Stanley Cup Finals 2008

[JD]

Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The NHL gets its dream matchup and waits a freakin week to start it up. Brutal. Not only that, they start it on the US long weekend. Once again this league fails to capitalize on a golden opportunity.

But despite the dream matchup, I hate it. I hate both these teams and would prefer they just not award the Cup than let one of these ragged-ass franchises take the Cup for a summer.

Personal feelings aside, I think the Wings take this one in a quick series. They are a well-coached well-oiled machine. They play systems to a tee, and should the game break out into a little creativity, they can roll with that just as well. Osgood is the exact reflection of his team, systematically playing the angles and controlling his rebounds. He's evolved from the reaction goalie he was in the 90's to a good solid positional guy. If the Pens can get him moving around, they have a chance, but I don't think the Wings' defense will allow it. There is no team in the east that compares to the Wings in terms of their ability to control a game with puck-possession but play solid defense when required. The Pens won't know what hit them.

I think the Penguins are very reminiscent of the 1983 Edmonton Oilers. A team of young stars having a blast on the ice, taking things in as they come. Then they run into the team of vets that have won championships already: the Islanders (Wings). The Penguins, like the early-day Oilers, will have to lose in order to discover what it takes to win. The Wings will do them a service by showing them that.

The only question is, with the salary cap era, can the Penguins keep that core intact long enough for the lessons to sink in and pay dividends?

[SunCoastSooner]

Go Penns!

The only thing in that town worth a shit...

[Canadian]

The only question is, with the salary cap era, can the Penguins keep that core intact long enough for the lessons to sink in and pay dividends?

If they can they will win many cups in the next ten years, although I am not sure they can pull it off this year but come the next couple of years a new Dynasty will be born.

Is Pittsburgh going to get a new arena? That could help them financially too.

[MuchoBulls]

Is Pittsburgh going to get a new arena?

Yes, they are going to have a new building for the 2009-2010 season.

[JD]

Their new arena isn't going to give them more cap space.

Malkin is arguably a better player than Crosby this season, they have to pay him accordingly, meaning more than a third of their payroll is allocated to two players. That makes it tough to fill in the supporting cast, but no question those are two amazing building blocks.

I think another interesting thing is how high Marian Hossa's stock is going to be this summer. Anyone with cap space and a buck to spend will be chasing that guy down for a contract.

At any rate, this lull has been far too long. We could have been talking about Game 4 by now!

[Shoalzie]

Very excited that this finally gets started tonight. Great news leading into the series about Franzen back to practice and likely returning at some point in the series...he's already ruled out of Game 1 tonight.

Another thing I'm excited about is that Dan Cleary will play without that guard around his face. He was cleared to remove it during the week and hopefully he can be a more effective player now that he won't have that distraction. He was a very effective player in last year's playoffs...12 points in 18 games. He's only got a single goal and helper through the first three rounds this year. Since returning on March 25, he's got just the one goal and 3 assists and he had 20 goals and 20 assists prior to the jaw injury that sidelined him for most of February and March. I look at him as being a wild card in this series. I don't have any doubts that Franzen will be effective when he plays but Cleary could be a guy to put them over the top.

Here's my tale of the tape for this series:

Goaltending -- Advantage: Red Wings

Osgood has the experience factor and is a calm figure in a high pressure position. It's Fleury first time being this far in the postseason and he faces a team that will fire shots at him all night long and from all over the ice. Holmstrom will be a pest but when Franzen returns, he's really going to have his hands full.

Defensemen -- Advantage: Red Wings

The Wings defense will be more active offensively and they've allowed the fewest shots in the playoffs. An emerging star has been Kronwall, who has probably handed out the biggest hits in the postseason by any player. Any Penguin forward will need to be aware when he and Stuart are on the ice. Can't forget that the Wings also have the best defenseman in the world as well.

Forwards -- Advantage: Penguins

I can make an argument that Datsyuk and Zetterberg are pretty much a push or even a slight edge in the Wings favor when you put them up against Malkin and Crosby when you factor in both ends of the ice. The Wings could have their third option in Franzen to offset Hossa. Having Franzen back could make a huge difference in making their second line more effective. I really like the top 6 of the Penguins more right now but we'll see how much of a boost Franzen returning and if Cleary can step up in this series. Staal is definitely a guy to watch out for in this series for the Penguins. Do the Wings have any heroes to emerge out of their third and fourth line to offset Staal's ability to score key goals?

