The Penguins are two wins away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions. They still have to finish the job, and the final could change dramatically once it moves to Nashville. The Penguins will earn at least a split and then finish off the Predators next Thursday in Game 5 at PPG Paints Arena.
That's why it's time to start talking about the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff MVP.
Through the first two playoff series it was without question going to be Marc-Andre Fleury. He was spectacular in those first two series and even shut the Capitals out in Game 7 of the second round to clinch the series.
But then Fleury got lit up by the Senators in the first period of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference final and was benched in favor of Matt Murray. Fleury hasn't seen the ice since.
Murray has been a steadying hand for the Penguins and has really been one of their best players since he got back in the lineup. I just can't see handing the trophy to a man who didn't play in the first 14 playoff games.
That's why there are only two legitimate candidates at this point and it isn't likely to change over the next week.
Sidney Crosby is the Penguins' best player and an argument can always be made that he is the MVP no matter what the situation.
He suffers in this discussion from what I would call "Michael Jordan fatigue" syndrome. That is to say people are tired of giving him awards and MVP trophies so they find reasons to name someone else the MVP.
Jordan was named the NBA MVP only five times, which is about five or six times less than he should have been.
Crosby would be the boring choice and I don't see a lot of sentiment to hand him the trophy again. He won it last year so it is time to spread the wealth.
The other thing is the Penguins won maybe the most crucial game of the playoffs _ Game 4 against Washington _ without him. If the Penguins had lost that game, they likely would be on the golf course right now.
That's why two other Penguins deserve it more than Crosby. I'd love for a defenseman to be in the discussion because of what this team has accomplished without Kris Letang. They have all had their moments of good and bad and have filled Letang's void by committee.
Forward Jake Guentzel leads the team with 12 goals and is becoming the sentimental pick. He scored the game-winning goal Wednesday, his fifth game winner of the playoffs. He has set a host of records for rookies in these playoffs. Guentzel has a knack for getting to the net, for finding the puck and putting it behind the goaltender. He's had a flair for the dramatic and it is clear he is a favorite among his teammates.
He did have that stretch of seven games without scoring, though, and the Penguins continued to win. He also has benefited greatly from playing a lot of shifts alongside Crosby as half of his goals have been assisted by the captain. Guentzel has an impressive 19 points in 21 playoff games. But I can't ignore that stretch of games he disappeared for and game-winning goal as statistic in the NHL is way overrated.
That's why the Conn Smythe winner should be given to Penguins center Evgeni Malkin. He has been the Penguins' best player from the start of the playoffs until now. There has been not been a stretch of games where he hasn't shown up and he has played some of the best hockey of his career in these playoffs.
He has been dominant at times, he has willed the team to goals when it was struggling to score and he has taken very few shifts off. The goal he scored Wednesday was pretty special and one that generally only comes off the stick of a superstar.
It is true that Guentzel has scored the most goals of anybody in the playoffs.
Malkin, however, is second with nine goals and is first in points scored with 26. That means he has 17 assists, which also leads the Penguins.
The Penguins have 67 goals in the playoffs and Malkin has assisted or scored on 26 of them. That means he has been directly involved in 39 percent of the Penguins goals this postseason and those are the numbers of a true MVP.
That's why I say Guentzel is the best story these playoffs but Malkin is the MVP.
