(Best E Casino) - The Detroit Red Wings are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since winning it all in 2002. That may not seem like a long absence, but in "Hockeytown," it has felt like an eternity.
In the five seasons since last hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup, Detroit has won three Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best record in the NHL during the regular season. The Red Wings also picked up that distinction this year, and have home-ice advantage in the final round as a result.
The Wings have also averaged just over 114 points per year since their last championship season, but that high level of regular-season success has succeeded only in frustrating the faithful fans of the Motor City.
This year, however, the Red Wings went 12-4 in the Western Conference playoffs to finally get back to the promised land. Detroit defeated Nashville in six games during the opening round, swept Colorado in the following series, and beat Dallas in six tests of the conference finals.
Detroit is known as the best puck possession team in the NHL thanks to its stable of talented stick-handlers at both the forward and defensive positions. However, the Red Wings' biggest asset in this postseason could be the play of veteran goaltender Chris Osgood, who has played his best hockey since leading Detroit to a Stanley Cup in 1998.
It's also the strongest goaltending the Red Wings have received since Dominik Hasek, future Hall-of-Famer and current backup to Osgood, anchored the Red Wings to their last title in 2002. Hasek actually started the playoffs as Detroit's No. 1 goaltender, but Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock made the permanent switch to Osgood after Detroit was tied at two games apiece with the Predators.
Hasek was 2-2 with a 2.91 goals against average in four tests, and Osgood has been superb since, posting a 10-2 record, 1.60 GAA and .931 save percentage.
Through the first two round of the playoffs the Red Wings were led on offense by the prolific goal-scoring of Johan Franzen. However, the Swedish centerman hasn't played since suffering concussion-like symptoms in Game 1 against Dallas. Despite missing the last five games, Franzen still leads all NHLers with 12 goals in this year's playoffs.
Franzen is considered doubtful for the opener of the Stanley Cup finals, but his situation has improved and the Red Wings are hoping for his return against Pittsburgh at some point.
With Franzen out for most of the Dallas series, the Red Wings were led by their top line of centerman Henrik Zetterberg and wingers Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom.
Zetterberg is tied with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby for the most points in this year's playoffs with 21 (11 g, 10a), and had four goals and four assists in the Dallas series. Datsyuk has nine goals and 10 helpers in the postseason, and notched four goals and two assists in the conference finals.
During the regular season Datsyuk led Detroit with 97 points (31g, 66a), and Zetterberg was second with 92 points on 43 goals and 49 helpers.
As if their scoring prowess wasn't enough, Zetterberg and Datsyuk were also named as two of three finalists this year for the Selke Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL's best defensive forward. Zetterberg is also leading the Red Wings in the playoffs with a plus-15 rating, and Datsyuk is next with a plus-12.
Holmstrom is not the scoring threat or two-way player that either Zetterberg or Datsyuk is, but he is adept at handling the lion's share of battles for the puck along the boards. The 35-year-old Swede has 10 points (3g, 7a) in this postseason after notching 20 goals and 20 assists in the regular season.
Diminutive forward Jiri Hudler has also been a solid offensive contributor for the Red Wings in the postseason, registering 13 points (4g, 9a) in 16 contests.
Nicklas Lidstrom, who is arguably the best defenseman of his generation, has been a member of Detroit's last three Stanley Cup-winning teams, and this year he leads a defensive corps that is deeper than some of those Red Wings championship teams.
Lidstrom, Detroit's captain, is again at the top of that list and is almost guaranteed a sixth Norris Trophy this season as the league's top defenseman. He led all NHL defensemen with 70 points during the regular season and two goals and eight assists in the playoffs. The Swedish superstar is leading Detroit in ice time with an average of 25:42 per contest, and is also tops amongst Red Wings defenseman with a plus-nine rating.
However, Lidstrom has been aided this postseason by new Red Wings like Brian Rafalski and Brad Stuart, as well as the steadily improving Niklas Kronwall.
