Pittsburgh Penguins Tickets

Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 Playoffs Preview The Pittsburgh Penguins come into the 2010 NHL playoffs looking to defend their Stanley Cup title but had to settle for the No. 4 seed because of their biggest rival.

They have struggled at times throughout the regular season, but the postseason is all that really matters for this bunch after last year's success.

The only team that can really stand in the way of the Penguins and another trip to the Stanley Cup Finals is the Washington Capitals.

The Penguins certainly have the firepower to take down the Capitals with the tandem of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, but there are also some legitimate concerns.

Crosby is considered the big thorn in the Capitals' side and the most hated player in Washington, but it's Malkin who slides under the radar and inflicts a significant amount of damage.

Pittsburgh, like Washington, does have some issues with inconsistent goaltending from time to time. If you catch their goaltenders at the right time, they are beatable.

It won't help that a matchup between the two teams would give Washington the home-ice advantage, but that didn't seem to do much good for the Capitals in last year's postseason series.

With the way these two teams have battled in recent years, it seems like they are both on a collision course to meet each other in the playoffs with the winner likely earning a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.