How's this for starters? Kris Letang

Part 4 in a series

Goaltending is the most critical -- and often, decisive -- variable in any postseason series.

Look at any upset in Stanley Cup playoff history, and chances are that you'll find a goaltender's signature scrawled all over it.

It's why Penguins partisans of various vintages might still experience night terrors about the likes of Chico Resch, Glenn Healy and Jaroslav Halak.

And if Montreal would manage to snuff the Penguins' hopes of chasing another Cup during a best-of-five qualifying round series this summer, it almost certainly will be because Canadiens goalie Carey Price performed at an other-worldly level.

Similarly, should the Penguins find a way to seriously contend for the franchise's sixth championship, Matt Murray and/or Tristan Jarry surely will merit much of the credit.

But if quality goaltending is the biggest key to what the Penguins hope to achieve when the 2019-20 season resumes, the play of Kris Letang might be a fairly close second.

When Letang performs at a Norris Trophy-caliber level, as he frequently does, he adds a dimension few teams get from their blue line. He's a superb skater with good offensive instincts and skills, can be sound defensively and plays bigger than he is. (The latter being the best explanation for why he'll never threaten any ironman records.)

There are, however, plenty of times when Letang is guilty of dubious decision-making, and others when he fails to keep his on-ice emotions suitably corralled. When that happens, his effectiveness plunges and his playing time -- almost always the most on the team, by a significant margin -- should do likewise.

If Letang comes out of the NHL's extended shutdown healthy, rested, focused and with his skills reasonably sharp, the Penguins' prospects of getting through their series against Montreal in just three or four games should be greatly enhanced, because he can be a major force in almost every phase of the game.

Should he sputter, stumble or struggle, however, the series could get a lot more interesting than the teams' regular-season records suggest it should.

Although Letang's recent history does not suggest he usually is a fast starter, there is no way to predict how he -- or any other player, for that matter -- will respond to the unprecedented circumstances in which they will find themselves later this summer.

Here is a look at Letang's most basic statistics -- goals, assists and plus-minus rating -- and noteworthy events from his first five appearances in each of the past five regular seasons:

2015-16 -- One goal, one assist, minus-1

No one can accuse Letang of easing his way into the season. He didn't get any points during the Penguins' season-opening 3-0 loss in Dallas -- nor did any of his teammates, of course -- but he did log 28 minutes, 18 seconds of ice time and launch eight shots on goal. He got his only goal in the first five games in Game 3, a 3-2 loss to Montreal in the home opener.

2016-17 -- One goal, three assists, minus-1

Letang did some serious Duck-hunting, putting up a goal and two assists in two games against Anaheim. He also picked up an assist during a 3-2 season-opening shootout victory against Washington. An injury forced him to miss five games after the first four, but he came back strong, with a goal, an assist and a plus-3 during a 5-1 victory at Anaheim in his fifth appearance.

2017-18 -- One goal, one assist, minus-5

Like pretty much all of his teammates, Letang's numbers were grotesquely distorted by a 10-1 loss in Chicago in the second game of the season, during which he was saddled with a minus-5. After being shut out in the first three games, he got a goal in Game 4, a 3-2 victory in Nashville, and an assist in the 5-4 loss at Tampa that followed.

2018-19 -- Three goals, three assists, even

Letang's offensive game was strong early, as he scored two goals and set up another during a 7-6 overtime victory against Washington in the opener. His most impressive number might have come out of a 4-3 shootout loss in Montreal in the fourth game, as he logged 32 minutes of ice time.

2019-20 -- Two goals, four assists, plus-1

In a promising portent for the Penguins' offense heading into the Montreal series, Letang put up at least one point in each of the first five games, highlighted by a one-goal, one-assist effort during a 7-4 victory at Minnesota in the fifth game. He also recorded a plus-3 against the Wild, despite playing just 23 minutes, 29 seconds, his lowest total in Games 1-5.

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