Rafalski was signed away from New Jersey in the offseason and has been integral to Detroit's run in these playoffs. He is second only to Lidstrom in ice time and also has two goals and eight assists while posting a plus-six rating. Stuart came over from Los Angeles in a deal at this year's trade deadline, and has logged significant minutes while also recording a solid plus-six rating.
However, the play of the homegrown Kronwall has been especially impressive. The 27-year-old leads all Detroit defensemen with 12 points - all assists - in this postseason, and is second to Lidstrom with a plus-seven rating. The Swede can also be relied upon to deliver hits, giving Detroit a much-needed physical presence at the back end.
Detroit also has 46-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios, who is likely a future Hall-of-Famer, but doesn't get nearly as much as time as he once did. However, the three-time Norris Trophy winner is a plus-two in 14 games this postseason. Chelios has played in 260 career postseason games and has won two Stanley Cup titles, including one with Detroit in 2002.
The Red Wings have had a solid power-play in the postseason, scoring on 21- percent of their opportunities with the man advantage. Detroit is also stopping 87.3-percent of its opponents' power plays and is leading the playoffs with five shorthanded goals.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (2nd seed, East)
REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 47-27-8
2008 PLAYOFFS: Defeated Ottawa 4-0 in conference quarterfinals; defeated NY Rangers 4-1 in conference semifinals; defeated Philadelphia 4-1 in conference finals
PLAYOFF STATISTICAL LEADERS: Points, Sidney Crosby (21); goals, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa (9); assists, Crosby (17); plus-minus, Robert Scuderi and Ryan Whitney (+8)
KEY PLAYOFF STATS: Goals-for, 51; goals-against, 26; power-play %, 24.6; penalty-kill %, 87.3
(Best E Casino) - Less than three years ago, Sidney Crosby was selected by the Penguins with the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft. Now, at just 20 years old, Pittsburgh's captain is but four wins away from securing his first-ever Stanley Cup title.
Of course, a Red Wings side full of veterans will do their best to stop "Sid the Kid" and the rest of the Penguins youngsters from crashing their Stanley Cup party.
Up to this point, the Penguins have rolled through the playoffs, posting a 12-2 record while sweeping Ottawa in the first round and defeating the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers in the conference semifinals and finals, respectively.
The Penguins are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1992, when Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr helped Pittsburgh celebrate its second of back- to-back world championships.
Pittsburgh is 2-0 all-time in the Stanley Cup finals, and Crosby will try to help keep that record perfect this year.
Crosby is already a former winner of the Art Ross and Hart Trophies as the league's leading scorer and MVP, respectively, having won that hardware along with the Lester B. Pearson Award last season. Crosby also led Pittsburgh to its first playoff appearance since 2001 a year ago, but the run was short- lived as the Pens were ousted in the opening round by Ottawa.
This season, Crosby became the youngest captain in NHL annals, as he was awarded the "C" as a 20-year old. Although he missed 29 games with a high ankle sprain during the 2007-08 regular season, Crosby has made up for his absence by notching 21 points (4 goals, 17 assists) in 14 games during the conference playoffs.
Even before his stellar performances allowed for this current Penguins' resurgence, Crosby also played a big factor in keeping the hockey club in Pittsburgh. The Penguins were the subject of constant relocation rumors a few years back, but the youth movement ultimately led to a deal for a new stadium.
However, the Penguins' return to prominence is not only a result of the play of Crosby, but also a testament to Pittsburgh's superb drafting in recent years. The Pens' playoff drought from earlier this decade resulted in some high draft picks for Pittsburgh, and the franchise certainly made the most of those selections.
Before picking Crosby in 2005, the Penguins selected centerman Evgeni Malkin - a finalist for the Hart Trophy this year - with the second pick in 2004, and a year before that Pittsburgh took goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury No. 1 overall.
Malkin, who is still only 21 years old, is an efficient offensive weapon who kept the Penguins rolling without Crosby in the lineup during the regular season, while the 23-year-old backstop Fleury is starting to justify being the top pick in 2003.
Malkin, the rookie of the year in 2006-07 as the Calder Trophy winner, wiped out any notion of a sophomore slump with a 106-point season this year. The 21- year-old Russian center has carried that success into the postseason and has 19 points (9g, 10a) in 14 games.
