Stanley Cup Finals

Much like Rocky Balboa when he got a second chance to face Apollo Creed, the Pittsburgh Penguins will take advantage of their second straight Stanley Cup Finals match up with the Detroit Red Wings, to win the Stanley Cup. Last year the Red Wings were a juggernaut that was not going be denied, as even Chris Osgood resembled a hall of fame goalie, on team full of stars. This year Osgood has been shaky at times, and the Wings have showed some flaws. One of the biggest flaws for the Red Wings surrounds their health, as they beat the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals with Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Lidstrom each missing the last two games. If the Wings are going to repeat they will need both to make a key contribution against the high scoring Penguins. Last year’s Stanley Cup Finals served as hard lesson for the Penguins, who lost in six games. Those lessons will come in hand this time around as Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby so far have been unstoppable ranking first and second in goals and points in the postseason. Look for both to continue to stay hot as the Wings age and experience that aided them last year, will hamper them this year as the younger and faster Penguins skate away with the Stanley Cup in six games.