The Penguins were dead and buried and in the midst of a coaching change in December. At that point many people thought they would struggle just to make the playoffs.
Tonight, they will raise the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in franchise history.
There, I said it.
The Penguins will win tonight for the oldest and often most overlooked reason in sports — because they are better than the Sharks.
Not because it is “their time” or this is some “magical season” or any of that other nonsensical sentimental crap, but because they are flat out better than the Sharks in just about every category.