From ESPN's Scott Burnside:

The Pittsburgh Penguins' defense corps has been listening to two basic storylines for months.

It was either: The Penguins were doomed because their defense wasn't good enough.

Or, the Penguins might be OK in the playoffs in spite of their defense, which would otherwise doom any other team unlucky enough to have this group on its roster.

But the one storyline that has, until recently at least, rarely been given voice: Holy cow, this Penguins defense is good. And maybe not just good, but Stanley Cup good.

And say this about a blue-line corps that, outside of star Kris Letang, lacks the profile of pretty much any other playoff team this spring, these Penguins are extremely self-aware.

They know what people have been saying about them and they have excelled in spite of it. Or maybe because of it.

"I think that particular storyline is something that they've been saying from the start of the year," Penguins defenseman Ian Cole said in an interview. "We got [Phil] Kessel and they're like, 'Oh wow, they're all set but man, their D.' So I think everyone's aware of that."

Continued