3 reasons why the Penguins will advance to Cup Final

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning will face off in postseason play for just the second time beginning Friday.

The teams will do battle in their fourth conference final since the 2004 season, while each will also be looking to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in that span.

The Lightning and Penguins have played the fewest amount of games of teams heading into the third round and have just five losses combined. Through two rounds, both matchup with near identical stats in almost every category, but the Penguins enter the series with an edge.

Here is why the Penguins will defeat the Lightning in the conference final and advance to play the best in the West:

Penguins have taken the tougher road

While the Lightning and Penguins each made quick work of their two previous opponents, it's quite clear the Penguins were dealt the tougher hand.

The Lightning got by the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders, neither of whom stack up to the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals.

The Penguins' opposition had a combined 28 more points in the regular season than that of the Lightning's, not to mention the Penguins were able to knock off Alex Ovechkin and the Presidents' Trophy winning-Capitals.

The Lightning cruised through the first two rounds and will now face a team the likes of which they have not seen this postseason.

Sleeping giants bound to wake up

The Penguins got by the regular season's best club with next to no contributions from their top-2 players.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combined for one goal and four points in six games.

While the duo struggled in the second round, it should not be forgotten that the two were lights out against the Rangers in Round 1. During the five-game series, Crosby and Malkin pounded the Rangers with five goals and 15 points.

Crosby and Malkin have both been point-per-game players in their playoff careers and while they were both quiet in Round 2, silencing them for another four games - at least - appears unlikely.

X-factor: Hagelin, Kessel, Bonino

The trio of Carl Hagelin, Phil Kessel, and Nick Bonino currently occupies the club's second line, but best believe they are contributing at a first-line rate.

The threesome was without question the difference in the Penguins ousting the Capitals. The three led the team in scoring in the series with seven, six, and five points, respectively and combined for two of the four game-winning goals in Round 2.

Through the postseason, the three have combined for just shy of a three point-per-game average, meanwhile Kessel leads the team in scoring with 12 points.

If this trio can continue to roll and Crosby and Malkin start getting in on the scoring, the Penguins will surely be too much of an offensive juggernaut for the Lightning to handle.

Schedule

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