2008 NHL Stanley Cup Preview |
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Written by Lauren Belfoy
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Thursday, 22 May 2008 |
 Lauren Belfoy is a guest contributor who can be seen on NHL Connect . She provides fantastic in-depth analysis in her blog of not only the NHL, but also minor league hockey as well.
Conspiracy theories abound! A lot of theories about the playoffs being fixed have been flying around like saucer passes in warm-ups the past couple weeks. Everyone seems to have a tall tale on the issue: The NHL wants to see the Penguins win a Cup and bring back a winning tradition to this brand new team of superstars. That photo of Sid the Kid hoisting the Cup in victory would be priceless. Think of what it will do for the league! And what about those Detroit Red Wings? Those questionable penalties and should-have-beens during the Dallas series were intentional calls by the officials to try and squeeze a real series out of the two teams. After all no one likes a sweep, right? Won’t we generate more revenue from a game 7 than a game 4? That’s how the league… I mean the Cup… changes everything.
You can choose to believe the hype.
Or you can chalk it up to a few fans with vivid imaginations. Did it occur to any of these skeptics that maybe the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings are just plain good? That both teams deserve their hard earned spot in the Stanley Cup finals? Now there’s a theory for you.
Whether or not this series was carefully devised, this year’s Stanley Cup final is going to be truly a treat. As far as regular season standings go, the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins were both up in (or very near) the penthouse. No matter the outcome, there is no Cinderella story here. Two superheroes battling it out; hockey can save the world.
Speaking of superheroes, the Detroit Red Wings are looking a lot like box office giant Iron Man during their post season. Now a fantastic regular season does not always a great playoff performance make, but the Wings have proven to be unbreakable this deep into the post. This is a very, very good Detroit team. The discipline and playmaking abilities of this season’s Red Wings team are truly something to be reckoned with if they keep playing as tight of a game as they have. Will experience be what gives this club the edge in the final? Lidstrom, Chelios, Osgood and Draper know how it’s done. “What’s that Pittsburgh? We can’t hear you over all of our Stanley Cup banners.”
Or will beginners luck be on the side of the talented, youth-filled Pittsburgh Penguins team? The energy and enthusiasm of the Penguin players have proven to be important to their success this season. The Pittsburgh Penguins have looked less like Crosby, Malkin and Staal; and more like a really great hockey team. All lines have been contributing to the wins, and their questionable defensive game is of question no more.
There are a lot of factors to consider when taking into account these two evenly matched teams. It may come down to whether you are a D-man or an O-man; which aspect of the game may be the tipping point of either team.
Further proof that these teams are real deal contenders is that both possess the depth of the Mariana trench. All four lines have been key in each team’s success. The dynamic duos of Datsyuk/Zetterberg and Crosby/Malkin were the biggest names in offense during the post season. Henrik Zetterberg is currently sitting atop the playoff points standings with 11 goals and 21 points. Not far behind is Pavel Datsyuk with 19 points, who had a hat trick in game 3 against Dallas. The Red Wings are without, but have proved they are hardly hurting from the loss of winger Johan Franzen, who also had a hat trick in the post season and still has the most playoff goals despite not playing since game 1 of the Dallas series due to an injury. Contributing notably to the Penguins success is late addition Marian Hossa. Hossa was acquired at the trade deadline, along with Pascal Dupuis, and was considered a “rental”. Well this rental is no Dodge Stratus, as he has collected 19 points in the playoffs so far, and has been adding a lot to the Penguins defensive game as well. No doubt that the Wings’ nearly flawless defense is going to have their hands full with the offensive flair of the Penguins. Detroit not being accustomed to so much firepower and offensive creativity from an opponent in the playoffs so far this season may give Pittsburgh the edge in the “Battle of the O”.
Although, if defense is your weapon of choice, there is none better than the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings have consistently played well in their own end all season. They are a team who knows how to make plays, as well as keep other teams from making them. The Wings have a low 1.94 goals against per game average in the playoffs, thanks largely in part to their defensive strength. While their forwards are gaining attention for supporting Osgood in their zone, there are several notable performers on the blue line. The defensive pairing of Brian Rafalksi and Norris nominee Niklas Lidstrom are a combined plus 15 in the playoffs so far. The late season acquisition of Brad Stuart has proven to be a good move. Stuart has always been an underrated defenseman who tends to step up his game big time during the post season. Not to be discounted is the much improved defensive game of the Pittsburgh Penguins. There is more to scoring leaders Sidney Crosby and Marian Hossa than meets the eye. Penguins forwards have made back-checking a critical part of their game, helping goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury achieve a low 1.70 goals against average in the post season, and securing three shut outs so far. With so much power up front, we tend to overlook these players’ ability to play a more than decent two-way game. Defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney have also been adding to the team’s offense. Pittsburgh has toughened up dramatically during the post season, but more than likely the “Battle of the D” still belongs to Detroit.
A great goaltender will step up his game to new heights during the post season and Marc Andre Fleury and Chris Osgood have done just that. Fleury recorded a huge shut out in the last game of the series with Philadelphia, his third of the playoffs. Likewise, Osgood was OsGreat during his last game with the Dallas Stars, making countless highlight-reel worthy saves and almost laying down the shut out as well. The fact that he was second string to Dominik Hasek going into the post season is almost unthinkable. Marc-Andre Fleury was somewhat of a sleeper up until this season and is statistically looking like the better netminder, but Chris Osgood’s experience is going to be tough to beat.
My pick: Detroit Red Wings in 6 games. No doubt the Penguins will give them a run for their money but the Wings’ game is near flawless and they show no signs of stopping. They have been the most consistent team during the regular season and throughout the playoffs. I’ve stopped sippin’ the haterade and realized that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. The Detroit Red Wings were the model-citizens for a winning season, and they deserved to be regular season Champions, just as they deserve to be Western Conference Champions, and now Stanley Cup Champions. If they can keep Holstrom out of the penalty box, and keep Chelios from making the mistakes he tends to make sometimes at critical moments, then their game is a force to be reckoned with. Of course it’s not as fun as an underdog story, but the Wings are clearly the best of the best.
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