by Alison Myers

Created on: May 07, 2008

During the 2007-2008 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up a regular season Atlantic Division title, a divisional playoff championship, and are now on their way to the Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. Several players have made this magical playoff run possible.

The biggest stars right now are Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby is in his third season with Pittsburgh and is the captain at just 20 years old. Even though he sat out much of the season with a high ankle sprain, he still put up 72 points during the regular season and has 14 points so far in the postseason. Malkin finished second in the NHL scoring race with 106 points; second only to Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. He also has 14 points in the playoffs so far and picked up the game winning goal in game 1 against the Rangers.

Gary Roberts is another player who has regained strength despite an injury this season. In the first game with Ottawa, he racked up sixteen penalty minutes while also chipping in two goals. It's not so much his scoring power that is feared, but rather his toughness on the ice. Any Pittsburgh fan who has been paying attention lately will notice that Roberts jokes are now the new fad among hockey fanatics; Roberts punch lines are similar to the already popular Chuck Norris jokes.

Marc-Andre Fleury, a 1st round draft pick in 2003, is starting to come into his own these playoffs. He already has a 7-1-0 record and two postseason shutouts; one in each series. His .940 save percentage is also good enough for first place among playoff goaltenders. He has started in every playoff game so far and it is unlikely that he is going to sit anytime soon.

Fleury may be the goaltending star of the postseason, but when he was sidelined with an ankle sprain in December, Ty Conklin stepped up to the plate and didn't disappoint. His .923 save percentage ranked him second among goaltenders and set a career record for saves with 50 in a February game against the New York Islanders. He stepped up so much that many supported keeping him as the starter even after Fleury returned. He was also the winning goaltender during the New Year's Day Winter Classic game against the Buffalo Sabres; his second outdoor game in his career.

Rookie defenseman Kris Letang excelled in the shootout this season; going five for eight on shootout attempts. He also has three game winning goals this season and picked up his first playoff point against the Rangers with an assist in game one. Letang was sent to Pittsburgh for good after getting off to a seven point start in 10 games in the AHL. He is a steady defenseman with offensive power and will be a key point in Pittsburgh for the years to come.

Pittsburgh has gotten to where they are based not only on numbers, but also on their ability to deal with adversity. With injuries to key players that many thought would bring the Penguins down, the young team just kept going all the way to the top. They got revenge on the Ottawa Senators for last year's early playoff exit, shut down Rangers stars such as Jaromir Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist, and now get ready to face a physical Flyers team. If they stay determined and keep up with a physical pace similar to that of the Flyers, they can cause another great Philadelphia sports choke and head off to the Stanley Cup Finals.

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