NHL Playoffs 2011, Lightning Vs. Penguins: Can Pittsburgh Tame Tampa’s Firepower?

For several weeks now, it's looked as though the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins would face off in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and now that the 2011 NHL playoffs are finally here, that expectation is a reality.

Pittsburgh overcame a ton of injuries in the regular season and was still able to grab home-ice advantage in the first round, but that was certainly helped by the fact that the Lightning struggled down the stretch at times. Still, you can't discredit the Pens for a successful change in approach in the absence of both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Dwayne Roloson was a savior for the Bolts this season, coming over from the Islanders in the middle of the year and helping them gain some consistency in nets. Marc-Andre Fleury, however, has been arguably the Penguins' MVP this season, and thus, the Pens have the edge in this department.

Without Crosby and Malkin, the Pens have been able to hold on, and the Jordan Staal's surge has certainly helped, as has the trade for James Neal. Simply put, though, you can't replace those two super stars, especially when you're going head-to-head with a team that employs Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos and Simon Gagne, among others.

The Penguins defense probably doesn't get enough chatter, but the moves they made in the offseason last year really boosted them from a unit that was just good to a unit that's solid all the way around. Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek have been welcome additions to a group that already included Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang, who's had himself a breakout year.

On the flip side, the Tampa defense doesn't have as much depth. Victor Hedman, Randy Jones and Pavel Kubina have all been fine, but it's tough to see them on the same level as the Pens' blueliners. Edge goes to Pittsburgh.