#1 -- Pittsburgh Penguins
Based around skill and lots of it, Pittsburgh brings a youthful and talented attack to the powerplay. With the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin rocking offensive ratings between 90 to 95, you've got a threat up the middle on either powerplay unit. Add to that James Neal's beastly offensive output for the 2011-2012 campaign (reflected in decent stats for NHL 12) as well as the veteran presence of Chris Kunitz, and Pittsburgh can get it done.
Pittsburgh's defense is well-suited to the offensive game, with solid players like Paul Martin and emerging talents such as Kris Letang. Martin brings to the table a reliable set of skills, complete with solid passing and power on his shots in the mid-80s. Letang has good power on both his wrister and slapper, and his puck control and passing are both at 90, which is great for setting up the skilled forwards up front.
Pittsburgh's goaltending, 2012 playoffs aside, is still quite serviceable with Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes. His 90 ratings in breakaway and five-hole will be a boon if the penalty killing team gets a shorthanded chance.
Based around skill and lots of it, Pittsburgh brings a youthful and talented attack to the powerplay. With the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin rocking offensive ratings between 90 to 95, you've got a threat up the middle on either powerplay unit. Add to that James Neal's beastly offensive output for the 2011-2012 campaign (reflected in decent stats for NHL 12) as well as the veteran presence of Chris Kunitz, and Pittsburgh can get it done.
Pittsburgh's defense is well-suited to the offensive game, with solid players like Paul Martin and emerging talents such as Kris Letang. Martin brings to the table a reliable set of skills, complete with solid passing and power on his shots in the mid-80s. Letang has good power on both his wrister and slapper, and his puck control and passing are both at 90, which is great for setting up the skilled forwards up front.
Pittsburgh's goaltending, 2012 playoffs aside, is still quite serviceable with Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes. His 90 ratings in breakaway and five-hole will be a boon if the penalty killing team gets a shorthanded chance.
Comment