Q: Kris Letang (produced) one of the most impressive performances by a rookie defenseman I've seen. He's been physical enough and in good position, and has distributed the puck so well that the Pens' transition game has been a threat. Watching (Ottawa's) defense back off the blue line time and time again as a result of great breakout passes gives me a lot of hope going forward.

Ian DeArdo, New York City

MOLINARI: Letang certainly didn't display any rookie jitters during his first NHL playoff series, teaming mostly with Hal Gill on a highly effective pairing.

Ottawa's forechecking was nowhere near as ferocious (or effective) as it was during Round 1 in 2007 and that, coupled with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury's improved puckhandling, made life a whole lot easier for the Penguins' defensemen. (There still is a Shroud of Turin-like image of Sergei Gonchar's face on the glass at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa after the countless times the Senators drove him into it while he was trying to chase down pucks last spring.)

Still, that does not detract from how composed and efficient Letang was. He never panicked, consistently made good decisions with the puck, and moved and shot the puck efficiently. None of that necessarily is a surprise after how he performed during the regular season, but seeing him do it in the crucible of the playoffs had to be encouraging for management and the coaching staff.

Q: Do you think the Penguins have two of the best third and fourth lines in the NHL?

Samuel Kroskey, Columbus, Ohio

MOLINARI: Star forwards tend to draw most of the attention -- especially when they're guys like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- but the quality of a team's supporting cast can be one of the decisive variables in a playoff series.

It's difficult to accurately compare the Penguins' bottom two lines with those from around the league because other clubs just aren't seen often enough, and the blue-collar guys are easy to overlook unless you're watching the game in person.

The Penguins do, however, have third and fourth lines capable of doing quality work, however. The Jarkko Ruutu-Jordan Staal-Tyler Kennedy is responsible in its own end and can manufacture the occasional goal (remember, Ruutu scored the series-winner against Ottawa) and the Gary Roberts(or Adam Hall)-Max Talbot-Georges Laraque unit can cycle the puck exceptionally well, making it almost impossible for opponents to get possession.

Those guys generally have some kind of limitation -- if they didn't, they likely would be top-six forwards -- but most of the time, they seem to recognize, and operate within, them.

Q: Was Staal's faceoff percentage higher because of the competition, or have we found our much needed go-to faceoff leader?

Dave Heyl, Bernardsville, N.J.

MOLINARI: Staal fared well on draws during the Penguins' first-round series, winning 36 of 68 for a success rate of 52.9 percent. Nonetheless, it probably is not wise to read too much into a four-game sampling that is so dramatically different from his regular-season results, when he controlled just 42.2 percent of the faceoffs he handled.

Staal has the potential to develop into a good faceoff man -- as do most of the Penguins' young centers -- but a key component in becoming one is getting experience, and there's no way to rush that.