Special Teams -- Advantage: Red Wings

I think they are both dangerous on the power play but I give the Wings the edge overall because of their ability to create turnovers and score goals while shorthanded. Zetteberg has 2 goals and 3 assists while the Wings have been down a player. The Wings were able to cool off the Stars hot power play that helped them get through the Sharks and Ducks but can they cool down a power play with the amount of skill and firepower the Penguins offer? If in the series, the Wings score more than the Penguins do while the Wings are shorthanded, it could be a quick series. Look out for the Penguins to give up shorthanded goals since they play with mostly a one defenseman and 4 forward setup on their power play...much more vulnerable to allowing breakouts the other way.

Coaching -- Advantage: Red Wings

This is Babcock's second time to the finals and with his second different team. He was 60 minutes away from winning the Cup with the Ducks and now he takes the best teams he's probably ever coached and goes against a Finals greenhorn like Therrien instead of running into a mainstay like New Jersey. He's pushed all the right buttons up until now. He's two key lineup adjustments...Osgood in for Hasek after Game 4 in the Nashville series and Darren Helm in for Hartigan after just Game 2 of the Nashville series. Helm has been a very underrated player for the Wings in this series. Therrien might have the better game pieces to work with but I'd rather have Babs calling the shots.

Intangibles -- Advantage: Red Wings

The experience is very much on the side of the Wings. This was a team that went to the conference finals last year several members of this team have won titles already. They don't have the same advantage in experience like they had in 2002 over Carolina but it's hard to ignore the fact the most of the Wings players have been this far in the playoffs before and know what it takes to win. I don't think this will be the only time we see the Pens in the finals...they'll get better as they get more years under their belts. If their young corps of stars can rise up and beat a veteran team in the finals, then I think we're on the verge of seeing something special for quite a while.


RED WINGS IN 6 GAMES

[Shoalzie]

Franzen is in for Game 2...

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[Cuda]

I'm still waiting for somebody to run that cock-bite, Draper into the boards like Claude Lemieux did a few years back.

... and that bitch Franzen too.

[JD]

Well looks like I pretty much called it in terms of how the series would go.

But I thought the Penguins would at least be able to score a fuckin goal!

Two years in a row now that the western team has made mince meat out of the best the east has to offer. It's actually embarrassing that the Alberta teams allowed Souteast division teams to get Stanley Cups.

Hurry up and get this thing over with Detroit.

[Shoalzie]

I'm still waiting for somebody to run that cock-bite, Draper into the boards like Claude Lemieux did a few years back.

... and that bitch Franzen too.

Not biting...

I have to say this, if the entire team played as hard as Roberts did last night, that would've been a totally different game. He was by far their best player in Game 2. Therrien oughta consider moving him up to one of the top two lines and maybe he could plow the road for Sid or Geno because neither guy has time or space to make plays.

[Shoalzie]

Well looks like I pretty much called it in terms of how the series would go.

But I thought the Penguins would at least be able to score a fuckin goal!

I don't think a 2-0 lead is that big of a surprise but like you said, I didn't expect the double shutout to start the series. It's very obvious that the Pens just haven't seen a team this good in the East. The only one I'd consider remotely close is the Rangers but Pittsburgh still steamrolled them.

Hurry up and get this thing over with Detroit.

I have a ticket for Game 5 so I wouldn't complain if they split at the Igloo.

[PSUFAN]

Gutsy win tonight - now THAT'S Cup-worthy scrappin'. Gonchar had a great 3rd period.

[Screw_Michigan]

almost forgot that ser-gay gonchar played for the penguins, and for good reason, he finally appeared tonight.

shoalz gets his pittsburgh split, the penguins get their home win, and now, the wings will just win the next two to finish it off.

[Shoalzie]

Impressed by the effort the Pens showed on Wednesday but the Wings were in that game to the very end. The games in Detroit were so one-sided but I feel confident the Wings can escape the Igloo with a split and set up my dream scenario back in Detroit on Monday night. I'll be on edge tonight hoping that hockey gods will allow me to see a possible cup clinching game on home ice.

Holmstrom's status seems to be up in the air but I think Franzen played a strong game on Wednesday so he could easily fill Homer role as the crease creature. It was when Holmstrom was hurt during the tail end of the regular season that Franzen had started catching fire going into the playoffs. I think he's going to have an impact tonight.

