The Penguins will begin defense of their back-to-back Stanley Cups when Philadelphia visits PPG Paints Arena Wednesday evening for Game 1 of the opening round.
Consecutive championships have become rare in the NHL — the Penguins are the first team to earn two in a row since Detroit in 1997 and 1998 — and no franchise has strung together three since the New York Islanders ran off four from 1980 to 1983.
Here’s a position-by-position look at the three Penguins teams that have won Cups during the past decade, showing how they compare to the 2017-18 club that will be trying to add another chapter to the franchise’s legacy:
GOALIES
2009 — Marc-Andre Fleury sealed the Penguins’ 2-1 victory in Game 7 of the Cup final by denying Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom as time was about to expire.