For the Pittsburgh Penguins, the seed is lower in 2014-15, but the expectations are still high.
Complete NHL Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule
The Penguins had a tremendous regular season in 2013-14, winning the Metropolitan Division with 51 victories and 109 points, but after enduring a tough six-game series with the Columbus Blue Jackets, high expectations molded into crippling disappointment.
Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3-1 series lead over the New York Rangers, but proceeded to drop three straight games, losing a crucial Game 7 on home ice at the Consol Energy Center while the Blueshirts made a run to the Stanley Cup Final.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2014-15 Format For Seedings
Now this year, with roles reversed and a seven-game Round 1 series opening up at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, captain Sidney Crosby and company are out for revenge.
"All the games seemed pretty similar. The margin for error was pretty small," Crosby told NHL.com when reflecting on last spring's series. "You talk about the playoffs, and one mistake here or there is a pretty big difference. But it seemed like, as the series went on, they were able to get a little bit more momentum, extended shifts, stuff like that. Where they were able to really get extended periods of time where either we didn't get enough in-zone [time] or they were able to get power plays and stuff like that, that they were really able to build on."
He continued: "That's going to happen in the playoffs. You're going to have kind of ups and downs throughout the game and they're going to generate momentum, but I think later on in that series, we didn't do a good enough job of just finding ways to grab it back, whether it be with a power-play goal or a big shift where you get extended time to draw a penalty, something like that ... You don't want to give them a lot of opportunities and get back on your heels."
The loss led to the dismissal of head coach Dan Bylsma and general manager Ray Shero, who were replaced by Mike Johnston and Jim Rutherford, respectively.
There is no lack of confidence for Crosby and the Penguins, despite the team having an uncharacteristic run to the playoffs, having to wait until Game 82 to clinch a spot by clinching the second and final wild-card spot with 11 less points than last season (98).
In a way, Crosby and Pittsburgh helped create a monster in New York as the Rangers used the momentum from last spring's run to make history this season, notching franchise records in wins (53) and points (113) while emerging as the odds-on favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup in June.
The script has certainly changed from last year, when Pittsburgh was a favorite to defeat New York and advance.
"It's a different way of getting in. I feel like we've been fighting here for a while," Crosby said. "It doesn't feel like we were just able to coast in and count the games down. Usually, at different points, I feel like we were just trying to stay healthy and avoid injuries at that point, and I think this year was a little different. We had to fight and we were missing a lot of guys, things like that. It's definitely a different feeling going in, but not necessarily a bad thing."
Crosby is once again in the Hart Trophy discussion after finishing third in the NHL with 84 points and 56 assists (tied).
The most important thing on Pittsburgh's side is that anything can happen and anyone can beat anyone when the puck drops in the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- Crosby just hopes he's not on the wrong side of it again.
"Once you're there, you want to make the most of it," he said. "It's a grind and a roller coaster emotionally and mentally, but it's the best time of year to be playing."
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