LAS VEGAS _ The Penguins started winning again because they've gotten contributions from younger players, whether it's been forwards Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust, Jake Guentzel and Scott Wilson or defensemen Justin Schultz, Brian Dumoulin and Olli Maatta. All are 26 or younger.
Oh, and that Matt Murray kid in goal, a two-time Stanley Cup winner at 23, has been pretty sharp, too.
The move toward youth, however, hasn't been a trend unique to the Penguins.
Look at the list of nominees for the NHL Awards. Oilers center Connor McDavid (20) should win the Hart Trophy. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (26) won't win the Norris Trophy, but that's only because Ottawa's Erik Karlsson is a freak.
The Calder Trophy nominees _ Toronto's Auston Matthews (this year's winner), Winnipeg's Patrik Laine and Zach Werenski of Columbus _ are already stars.
"The game is in a real good situation with all the young stars we have," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said.
He would know. The Leafs are loaded with young talent. In addition to Matthews, Toronto has Mitchell Marner, William Nylander and more. The Leafs are likely to be installed as a top-four team in the Eastern Conference for every 2017-18 preseason package you'll read.
You also can't forget Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau, here as a Lady Byng nominee. That's cool and all _ Gaudreau said he's always taken pride in staying out of the penalty box _ but Gaudreau is electric, occasionally forgotten about on the East Coast because he plays in Alberta.
"It's really cool," Gaudreau said. "I got to play with two of those guys (Matthews and Laine) at the World Cup. Both of them are exciting players to watch and play with."
The headliners, of course, are Matthews and McDavid, the guys everyone seems insistent on comparing to Crosby.
Matthews was second only to Crosby in goal-scoring with 40, a number that Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov _ who's only 24 _ also reached. Matthews led the NHL in even-strength (32) and first goals (14).
Vladimir Tarasenko (25) of St. Louis was one behind at 39. Twenty-one-year-old David Pastrnak of Boston wasn't far behind with 34, while Chicago's Artemi Panarin (25) and Nashville's dynamic duo of Viktor Arvidsson (24) and Filip Forsberg (22) all produced 31 goals.
"It's a pretty good rookie class this year with a lot of good players," Matthews said. "To be named one of the top three is a pretty big honor."
In Edmonton, McDavid may have found his sidecar for years to come in Leon Draisaitl, a 21-year-old who broke out to the tune of 29 goals and 77 points in 82 games.
When NHL legend Wayne Gretzky spoke in Nashville during the Stanley Cup final, he said he viewed McDavid and Draisaitl as the next Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the league's pre-eminent scoring tandem.
"For him to say that, that means a lot," McDavid said. "Leon's definitely a great player. He had his coming-out party this year. I think everyone saw what he's capable of. We could make a good one-two punch."
The reality, though, is that the NHL has more than a one-two punch with its young talent, and that much has been as tough to ignore in Vegas as the 117-degree temperatures.
"It's great to see younger guys doing well," Gaudreau said. "Hopefully we can keep the success going."
