Okay, so it's the match-up everyone expected and wanted. Detroit versus Pittsburgh. Vets vs Youngsters. Dads vs Kids. Whatever you want to call it. Probably the best series you can name, Detroit the heavy favourite, hard to compare two teams who haven't met any opposition conferences in two months.
How did they get here? Pittsburgh came here by defeating defending Eastern Conference Champions Ottawa Senators in four games. Then they moved on to a talented, but slow New York Rangers team, they ended up winning in 5. In their latest chapter of their run, they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers (A team shouldn't even be there in my opinion, but thats because I like the Habs) in 5 games without any difficulty. They went 7-0 to start the post season, and finished with a 12-2 overall record.
Detroit gave some question marks in their first series, losing two straight on the road to the Nashville Predators. They fixed those worried faces in Motown by putting Chris Osgood in, who was an immediate success. After beating Nashville in 6, they blew out Colorado completely in 4 games. They had their toughest opponent in the Conference Finals, dropping two after a flying 3-0 start, finally closing out Dallas in game 6. They won 9 consecutive games before being defeated in Game 4 vs Dallas. Their overall record was 12-4.
In roster depth, the top five leaders in points are on either the Wings or the Pens: 1. Henrik Zetterberg 11 goals, 10 assists for 21 points
2. Sidney Crosby 4 goals 17 assists for 21 points
3. Marian Hossa 9 goals 10 assists for 19 points
4. Evgeni Malkin 9 goals 10 assists for 19 points
5. Pavel Datsyuk 9 goals 10 assists for 19 points
It just goes to show, draft players from team you think will win onto your hockey pool.
The big factor is home ice advantage. Most of the games Detroit lost were on the road, only one being at home. Pittsburgh is still unbeaten at home as we speak. If these streaks continue, we may see the always entertaining 7 game series. Unfortunately, due to the lack of intelligence belonging to Gary Bettman, there will be no more octopus thrown on the ice at the Joe Louis Arena, or any other stadium. We all signed a petition, but it still wasn't enough.
My overall prediction is Detroit in seven games. They are more experienced, with equivelent talent, but a smarter and better (slightly) goaltender. They have home-ice advantage and have dominated against stronger teams than Pittsburgh. Plus,their from the mighty Western Conference.
Series starts Saturday at 8 pm in Detroit, long rest for the players and fans. Hopefully this series will be closer than the garbage we got in the Conference Finals.
(1) Montreal Candiens vs Boston Bruins (8): Carey Price will be a big part of the series but his lack of confidence will slow him and his team down for a near choke. Montreal Fans will boo Zdeno Chara whenever he touches the puck. After the Habs victory, only SOME fans will riot after the game by burning down POLICE CARS, NOT THE CITY. Habs in 7
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators (7): Ottawa will be no match for Pittsburgh's young, fast talent. Martin Gerber will disapoint the team. Spezza and Heatley will not show up, but rookie Cody Bass will step up. Captian Daniel Alfredsson will do the classy thing and return early from his injury to help his team. Get the brooms out! Pens in 4
(3) Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia (6): Daniel Briere will step up and lead his team to a 3-1 series lead. Alexander Ovechkin will wake up after half a series, catch Philly on their toes, and make this series interesting. After a 3-game lineup, Philly will recieve the service of the Heimlich Manuever in OT of game 7. Flyers in 7
(4) New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils (5): Broduer will play poorly against the hired guns of New York. Sean Avery will show why he is the most hated player in the NHL, by trying out his new technique of "screening". This version will include yelling insults, facing the goalie, and putting his stick in front of Broduer's mask. Will be a pretty boring series, New York's hero will be Marc Staal. Rangers in 5
Western Conference:
(1) Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators (8): Heading into the series, Nashville are the team no one wants to bet on. They will give the mighty Red Wings a scare, winning two games at the ####lord Entertainment Center, before getting finished off two games later. Star Jason Arnott will suffer a concussion in the unlikey event of a "goal celebration". Hasek will be replaced be Osgood, who will begin a hot streak. Wings in 6
(2) San Jose Sharks vs Calgary Flames (7): This will be a bloody series. Will be close the whole way, but San Jose will avoid the scare. Jeremy Roenick will be the key player of the series. Calgary will comeback from being being down 3-0 to win game. Nothing more to predict. Sharks in 7
(3) Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche (6): This will be the closest and best series of the west, we may see many overtime games. Theodore will play some of his best hockey in years, but run out of gas for the semis. Avs in 6
(4) Anaheim Ducks vs Dallas Stars (5): Going into the last 3 post-seasons, Dallas has been eliminated in the first round. This may be the year things turn around. Smart veteran goaltending of Turco vs playoff legend J.S. Giguere will be good to watch, but expect high-scoring games. Too many penaltys will cost the Champs the series. Stars in 6
Well these are my predictions, not that hard to guess. Please share your first-round picks with me.
The Playoffs are rolling in and many fans are hoping that their team can go all the way to the end...
Pittsburgh Penguins: Last year an inexperienced and young Pittsburgh Penguins team came into the playoffs to face a hungry Ottawa Senators team. Verdict: Out in 5 games. This year may have a different result.
Pittsburgh remained one of the top teams in Eastern Conference despite injurys to Sidney Crosby and Gary Roberts. Who's responsible? Evgeni Malkin. Malkin scored an amazing 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in the 21 games Crosby missed. As of Mar. 18, he was second in the league in points (97)
Pittsburgh also proved that they wanted to win at the trade deadline. They aquired sniper Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from Atlanta and Hal Gill from Toronto. Lost in the deadline thought, was a team leader in Colby Armstrong. Hossa brings talent to an already talented Penguins team, and Gill brings a physical presence. Unfortunately, Hossa suffered a knee injury in his first game in a Penguin uniform against the Boston Bruins, but scored in his first game back to help Pittsburgh defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-1.
Marc-Andre Fleury suffered an injury part way through the season, so the Penguins put in their back up goalie Ty Conklin. Conklin is 18-6-5 with a 2.37 GAA and a .927 SV%. He also plays good hockey in the playoffs as he was a member of the 2006 Edmonton Oilers.
Penguins have the roster to go far, but they are still young and inexperienced.
Hello everyone. I am a young fan with a huge passion for hockey. I would love to be a sports writer when I grow up. As you might have guessed from my User ID, I hate the Toronto Maple Leafs. The sad part is, I'm from the Toronto area. My favorite teams are the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. My favourite player is Martin St. Louis. Other sports teams are the Braves, 49ers, Raptors, and Toronto FC.
