Maybe if they ran around trying to play hockey than trying to hurt everyone maybe they would have. But I'm going to say no.
Game 4 they played without Crosby, game two they pretty much had control of the game, Game 5 Wilson tried to take off Guenzel's head, Dumoulin hit, literally the same crap every year.
I think you confuse trying to hurt people with hits as controlling the game(s).
The Pens played hockey and won in spite of them trying to decapitate guys.
The only difference here is the Pens didn't have the depth to hold them off this past year.
The Pens were the better team in 2016 and 2017, and a bit more of D-depth/health they would have been in 2018.
The problem I have had with the people saying we need a powerforward or to find a way or whatever is that...
The Pens could have done what the Caps did, but he league really likes to focus on the Pens and what they do, the moment they did, they'd start to suspend and fine the Pens players which is ironic because they wouldn't do it on a consistent basis to anyone else, including the Caps.
So what do you do?
Get a Goon? Nah, loud mouth Boston boy doesn't like that.
Play their game? Nah, we might not even be equipped to do that.
Try to play through it? Nah, they tried that, got head shot left and right and the league did nothing until it was already too late.
The problem has always been the league. Guys like Wilson and morons like him only exist because the league allows morons like that to exist.
Simple as that for me.