Crosby's numbers increase, what changed?

[mojo1917]

The Pens look fast and kind of dangerous lately. They use the speed they have throughout their line up well, pushing pucks to open areas and winning the race to the puck. They seem to be creating offensive pressure in all 3 zones, one misstep , errant pass or whatever and they are jailbreaking on an odd man rush. It's working now, I think they are a lock for the tournament, I will be interested to see if they can continue to be successful playing this style. 

There is too much top end talent for them to muck around the way they were under Johnston so more or less this is what i was expecting from them...win now, and enjoy it now though, because the future while not bleak, isn't a cause for hope either.  I think they're the dark horse this year from the east, I don't know if they have "enough" to win the whole smash though.

[Polaris922]

11 hours ago, mojo1917 said:

The Pens look fast and kind of dangerous lately. They use the speed they have throughout their line up well, pushing pucks to open areas and winning the race to the puck. They seem to be creating offensive pressure in all 3 zones, one misstep , errant pass or whatever and they are jailbreaking on an odd man rush. It's working now, I think they are a lock for the tournament, I will be interested to see if they can continue to be successful playing this style. 

There is too much top end talent for them to muck around the way they were under Johnston so more or less this is what i was expecting from them...win now, and enjoy it now though, because the future while not bleak, isn't a cause for hope either.  I think they're the dark horse this year from the east, I don't know if they have "enough" to win the whole smash though.

 

I agree their speed is making a difference, and it's something Sullivan is exploiting instead of Johnston's defense first boring system.  And the puck possession has helped significantly with that speed, as they've held the Flyers to 16 shots, and then the Caps to 18 in back to back games.  The Caps are the more impressive feat for several reasons, not the least of which was the 24 hour turn around playing them.