The Penguins are out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, so it’s bandwagon-hopping time for fans who still want to stay engaged with hockey for the next few weeks.
Here’s a guide to the remaining teams worth rooting for — or against.
The loveable
Vegas Golden Knights — Marc-Andre Fleury. Do we need to say more at this point? Probably not, but here it goes. They’re not quite the underdog story they were last year, when they shocked the hockey world by advancing to the Stanley Cup final as an expansion team. By now, most people accept that they’re simply good. That doesn’t change the fact they’re still fun to watch. Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson, big contributors from the run last year, are back. They’re joined by new faces including Mark Stone, who was liberated from Ottawa’s melodrama at the trade deadline and has played with his hair on fire in the first round, scoring six goals and adding four helpers. Yep, he alone has scored more than the Penguins did as a team in their first-round series. Former Penguins on roster: Marc-Andre Fleury, Deryk Engelland and Ryan Reaves.
Carolina Hurricanes — Their post-game celebrations are fun and have gotten on the nerves of grumpy hockey purists such as Don Cherry. That alone makes them rootable. Throw in the fact that most of their Eastern Conference competitors have tangled with the Penguins in one way or another in recent years, and you have a lovable underdog that could bring local hockey fans joy by downing the mighty Capitals or irritants like the Blue Jackets and Islanders. Oh, and 21-year-old winger Sebastian Aho scored 30 goals this season and is a lot of fun to watch. Former Penguins on roster: Greg McKegg, Jordan Staal.
The acceptable
San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators — They were the Penguins’ victims in the Stanley Cup final in 2016 and ’17, respectively. They’ve remained solid teams since. And unlike some of their competitors in these playoffs, they have engaging face-of-the franchise types in P.K. Subban, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, another Ottawa refuge who deserves to feel some joy. You could live with seeing either of them finally break through. Former Penguins on rosters: Nick Bonino (Predators).
St. Louis Blues — They joined the NHL in 1967 — the same year as the Penguins — and they’ve won almost nothing of consequence despite making the playoffs in 42 of their 51 seasons. The closest they’ve been to the Stanley Cup were three consecutive trips to the final, all losses, that they earned by winning the league’s expansion division in the 1960s. That’s wild! Their roster isn’t especially interesting beyond goalie Jordan Binnington, who’s been showing out in the series against Winnipeg so far. So if you need star power to keep you engaged, this probably isn’t the team for you. If you’re a fan of weirdly cursed teams, though, then the Blues should be right up your alley. They also have a bunch of forgettable Penguins on their roster, if that’s your thing. Former Penguins on roster: Oskar Sundqvist, David Perron, Chris Thorburn, Robert Bortuzzo.
The hateable
Columbus Blue Jackets — Yes, they pulled off an historic upset by sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy winning Tampa Bay Lightning. No, they’re not a natural in the Cinderella role. The irascible John Tortorella is still their coach. Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin, their starting goalie and best player, respectively, have feuded with management and appear to want the heck out of Central Ohio as soon as possible. Perhaps worst of all, the Penguins dominated the season series. It would be exceptionally weird for Penguins fans to watch this team, of all of them, win a Stanley Cup amid all that dysfunction. Former Penguins on roster: None.
New York Islanders — Not only did they sweep the Penguins out of the playoffs, but they play a pretty boring brand of hockey. Jordan Eberle scored some slick goals in the series, but otherwise, they more or less waited for the Penguins shoot themselves in their collective foot before letting their suffocating defense take over. It was bad TV. No one except their fans should want to watch this team for another month and a half. Former Penguins on roster: Thomas Greiss, Tom Kuhnhackl.
Washington Capitals — They finally got their Stanley Cup last year, and that was fine. Fun, even, if you’re amused by watching Alex Ovechkin do keg stands. Once is enough, though. No Penguins fan wants to see one of their team’s biggest rivals match their crowning accomplishment of winning back-to-back championships in the NHL’s salary cap era. Former Penguins on roster: Carl Hagelin, Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: April 18, 2019, 12:30 p.m.