Fleury, meanwhile, has been lights-out between the pipes since returning from an ankle injury in late February. He went 10-2-1 to close out the regular season and is 12-2 with a 1.70 GAA and .932 save percentage in the playoffs. The 6-foot-2 Quebec native has also recorded three shutouts so far in this postseason.
Pittsburgh has other promising young stars on its roster like forward Jordan Staal and defensemen Kris Letang and Ryan Whitney. General manager Ray Shero has also done a solid job of mixing in veteran talent by adding players like Marian Hossa, Petr Sykora, Gary Roberts and Hal Gill.
Shero's best move may have been obtaining Hossa, who was acquired from Atlanta at this year's trade deadline. The right winger has equaled Malkin's output in the postseason by also notching nine goals and 10 assists, and his presence has given the opposition yet another prolific scorer to worry about.
Ryan Malone, another homegrown Penguin, posted career-bests during the regular season in goals (27) and assists (24), and has continued his success with 15 playoff points (6g, 9a). Malone also brings a physical presence and is a solid two-way player.
Perhaps the most underrated player for the Penguins is defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who is the quarterback on the club's lethal power play and a steadying influence at the back end. Gonchar's 65 points during the regular season was second amongst NHL defenseman to only Lidstrom, and the 34-year-old is leading all Pittsburgh blueliners in the playoffs with 11 points (1g, 10a).
While Gonchar is the Penguins' best overall defenseman, Pittsburgh relies on 6-foot-7, 250-pound Hal Gill to supply physical play on the blue line. Gill, who was acquired at the deadline from Toronto, has just one assist in the postseason, but is a plus-six and is adept at delivering well-timed hits.
Pittsburgh also boasts considerable depth at the defensive position with the steady play of Letang, Whitney and Robert Scuderi. Whitney and Scuderi are leading the team with plus-eight ratings in the postseason, while the 21-year- old Letang is also sporting a solid plus-seven mark.
The Penguins have an excellent 24.6-percent success rate on the power play in the postseason, as they've scored 16 times on 65 opportunities with the man advantage. Pittsburgh also has a solid penalty-killing effort in the playoffs, stopping 87.3-percent of the opposition's power-play chances.
MATCHUP
This series is being promoted as a battle between the NHL's brightest young stars in the Penguins and one of the most experienced clubs in the Red Wings.
Because of the NHL's unbalanced schedule, Pittsburgh and Detroit have met sparingly during the regular season in recent years and the clubs have never faced off in the playoffs. The teams didn't play in 2007-08, but Detroit has won the last two meetings and five of six overall.
Crosby has played in just two career games against Detroit and managed just one assist in those outings. Malkin has yet to face the Red Wings.
Sid the Kid, who is also known as the "Next One", has been compared to Wayne Gretzky since before he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick, and identifying similarities between the two players is still a popular pastime.
Currently, folks are drawing parallels between this year's Penguins run and Gretzky's first trip to the Cup finals with Edmonton in 1983. The '83 Oilers rolled through the conference playoffs with an 11-1 record before getting swept in four games by the battle-tested New York Islanders in the final round.
Yet, there is no reason why history has to repeat itself in the Penguins' case. Like the Red Wings, the team has few holes in their lineup and has displayed prowess in all aspects of the game.
As is generally the case in hockey playoff series, this matchup will likely be decided by goaltending. Fleury holds a slight edge in this department because of his pedigree and athletic ability, but it would be wrong to gloss over the fact that Osgood has won a Stanley Cup title in the past.
Another factor could be how long the Red Wings are without Franzen, because without "Mule" in the lineup, too much of the scoring load will fall on the Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Holmstrom line.
The tried and true storyline of youth vs. experience could make this series a classic, but the teams themselves are also very evenly matched and have similar strengths.
In the end, the rise of Crosby and the Penguins will continue, and Pittsburgh will get to raise Lord Stanley's Cup once again.
Best E Casino predicted outcome: Penguins in 6
