Don’t look now, Penguins faithful, but those flightless birds are sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division and only three points from Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators. The standings are tight, and will be tight for the remainder of the season, but the Penguins are in the thick of it up at the top of the heap.

This is ten full games after Sidney Crosby went out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain. This is after starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury went out with the same injury. This is after the most intimidating man in the universe, Gary Roberts, broke his leg. This is after the Pens number one defensive d-man, Mark Eaton ended his season. This is after spark plug Tyler Kennedy’s bout with mono.

After the injury walrus nibbled the Penguins extremities into bloody stumps, the Penguins have responded and then some. Evgeni Malkin is on a tear right now the likes of which we have never seen from him. It’s like every night, he’s Ivan Drago from Rocky 4 and the opponant is Apollo Creed and Malkin kills the muthafucka right in the damn ring. Everybody is comparing Evgeni Malkin to Ivan Drago, and while it’s fast becoming a cliche, I still enjoy it.

The line of Sykora, Malkin, and Malone is dominating. Malone has had his best year as a Penguin thus far, and now is compiling the stats to compliment his gritty play. He’s playing like a power forward should. It makes me smile.

Defense! DE-fense!! DE-FENSE!!!

The blueline crew of the top of the hill Penguinos defies any superlatives laid upon them. I could go on and on about how brilliant they are, how solid the play as a unit has been, the Kris Letang superstar wagon, but it wouldn’t matter. With no Mark Eaton, Long Island Robbie, Rob Scuderi has stepped up his game in a big way. Head Coach Michel Therrien has thrown him in the shark’s tank, playing him in key situations. He’s responded with solid even play, and a ridiculously low penalty minute total, amounting to a whole 20 minutes. That means, if all minors, he’s taken ten penalties this season. He never takes penalties, and as a defenseman, that means he’s never out of position.

Sergei Gonchar. Wow. Solid. A wizard on the power play. Has a shot that could find the crease in Mother Theresa’s crotch.

So now you’ve read the title and what I’ve written so far, and you’re asking why I think the Pens are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

Listen, Slappy. Don’t ask me no questions and I won’t tell you no lies! Gimmie back my bullets! Gimmie three steps mister! Freebird!

Ok, let me explain.

The Penguins, with all of the man games they have lost, have been faced with heaping amounts of adversity. Then they lost their leader, the best player in the game, and the face of the league, Sidney Crosby. Are you kidding me? The season is supposed to be over when you lose a player like that. Yet, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins have responded in a big way. They are learning how to win without Crosby. Christ, when Crosby does return, it’ll be like trading for the best player in the game without giving anything up.

The lessons that these young Penguins are learning are so valuable. They are cocky. They know they’re going to win and they know they’re damn good. When the band gets back together, with the lessons learned in toughness and adversity, they will take the playoffs by storm. The Eastern Conference won’t know what hit em.

Trust me. Sometimes I can bullshit my way into getting some stuff right.