Bill Clement

The playoffs are in full swing, and here are some intriguing questions raised by what we have seen so far.

1. Pittsburgh eliminated Philadelphia in six games in the first round, and is going against Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Are the Penguins a better team this season than last season when they lost to the Red Wings in six games in the Stanley Cup finals?
Yes, they are, even without Marian Hossa, the high scoring winger they acquired at the trade deadline only to lose him as a free agent this past summer when he signed with Detroit.

It all starts with Dan Bylsma, who was named interim coach in mid-February when the team was barely over .500, and close to being out of the playoff race. Bylsma’s done a terrific job —one so terrific it’s earned him a new contract, and the right to drop "interim" from his job title.

The Penguins play differently under Bylsma than they did under his predecessor Michel Therrien. What stands out the most is they are more aggressive not only with the use of their skating, but in all situations, with or without the puck. They also hit more. Almost every player on their roster finishes his checks. They aim to take opponents out of the play. This is part of Bylsma’s approach to playing the game.

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has improved, and is more confident. With Therrien, very often the ground shifted under some of the team’s young players. He was very demanding of his young players, and not really very nurturing. While that worked with a lot of players, it didn’t work especially well with Fleury. Under Bylsma, Fleury has become a complete goalie. Others whose improvement under Bylsma has been unmistakable are winger Tyler Kennedy, and defenseman Kristopher Letang.

Another factor is an added year of maturity for the team’s top three centers: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal. They are all in their growth spurt mode as far as their maturity, and their understanding of the NHL game.

Bylsma is very secure, and very level headed, and that has rubbed off on his players. He is a really good communicator with strong leadership qualities. With Bylsma, it’s not a stretch to see the Penguins as Stanley Cup winners.

2. By rallying from 2-0 and 3-1 down against the Rangers in the first round, have the Capitals become a much tougher out in the playoffs?
Yes. Overcoming adversity arms a team, and supplies it with something that no other situation can. There are so many positive intangibles for a team when it is in such a hole, and is able to dig itself out. At the top of the list is the belief that if the team is in such a hole again, it can again climb out of it. Another key intangible is that the pressure on Alex Ovechkin to lead his team to a playoff series win has been removed. Many of the Capitals top players had never won a round in the postseason, so their confidence has been boosted.

While the pressure is off of Ovechkin and some others, it’s just starting for rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov, who got the call in Game 2 against the Rangers, and is now the team’s No. 1 goalie over Jose Theodore. Heading into the conference semifinals, Varlamov has all of 11 games of NHL experience.

Rallying like the Capitals did has a tremendous bonding affect on the team. It creates trust from one player to the next knowing what has been accomplished as a group. Also, though I wouldn’t call it an invincibility complex, but to overcome a 3-1 deficit and win a series (the Capitals are only the 21st team in league history to do so) creates a sensation for players of being bulletproof.

3. After winning the Presidents' Trophy, San Jose was ousted in the first round in six games by Anaheim. What went wrong for the Sharks?
The biggest factor that helped decide the series was goaltending. I don’t think anyone expected Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller to be as good as he was, and he was fantastic. For some reason, Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov saw the level of his play tail off. Nabokov didn’t have the kind of series that he is capable of.

What Sharks general manager Doug Wilson must do is objectively dissect why his team once again fell short in the playoffs. A key question Wilson has to ask himself is if San Jose can win the Stanley Cup with Joe Thornton as its No. 1 center? I don’t think Thornton hates losing enough. Possessing a happy-go-lucky demeanor like Thornton does is a wonderful way to go through life, but winning a Stanley Cup requires a hatred of losing. And Wilson also has to ask himself if a championship can be won with winger Patrick Marleau?

MORE FROM NHL

NHL Section Front

Heatley remains hot for Sharks Red Wings beat Canadiens in shootout Iginla's hat trick lifts Flames over Kings Toews helps Blackhawks beat Oilers Yandle lifts Coyotes over Flyers Skoula's two goals lift Pens over Thrashers Streaking Panthers beat slumping Rangers Robidas has 2 goals, 2 assists to lift Stars over Devils Breaking down the perfect NHL player Live odds NHL Section Front   Add NHL headlines to your news reader: