Pittsburgh — This is what the Pittsburgh Penguins do. They find a way.
Even on nights when they blow a three-goal lead, they go an entire period (and then some) without registering a single shot and the opponent is fresher, quicker and, for long stretches, demonstrably better.
Maybe it’s mystique. Maybe it’s luck. Maybe it’s a bit of both. What makes the defending Stanley Cup champions different from the 29 other clubs chasing them isn’t the way they dominate when they play well. It’s their ability to survive when they don’t.
On nights like Monday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, when a brief early flurry led to a baffling lull only to end how so many games have ended for the Penguins over the last two springs: with the bigger number on the scoreboard next to their name and the guys on the other bench wondering how Pittsburgh got away.