Meet your Stanley Cup finalists: Pittsburgh Penguins

What hasn’t ‘Sid the Kid’ done in his Hall of Fame-worthy career? Well, win back-to-back Stanley Cups, actually. Crosby has accomplished just about everything else in Pittsburgh, and though he has already played in consecutive Finals before (2008 and 2009), this is the first time he will lead a champion into a series to keep the Cup. He’s hoping to break the tie with his mentor and team owner Mario Lemieux with a third championship.

Malkin has not only been the Pens’ best player in the playoffs, but he very well could win his second Conn Smythe Trophy as the top player of the entire playoff field. ‘Geno’ leads all players in points, assists and goals created, is tied for third in goals scored and for good measure, has shown a willingness to do the dirty work with 36 penalty minutes. Of course, a few other teammates are also in consideration.

He played just 40 regular season games to score 16 goals. Yet, in 19 playoff games, Jake Guentzel is tied for the lead among all players with nine goals, including three game-winning scores. The Omaha, Nebraska native had been an adept passer through the ranks, but his playoff scoring has been a revelation as opponents were so concerned about the veterans that they almost missed a rookie who put more pucks in the back of the net than everyone else on the ice.

He’s gone from the most criticized American-born player to a folk hero within one year thanks to last year’s Cup run. Kessel has had a superb playoff run this year, standing in the top five in points, goals and assists. He has been sensational on power plays, leading all skaters with five goals and second in assists with six. How Kessel will fare against Nashville’s penalty kill, which dramatically improved in the playoffs, will be of great intrigue.

Pittsburgh has the most enviable goaltending situation in the entire NHL, though it’s easy to have that when you have a former Cup-winning netminder subbing in for the starter going down from injury. Fleury’s 9-6 record in these playoffs may not impress on the surface, but his .924 save percentage is the second best of his playoff career. Even better, he only allowed one power play goal in 24 chances, a career-best. The Penguins have a very good Plan B at net.

At 3-1 in five games (four starts against Ottawa), the second-year goalie leads all playoff netminders in save percentage (.936) and goals against average (1.35) – the latter is nearly half of what he allowed during last year’s Cup chase. Nashville is undefeated in the playoffs when leading after two periods (7-0), providing a great test for the Thunder Bay, Ontario native – provided his health issues don’t make a return during the Final.

Since joining Pittsburgh via trade in 2009, the left winger has been one of the few constants on a Penguins team continually reloaded for title contention. He finally broke out of his scoring slump in a big way in these playoffs, netting two goals in Game 7 of the East Final versus the Senators. The 37-year-old is hoping to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup for the fourth time in his career – he won with Anaheim in 2007 and twice with the Pens in 2009 and 2016.

The defense corps has been tested mightily thanks to injuries and occasional ineffectiveness, but the 29-year-old Cole has done his part to keep the group going. His 53 blocked shots are second among all playoff skaters to go along with 31 hits and seven takeaways. The Notre Dame product will be seeing a lot of Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson, making his play all the more vital in the Final.

A second round pick in the 2009 draft for Carolina, the 25-year-old defenseman led all Pittsburgh skaters in time on ice in these playoffs while adding three points (goal, two assists). Part of the Jordan Staal trade in 2012, Dumoulin is your typical no-goal defensemen, but has a decent eye to find passing lanes, proven by his 15 assists in the regular season and six seasons in last year’s playoffs.

The 40-year-old Cullen, who joined the Penguins as a free agent in 2015, is hoping to get his name on the Cup for a third time (last year’s Penguins and Carolina in 2006) before deciding on his future past this season. Cullen began his career with Anaheim in 1997, contributing to eight teams, including Nashville from 2013-2015. A fourth line center with some offensive skill, Cullen has been the locker room voice that teams crave in the pressurized environment of playoff hockey.

Having played in more playoff games than anyone else since 2012, Hagelin spent his first four NHL seasons as a thorn on the side of the Penguins as a member of the New York Rangers. Last year, he came to Pittsburgh after a trade from Anaheim and won his first Cup. His injury earlier in the postseason put the Penguins’ repeat chances in some danger, but he was able to come back to bring depth back to the lineup. We’d be foolish to not mention that in his 108 playoff games, the Swede’s teams are 8-1 in Game 7s.

The Finnish defenseman has been pressed into greater duty than perhaps this veteran-heavy lineup would prefer, though he’s shown plenty over four seasons with the team. Pittsburgh leans quite a bit on more experienced defensemen, but Maatta has been productive in this Cup run with seven points (two goals, five assists), 28 hits, 34 blocks and three takeaways. Youth will have to be served in some way in order for the Pens to repeat, as the 22-year-old will deal with a deeper-than-perceived Predators offense.

Sullivan was hired midway through the 2015-16 season after the dismissal of Mike Johnston, and with several lineup tweaks, was able to lead the Penguins to their fourth Stanley Cup. While his path may appear similar to another former Penguins coach in Dan Bylsma, Sullivan differs in demanding a much faster pace. This may be hard to believe, but Sullivan will be part of history alongside his Nashville counterpart, Peter Laviolette as this will be the first Final with two American-born head coaches facing off.

The Hall of Fame winger is one of the most beloved figures in Pittsburgh’s illustrious sports history, and for good reason. One of the greatest players in NHL history, “Super Mario” is the only man to have his name on the Stanley Cup as a player and team owner. Lemieux is credited for pulling the franchise from bankruptcy and building a new arena to keep the Penguins in town. A very good Predators team stands in the way of Lemieux’s fifth Stanley Cup.