PenguinPoop · Jun 9, 2022
Are the Avalanche Channeling Our Penguins?
Since the Penguins won their second of back-to-back Cups in 2017, there’s been an audible shift in the makeup of teams that have captured Lord Stanley’s coveted chalice.
While speed-first squads have mostly fallen by the wayside, Washington and more recently, Tampa Bay, have triumphed with a hybrid style, blending speed and skill with size, physicality and structure. In a throwback to the Devils of the Martin Brodeur era, St. Louis prevailed in 2019 with a muscular, defense-first, counter-punching style.
The trend has continued this spring. Three of the four teams that made it to the Conference Finals employ the balanced style mentioned above.
The lone exception?
Colorado.