Gotta admit, my Stanley Cup Finals prediction is looking
pretty shaky right now.
Sure, it’s possible that the Pittsburgh Penguins could rally
and win four straight games to defeat the Detroit Red Wings four games to two
as I’d predicted, but that’s starting to look like a long shot after watching the
Wings dismantle the Penguins in the first two games.
The Penguins played well for the first period and about five
minutes of the second in Game One, then the patient Wings took over the game,
made it 1-0 after the second and 4-0 by the end of the third.
Game Two was an even more dominating performance by the Red
Wings, who controlled the play from the opening whistle until the siren sounded
to end Game Two, a 3-0 victory for Detroit.
The factors I listed in predicting the Penguins to win this
series – their offensive depth, speed, goaltending and aggressiveness around
the opposition net – have been effectively neutralized by the Red Wings
superior puck possession game.
The factors I thought could hurt the Wings – lack of
secondary scoring, low shot and scoring chances faced by goalie Chris Osgood,
uncertainty over Johan Franzen’s condition, difficulty in shutting down the
Pens offensive depth – haven’t been factors at all.
If you’d told me prior to this series that the Red Wings
would shut out the Penguins in the first two games, I wouldn’t have believed it
possible. Sure, I would’ve conceded the possibility of the Wings winning both
games, but not in such a dominating fashion.
Right now, its boys playing against men and the men have
been impressive thus far in this series, while the boys still have more learnin’
to do, and not much time in which to do it.
The only good thing the Penguins can point to in this series
is that they successfully killed off all but one Red Wings power-play, and in Game
Two they improved in the faceoff circle to where they were roughly even on the
draws with the Wings.
Other than that, it’s been a disaster for the Penguins, one
that will take more than playing the next two games on home ice to prevent from
worsening.
It’s a tribute to the Red Wings system, from their front
office who’ve built and maintained this current roster, to the coaching staff
for implementing the puck possession system, to the players themselves for
buying into this team concept.
It’s possible the Red Wings are the most ego-free team in
the NHL. Nobody is making waves about lack of playing time, or grumbling about
the coaching, or allowing their contract statuses to become a distractions.
Instead, it’s a team in the truest sense of the word, all on
the same page, all working toward the same goal.
It’s a lesson the Penguins, and the other 28 teams in the
NHL, should be taking notes on and learning.
This year’s Finals was touted as a dream matchup between two
of the NHL’s most skilled teams. Instead, it’s become a one-sided nightmare for
the Penguins and their fans, one that the Red Wings could end quickly by this
coming Saturday night.
Which leads me to make another prediction, one I feel very
confident of; if the Red Wings win Game Three, this series, for all intent and
purpose, will be over.
Lyle, you and I are both going off the cliff together in this Penguins prediction business, so at least you've company. Frankly, at this point I'm beginning to wonder if the Pens will ever put a puck past Osgood, let alone win a game, let alone win the series...
But I'm certain if (when) the Penguins go down 3-0 on Wednesday we'll hear a chorus "Every 33 years: 1942 and 1975. We're due!" before the Saturday game. (Has anybody cared to look at the 1909 Stanley Cup challenge series? Neither the Galt Professionals nor the Edmonton Eskimos made any sort of stunning comeback against the Original Ottawa Senators. So much for 33 year cycles, and two such comebacks in a 100 years shouldn't give the Penguins a lot of hope...)
Two games into the Final, the big question for me is what does THIS Detroit team have that their 2005-06 and 2006-07 clubs lacked? Is it the experience gained over the last couple of seasons? Maturity? The x-factor provided by the one or two new members of the supporting cast?
I hate the whole "media bias, east coast only" thing that gets perpetuated in the NHL circles, but I've got to say I was shocked last year at how easy everyone seemed to think Ottawa was going to have it, and how easy Pittsburgh was going to have it this year. Detroit, being in the Central Diviision, on East Coast time, has the WORST travel schedule imagined. With that said, they still managed to be the best team in the league. I should point out that I'm a Leafs fan, which basically means I hate all other NHL teams, but I had to admit I thought Detroit looked "Dynastic" this year, more so than Pittsburgh.
These Oilers of the 80's comparisons are tired. The Pens haven't even won anything yet. As good as Sid has been, Gretzky still holds the single season records. The Oil still hold the most goals scored in a season record. The Pens have a lot more to proove before lazy journalizts can throw that comparison around again.
All that said, being out on the west coast, i feel I must remind you all to try and stay up late, or Tivo these west coast games. This unbalanced schedule is creating more of a AL/NL feel to the NHL, with too many people focusing on divisions rather than the league as a whole.
Kudos Spec for being one of the few to admit that your predicition was off the mark. Not many in your business have the gumption to say the same.
Shocked Pens fan here. The Game 1 didn't bother me too much, but last night showed this was no case of the jitters for my Pens. Detroit is smoking them. I haven't watched the Wings much, except in this playoff run, but I don't think this style is what I have seen them play. This series is reminding me very much of the Ottawa/Pens series last year (when Emery was standing on his head), clogging up the neutral zone, blocking shots, completely controlling the speed of the game. The coach that got fired in Ottawa, do he and Babcock have a connection anywhere in the past? Do you know if they are friends? I swear it is like reliving that Ottawa series last year. I'd bet money Babcock went to thoses tapes before this series. He deserves credit for sure, but it's killing me.
MATT: Instead of Stevy-Y and Shannahan with their ####ed up bodies they've got Datsuk and Zetterberg, who combined are probably a much more complete 1-2 punch than Stevy and Shann were.
Second would be the fact that they've got a lot of guys who don't like to #### bodies, and Babcock has them playing a style of play that a lot of the wings seems to be very comfortable playing.
I do think this is the best Wings team in decades, but I'm still very surprised that the Pens haven't scored a goal yet.
For all of the people who like to compare the Pens to the Oilers.... the Oilers lost to the Islanders the first time around. But Pens won't be anything like the Oilers were without a Mark Messier.
Matt - Maybe the question isn't what does this Wings team have that the others didn't, instead the question is what didn't this Wings team face that the others did? They never had to face a big punishing team this year. Ducks, Flames and Sharks all went down without going through Detroit. The other teams were punished physically and sent home early.
This year the Pens are the biggest team they have faced capable of laying the smackdown and instead of being on the receiving end the Wings are putting on a clinic of their own.
I think Matt's question deserves a better answer than Gregsky superficial analysis provides. Detroit was without Kronwall and Schneider against the Ducks. THAT'S why they didn't win the Cup last years.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
