PITTSBURGH PENGUINS HEADED BACK TO STANLEY CUP FINAL

The Pittsburgh Penguins are headed the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season, following Thursday night’s 3-2, double overtime win over the Ottawa Senators in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final.  The Penguins will meet the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League’s championship series starting on Monday night.

The full schedule for the Stanley Cup Final is below.  All times are to be determined:

* = if necessary

The Penguins are the first team to appear in back-to-back finals since the 2008 and 2009 postseasons, when the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings faced off at the end of both campaigns.  They will attempt to become the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups since the 1997 and 1998 Detroit Red Wings.

This will be the sixth finals appearance for the Penguins, with each coming in back-to-back fashion (1991 and 1992; 2008 and 2009; 2016 and 2017).  It is also the fourth appearance in the final for the Penguins in the past 10 seasons, the most of any team in that time span.

Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, who guided Pittsburgh to the team’s fourth title last season, is looking to join an exclusive coaching club this spring.  Sullivan can become just the second head coach in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in his first two seasons behind the bench, joining the legendary Toe Blake, who accomplished the feat with the Montreal Canadiens in 1956 and 1957.  He also won the Cup with the Habs in each of the following three seasons as well.