The trend of late has been getting the first goal and hanging onto the lead so tonight will be big for the Wings get on top first and try to keep their crowd from getting into it. They clearly came to life once Sid broke the scoreless drought and they played a lot more relaxed. The shutout streak was bound to end some time. The key in every road game is to ride out the early storm of emotion and energy. The Pens will probably come out hitting even more than before. Game 3 was definitely the most physical game the Wings have been involved in during the playoffs.

I look for Datsyuk to be the one to watch tonight. All of his goals have been on the road in this year's playoffs and he's been the team's most physical player in this series. He's played with a fire that I've yet to see from him in his career. He's gone away from being a quiet artist on the ice and is becoming a tenacious competitor and the type of player that shows up in big moments. Maybe he's been trying to shed that label of being a perennial Lady Byng candidate.

[Shoalzie]

Oh baby...it's like I won the sports lottery or something. I might actually get to see the Stanley Cup skated on home ice in person. I can't wait for Monday night!

Pretty ugly game to watch but a gutty effort by the road team to finally end the Pens' winning streak at the Igloo. That 5-on-3 late in the third was THE defining moment of this series. To me, Zetterberg clinched the Conn Smythe Trophy with his play in the crucial situation. I know the Selke is a regular season award but that was a moment that should clinch that award as well. Datsyuk is more of a puck thief but Zetterberg is truly the defensive specialist with being in the right place at the right time.

ONE MORE WIN!

[Shoalzie]

A couple hours before I hit the road...expect a P.E.T. from my adventures at the Joe.

[PSUFAN]

Gotta say, that was some pretty masterful hockey from the Red Wings Saturday night. Yep, the 5 on 3 was like a Heisman Pose. They were all over the puck in that situation...the Pens could barely pass. What did they get, two shots on goal?

I'm hoping Malkin wakes the fuck up tonight. At least he's probably well-rested.

[PSUFAN]

Damn, the Burgh is hoppin' tonight

[Screw_Michigan]

this will be shoalz's longest ride home ever. what more could you have asked for, though, that monday night. both teams, at times, just look amazing.

thoughts:
the detroit defense looks incredibly slow at times.
where the hell is malkin? how huge of datsuk for making up for that crossbar. it looked in to me.
hal gill was the man monday. yeah he's huge and he plays dirty, but he was winning many plays.

as we saw tonight, i think the vertical movement of the puck in the goalframe is hockey at its best and the most attractive for tv viewers. datysuk was fucking horizontal when he hit that crossbar and that was unreal in itself. 95% of hockey is east-west and the vertical dimen

i thought the wings would wrap it up tonight and they disappointed. should have known better being a bitter blackhawks fan, the one time in over 10 years i actually pick them to win a game, they let me down. motherfuckers.

[The Whistle Is Screaming]

Fuck being up until 1am, but that game last night was great to watch.

Sometimes I enjoy games more when I don't care who is palying. I missed the 1st period, but watched most of the 2nd & all of 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th. Props to both teams, can't wait for game 6, go Pens because this series needs to go 7.

[Screw_Michigan]

would like to add how awesome fleury was last night. dude has come a long way from being dicked around by the franchise as an 18 year old to having a career night in an elimination game. props to him.

[Shoalzie]

Just checking in briefly...I'll expand on my adventures later and I do have some photos to share.

Absolutely the wildest game I've witnessed. I didn't know anything could rival the dramatic end of Game 4 of the 2005 ALCS but this did that and then some.

:34.3 could be a number that haunts all WingFans if the Pens can make the miracle comeback and somehow win this series. The polar shift in emotion before and after the goal was incredible. I've never heard the Joe louder than it was in the third period but when Talbot jammed that puck in, it was dead silent. It was obvious that we were ready to party.

And for the record, my head hit the pillow at 4 am and then I had turn around and get up at 8 for work.

I wish Game 6 was tonight and not tomorrow...that's going to be a bitch for the Wings, moreso than Game 6 against the Stars.

[PSUFAN]

Interesting sidenote: the rumor is that some stupid Pens fans kept the Wings up on Friday night with air horns in the parking garage across from the hotel they were staying in. The Wings had enough and left the hotel in the middle of the night to go to Nemacolin Woodlands - a swank joint out in the Laurel Highlands.

They got props by many on Saturday afternoon for this caper, but I think it just revved the Wings up and sent them to a far better hotel. They came out in Game 4 with a brutal focus.

This series has the makings of a classic.

