Stanley Cup Finals Preview

At 8 PM EST tonight, the puck will drop for Game 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.  The star-laden Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against the experienced Detroit Red Wings in a rematch of last year's finals.  The Wings enter as the season-long favorite after hoisting the cup last year.  Meanwhile, the Penguins enter the series as the hottest team in the league after a mid-season coaching change.  

Let's get straight to the preview.  Scott is taking the Penguins' side and Stan is taking the Wings' side.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins have seen drastic improvements since last year's finals loss to Detroit.  They don't play the same flashy hockey as last year, but rather rely on crashing the net and deflections as their main source of points.  Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been unbelievable in the playoffs thus far and both are serious contenders for the Conn Smythe.  Perhaps more important than the performance of Pittsburgh's stars is the contributions from their newly acquired veterans Billy Guerin and Chris Kunitz.  Both have been key to the Penguins' second-half success and their experience and skill bring another dynamic to the Pens' attack.  

The Penguins have been bombarded with misconceptions by the media throughout the playoffs.  Many say that they're still too young and inexperienced to win a cup, however, the Penguins are not as young as many believe.   As mentioned before Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz both shape up the Pens' roster, and don't forget about Sergei Conchar, Ruslan Fedotenko, Petr Sykora, and a few others who are over 30.  Also, this team has already been to a cup, they are not inexperienced.

The Penguins biggest advantage will come in the health department.  Pittsburgh has remained incredibly healthy with the exception of Sergei Gonchar's knee which he has been able to play on.  The Red Wings, on the other hand, have Pavel Datysuk, Niklas Lindstorm, Kris Draper, and Jonathan Ericsson all battling with injuries right now.  Detroit's often praised depth will not be as effective throughout the series.  

Another crucial factor in this year's finals is Pittsburgh's mindset.  They took a heart-crushing loss to the Wings last year and have since kept their head down and carried on as all business, since.  They now have something to prove, and with so much talent plus serious determination, the Penguins are extremely dangerous.  The intangibles weight in the Penguins' favor, and expect to see determined performances from Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, and the rest of the Pens' roster.  While they may not be quite as skilled or quite as good as the Red Wings, the Penguins are coming in with a chip on their shoulder which is all a team needs to push themselves over the top and into champions.

Prediction: Penguins in 7

Detroit Red Wings

Everyone seemingly thinks the Penguins will win this year, probably because a lot of people want the Penguins to win.  But when one looks past the stardom and glitz of the Penguins, one can see weakness and vulnerability that the Red Wings will exploit.  When one looks at the Red Wings, there is no apparent weakness at all.  

A team can have the best player in the world, but if it does not have depth, then it has no chance of winning it all.  It's not like the Pens don't have some depth; in fact, Pittsburgh has put themselves in great position to win a championship with several of their offseason acquisitions.  However, Detroit's depth is overwhelming.  The Wings do not have any weak lines.

Detroit can get you from anywhere; whether its Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen, Daniel Cleary, or Valtterri Filppula offensively, or Niklas Lindstrom, Brad Stuart, Brian Rafalski, or Niklas Cronwall defensively, the Wings can cover the ice like no team in the National Hockey League.  Additionally, in a big playoff game, I trust Chris Osgood way more than Marc-Andre Fleury.  

Look at last year's series between the Pens and Wings.  Sure, Detroit won the series 4-2, so it looks nice and close.  But don't forget that the Penguins didn't score a goal until Game 3 when the series went back to Pittsburgh.  They were just annihilated in the first two games by the far more experienced Detroit team.  Detroit probably should have won in 5 games if not for a lucky poke in by Max Talbot to send Game 5 to OT, where the Pens eventually prevailed.  

Don't be surprised if the Wings dominate this series.  But I don't expect that to happen.  The Penguins are much improved from last year, although I believe Fleury was playing better a year ago.  Evnegi Malkin has also been almost unstoppable this postseason, even though I do feel that the Red Wings can contain him.  Look for Malkin to have a better series overall than Crosby, however.  For me, Detroit's depth seals the deal in this one.  They will wear down the Penguins and will not give Sidney Crosby a rest for the whole series.  Detroit will prevail, but Pittsburgh will give them a good run.  

Prediction: Red Wings in 7