don't have the defensive depth to stop us from scoring.

5) Whoever

 

[ziggyjoe212]

Toronto is the kind of team the Penguins dominate. I wouldn't be surprised if we sweep Toronto.

Well structured, defensive teams like NJ and Boston are the ones that give the Pens problems.

 

[Gurglesons]

Toronto is the kind of team the Penguins dominate. I wouldn't be surprised if we sweep Toronto.

Well structured, defensive teams like NJ and Boston are the ones that give the Pens problems.

Babcock wouldn’t get swept with that level of talent.