Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Five thoughts on a Penguins three-peat

1.Three, the hard way: On the eve of the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins are toning down their talk of winning a third consecutive Cup championship.

Very vanilla is what you will get this week.

(Well, except for maybe Matt Murray talking about it as the most wonderful time of the year).

For #Penguins goalie @mattmurray_30 , the #StanleyCupPlayoffs are the most wonderful time of the year: pic.twitter.com/mSza8DgRuG

— Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) April 10, 2018

"Three-peat, we hear it, we don't talk about it," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons . "But it's obviously there. Really, there's nothing to talk about at this point. We have a team good enough to win again. It's never easy to win. It's probably harder to repeat. We're capable of doing it."

But the Penguins weren't so shy last June.

That's when they became the NHL's first back-to-back Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings of 1997 and '98. No NHL team has won three consecutive Cup titles since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83.

"That's a great motivating tool or factor," Crosby said at the time. "It's been so long since teams were able to go back-to-back, so to be able to do that (three-peat) in this era would be pretty tough to beat. I think it'd be pretty cool to shoot for that."

2.Subtle as a sledgehammer: Do you remember when Mike Sullivan threw down the gauntlet , challenging the Penguins to three-peat at their Stanley Cup victory parade?

"That will be our goal," Sullivan said, "and that will be our expectation"

The Penguins will say all the right things to make sure they don't give the Philadelphia Flyers any bulletin-board material before their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, but best believe that there is an air of confidence within this team.

Even if they don't talk about it, they hear it and they know it.

3.Denying the dynasty: When the Penguins beat the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the Final, co-owner Mario Lemieux called it "unbelievable" to see them win back-to-back titles .

Mario knew the feeling, after leading the Penguins to successive Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and '92. But Lemieux was quick to dismiss any talk of the Penguins being a dynasty.

"No, it's not a dynasty," he said. "To be a dynasty, you have to win four or five in a row. Not quite there yet."

Au contraire, mon frere.

4.Terrific trio: The Penguins might not be in the same stratosphere as the Islanders – who won four Cup championships from '80-83 – or Edmonton Oilers (five Cup titles from '84-90), two of the four post-1967 expansion teams recognized by the NHL. (The Montreal Canadiens won four from '65-69 and six from '71-79).

But what the Penguins have done is special in the salary-cap era. The Red Wings won back-to-back titles in '97 and 98 and three in six years, counting 2002. The Chicago Blackhawks won three Cup championships in five years (2010, '13 and '15).

If the Penguins can three-peat, it would give them five Final appearances since 2008 and four Cup championships since '09.

Even if only three players remain from that first Final team – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang – that's dynastic.

5.Start with an ending: Perhaps it's fitting that the Penguins are playing the Philadelphia Flyers, and not just because of their intense rivalry or the regular-season series sweep.

Philadelphia is enjoying an incredible run, as the Eagles won their first Super Bowl in February and the Villanova Wildcats won their second NCAA men's basketball title in three years last week.

What better way for the Penguins to being their quest for a three-peat than by ending Philly's chances for a third consecutive championship and reclaim the City of Champions tag.

Pittsburgh last wore that label in 2009, when it was named the No. 1 sports town by Sporting News after the Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl and the Penguins the Stanley Cup for the third time.

Philadelphia is the frontrunner for that crown in '18.

After back-to-back Cup championships, Penguins fans have to be careful not to become complacent because Philly fans will be feeding off the city's good fortune.

The Flyers haven't won the Cup since 1975, losing six times in the Final since then. If the Penguins want to become a dynasty, they need to start their three-peat by finishing off Philly's.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

When the #Penguins won back-to-back #StanleyCup championships, owner Mario Lemieux said they weren't yet a dynasty. Sidney Crosby's take: pic.twitter.com/QUprBPVSUP

— Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) April 10, 2018

#Penguins coach Mike Sullivan addresses the three-peat question and what doing so would mean to legacy: pic.twitter.com/ioTfBWR60y

— Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) April 10, 2018