[fix]

Any truth to a story I heard on the radio this morning that yesterday's winning number in some Pennsylvania lottary was 7171.. (That would be Malkin's number, 71 for those casual hockey fans)

and did Sidney Crosby actually order a pizza in from Dominoes during the overtime intermission?

Other than that, I hope it goes 7 games now.. just so Gary Roberts can retire on top.

[JD]

just so Gary Roberts can retire on top.

Well, he already did that in 1994. Once he pulled on that Leafs sweater his legend sagged. :P

I was in Vegas over the weekend, and I was impressed with the amount of attention this series is getting down there. The sports books and bars were all packed with people watching hockey (and caring too!). Usually you have to get them to put your hockey game on a little tv in a dark corner somewhere, and even that is sometimes asking too much.

[PSUFAN]

Pittsburgh used to be one of the nation's most populous cities at one time. Since then, a lot of folks have moved away...but the attachment to the city remains, however tenuous, and is often expressed in the form of fealty to the Stillers...and by proxy, the Pens. This series is good for the sport as far as getting new fan eyes on the games go...whether you regard that as a good or a bad thing.

[PSUFAN]

Props to Detroit. They were just tremendous in this series. The Pens got DAMN close at the end, which was something to see.

[Screw_Michigan]

wasn't aware roberts played for the ran-wet-brained fucktards in 94.

props to the wings. will never root for the, but hard to knock the best franchise in pro sports. a true dynasty, fuck the fucking pats.

no thanks to the pens for quitting with seven minutes left. fucking quitters. four guys standing around in the defensive zone? jesus fucking christ.

[PSUFAN]

I was yelling about the same for a bit, but they did make it more than interesting.

[MuchoBulls]

a true dynasty

Are you serious? A team with 4 titles in 11 years is a dynasty these days?

[Blitzkrieg]

My head feels like it was run over by Red Bird II.

[Cuda]

I'm still waiting for somebody to run that cock-bite, Draper into the boards like Claude Lemieux did a few years back.

... and that bitch Franzen too.

Not biting...

.

I did notice that little he-bitch, Draper, run one of the Penguins face-first into the boards last night. Dude really needs to re-learn a fucking lesson, imo.

[Shoalzie]

a true dynasty

Are you serious? A team with 4 titles in 11 years is a dynasty these days?

I don't really group this title in with the last three anyways because it's P.Y. (post-Yzerman). This is the first title of a next era of Red Wings hockey. Lidstrom, Draper, Osgood, Maltby and McCarty are holdovers from the previous era but you have guys now like Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen and Kronwall at the forefront when before it was Yzerman, Fedorov, Shanahan and Lidstrom (in his younger years). Eventually Nick will retire and this will be Zetterberg's team and it will truly be out of the shadows of the previous era and they'll be able to create their own identity.

I have to admit, last night felt a little odd. It really felt like I had seen them win already and the celebration after Game 6 was almost uneventful. Maybe I'm one of the few that feel that way after being so close to seeing them win it at home and seeing the game live. I just didn't have all that much emotion last night and I more relieved that it was finally over. I'm happy they won, don't get me wrong...it just had a different vibe about it. I've already made it a mission to get tickets for the home opener next year to see the banner raising after getting screwed out of a celebration on Monday night.

[MuchoBulls]

I have to admit, last night felt a little odd. It really felt like I had seen them win already and the celebration after Game 6 was almost uneventful.

I thought the on ice celebration was awful. There were probably less people on the ice than there would have been at the Joe and the Wings still didn't have enough room to skate around the ice as a team.

[WolverineSteve]

Dynasty is an overused word in sports. I like Stevie Y's statement of "sustained excellence".

Mucho,
Anyone would rather win it on the home slab but the players could give a fuck. This is what they live for, and there was a couple thousand Wing fans who made it down to the glass for the ceremony. Hockeytown travels well. 1.4 million at the parade yesterday was very impressive as well. The D supports and celebrates the Wings like few sporting franchises in the country. Sidenote....awesome to see/hear mayor Kwame booed like hell when he took the podium.

Shoalz,
I think you're just scorned cuz they blew the chance for you to see it live. It may have been a tad anti-climactic, but any season that ends with a hoisting of Lord Stanleys Cup is a thing of beauty. It's always satifying bringing home the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. This team is poised, contract situations as they are, to win another couple in the next 5 years or so. Let's enjoy this one for now.