Penguins Have Slight Edge in Outdoor Experience

Filed under: Capitals, Penguins, Winter Classic

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be making their second appearance in the Winter Classic on Saturday, a fact that no doubt rattles the cages of hardcore hockey fans still waiting for their team to make a first appearance (Hello, New York and Minnesota). The Penguins, of course, took part in the 2008 game in snowy Buffalo, pulling off a 2-1 win thanks to a Sidney Crosby goal in a shootout. With the elements on Saturday looking to be on the ugly side (rain), there's no doubt going to be a lot of discussion as to which team has the advantage.

On Thursday, Puck Daddy's Justin Bourne broke down why the Penguins style of play and roster make up gives them in an advantage in a game that would likely require the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) strategy to be implemented on less-than-perfect ice conditions.

If you're looking at the Penguins past experiences in outdoor games -- and in bad conditions -- to give them an additional advantage, that may not necessarily be the case. At least not as much as you might think.

"The play can't be fancy," said Evgeni Malkin. "That's okay. From the game in Buffalo, a few of us know how to handle it. We were successful then, hopefully we can be again."

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/31/penguins-have-slight-edge-in-outdoor-experience/

Rafael Nadal Rafael van der Vaart Retief Goosen Ricardo Carvalho Ricardo Quaresma