The skinny on the Stanley Cup final:
FIVE MATCHUPS TO WATCH
1. Detroit v. Pittsburgh
Not only did the Penguins and Red Wings not play against each other in the regular season, they haven't met since the second game of last season, won 2-0 by Detroit on the road. Fifteen of the 20 Red Wings who dressed for that game are still with the team; only 10 Penguins remain. The two teams have never met in a playoff series in the 41 years in which both have been in the league. In fact, the last time pro franchises from Detroit and Pittsburgh met was the 1909 World Series, when the Pittsburgh Pirates topped the Detroit Tigers 4-3 in a celebrated competition between Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner for the Pirates and outfielder Ty Cobb for the Tigers.
2. The Big Five v. Sidney Crosby, Marian Hossa et al.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock said he will play skill against skill, so the current version of the Big Five — forwards Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom and defencemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski — will go against Crosby and linemates Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. You can also expect the defence pair of Lidstrom and Rafalski to be on the ice any other time Crosby and Hossa are out there, too.
3. Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart v. Evgeni Malkin
Since Malkin did not relish the physical treatment he received from the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference final, it is reasonable to assume Detroit's most physical defenceman, Kronwall, will offer more of the same to the Pittsburgh star.
4. Marc-André Fleury v. Chris Osgood
Fleury, 23, came into his own in these playoffs for Pittsburgh while the veteran Osgood reinvented himself at 35 as a butterfly goaltender. The Red Wings have long done more with less in goal, but Osgood will be facing much better shooters than he has thus far in the postseason. After starting the regular season 5-8-1, Fleury went 14-2-1 the rest of the way. He has a 12-2 record with a 1.40 goals against average, .938 save percentage and three shutouts in 14 playoff games. Fleury won his past 18 starts at Mellon Arena (regular season and playoff). His last home loss Nov. 21, 2007.
5. Using the entry draft
The Penguins have 13 first-round draft picks on their roster, including five players selected in the top five in five consecutive seasons: Ryan Whitney (fifth overall in 2002), Fleury (first overall in 2003), Malkin (second overall in 2004), Crosby (first overall in 2005) and Jordan Staal (second overall in 2006). The others: Gary Roberts (12th overall by Calgary in 1984), Darryl Sydor (seventh overall by Los Angeles in 1990), Sergei Gonchar (14th overall by Washington in 1992), Petr Sykora (18th overall by New Jersey in 1995), Marian Hossa (12th overall by Ottawa in 1997), Kris Beech (seventh overall by Washington in 1999), Brooks Orpik (18th overall by Pittsburgh in 2000) and Jeff Taffe (30th overall by St. Louis in 2000). The Red Wings have just three, only one of whom they selected themselves (Niklas Kronwall, 29th overall in 2000). The others are Daniel Cleary (13th overall by Chicago in 1997) and Brad Stuart (third overall by San Jose in 1998).
David Shoalts
WHY DETROIT WILL WIN
There is no disputing the talent of the precocious Pittsburgh Penguins, but in a Stanley Cup final, the Red Wings hold the advantage in experience, on defence and in the faceoff circle. They're healthy, which they weren't last year, and they didn't have to travel three time zones away, so they're fresh. As Chris Osgood said yesterday: "We know how to play in the big games." They do.
It's a lesson Pittsburgh will learn, in time.
Eric Duhatschek
WHY PITTSBURGH WILL WIN
Forget the youth factor, the Pittsburgh Penguins will beat the Detroit Red Wings for the Stanley Cup because they matured as a team faster than any in NHL history. Their top three centres — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal — are 21 or less, but as Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock admitted yesterday, they are mature players. The difference will come down to goaltending, and Marc-André Fleury is better than Chris Osgood of the Wings.
David Shoalts
