Stanley Cup Playoff Preview - Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa

Last year Sidney Crosby carried the Penguins to a 105-point season and a fifth-seed in the Eastern Conference and won a scoring title as well as the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award as league MVP.

This year, Crosby missed 29 games, but the Penguins still won the Atlantic Division crown and finished second in the East.

That is not meant to demonstrate that Pittsburgh is somehow better without Crosby, but rather how much the Penguins continue to grow as a complete team.

The 20-year-old Crosby was still very productive when his high ankle sprain didn't keep him from playing, as the phenom managed 72 points (24 goals, 48 assists) in 53 games.

However, Pittsburgh's true MVP in 2007-08 was forward Evgeni Malkin, who won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie last year and avoided a sophomore slump in a big way. Malkin played in all 82 games and finished second in the league in points (106) and fourth in goals scored (47). He should be a finalist for the Hart and Pearson, although Malkin's Russian countryman Alex Ovechkin of Washington seems to have those awards locked up.

The Penguins also added another big offensive weapon at this year's trade deadline, as they acquired right wing Marian Hossa from Atlanta in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik ******ensen, Angelo Esposito and a first-round selection in this year's draft. Pittsburgh also received forward Pascal Dupuis from Atlanta.

Continued at My Sportsbook...