Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators renew a match up that is becoming commonplace in the post season. In recent years each team has had to beat the other in order to advance. Pittsburgh, the forth seed in the East, and Ottawa, the fifth seed, drop the puck in less than an hour at the Igloo.

Pittsburgh didn’t limp into the playoffs but did not impress in March and April nearly as much as they had in the previous two seasons where they used the final weeks of the regular season to build momentum. When you count overtime and shootout losses as what they are, losses, the Penguins were basically a .500 team. Ottawa on the other hand finished the season 7-2-1 so they are not going to be an easy first round opponent.

As much as Penguins fans want to be optomistic there are questions about whether star players who have not played up to snuff (Fleury, Malkin, Gonchar) lately can find that extra gear, bear down and play playoff hockey. Fleury has been one of the best netminders in the playoffs over the past two years winning 7 of 8 series and only loosing that one finals series against Detroit. He is capable but has to steady himself in net.

Tonight, not all answers will be given but a glimpse of what is to come is certainly going to be on view. Someone better find the switch and flip it soon. Because Crosby can’t win another cup on his own.