Red Wings vs Penguins Cup Finals 2008

I agree with you on the REDWINGS winning the Stanleycup this year to make my nickname come true.

But you are wrong about the NHL record of 9 wins in a row in the playoffs.  I think Montreal had 11, it is a record for the DETROIT REDWINGS.

either way.

LETS GO REDWINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grrrrr. racecar since your rooting for the Pens that leaves me no choice but to take Vida Guerra from ya and pimp her out on Woodward Ave. 

Come on Bullies! Win tonight! I'd rather see us play Cindy Crossbars team just to see him cry after we beat them but I'm hoping Philly drags this series out at least and bruises their cross state rivals mercilessly until the end.

If the Flyers lose this series they can hold their heads high for a great turnaround from last seasons cruddy record.

dynamic duo

Pavel's first ever hat trick last night! Crosby and Malkin are still very young and inexperienced in NHL playoffs and Pavel & Hank are both much more experienced and age wise at their prime. Both were knocked in the past for not pointing hardly at all in the playoffs but know with both being the top two offensive players on the team they rised to the challenge.

Kronwall & Stuart provide the muscle on D and Rafalski & Lidstrom with great skill offensively and decades of NHL experience provide top play at both ends of the ice.

Hitting on all cylinders  

orncus -

Can't say I agree with your comparison of the teams' strengths and weaknesses.

Offense - Detroit ranks #1 in Goals/Game at 3.77, Pittsburgh is #2 at 3.58.  This is pretty much a wash as far as I'm concerned.

Goaltending - Pittsburgh is #1 in Goals Allowed at 1.83, Detroit is #2 at 1.92.  You talk about Conklin's last outing in the Finals, but how many people had faith in Osgood before his performance this year?  The past means nothing.  And Hasek sure didn't look better than either of our goaltenders in his last two outings...

Special Teams - Pittsburgh is #2 (out of the 16-team field) at 24.6% on the PP, Detroit is #5 at 21.5%.  Pittsburgh is #2 on the PK at 89.4%, while Detroit is #4 at 87.5%.  The Penguins have a lot of speed too, so I'm not too worried about them keeping up with the Wings' special teams.

Intangibles - Yeah, we have Crosby, but Malkin and Hossa are the ones you have to watch out for right now.  87 may be the brains behind a lot of it, and he draws a lot of attention, but he's not our only star.

On paper, this series looks to be almost dead even, with neither team having a definitive edge in any category.  These are the two best teams in the league, and it should be a great matchup in the Finals, barring a miracle comeback by the Stars or Flyers.  These are two great examples of teams that are playing team hockey, and I can't wait for the series to start.

Penguins in 6.

I don't care what the teams look like on paper. From what I've watched so far from both teams, Detroit plays with finesse (sp?) and pass/handle the puck so much better than what Pittsburgh does. The way the Wings are able to maintain the play (for the majority of the game) compared to the Pens is crazy. The Pens are good with the puck, don't get me wrong, but for how efficient Detroit can be, I don't think the Pens will be able to keep up with Detroit. You add in the speed with the puck handling and you're not going to stop the Wings much, if at all.

I don't take anything away from the Penguins though. I love watching Malkin and Crosby play out there, but I love the Wings dastardly duo of Datsyuk and Zetterberg more ;-). I think it'll be a great matchup but Detroit overall will be too much to handle for the Penguins! Detroit in 5 (bring it in at home!)

LET'S GO Red Wings!!!

bbogert....I agree with you that both teams seem to be pretty much even.  I think its going to be great series....assuming they both advance...but you asked, "how many people had faith in Osgood before his performance this year?"

Well, if you look at Osgood's numbers this year(27-9-4 & best GAA in the league) and his numbers from last year(11-3-6), then you'll see a good reason to have faith in him.  Not to mention that he's won a couple cups already.....one as a starter and one as a back-up.

Prior to the playoffs starting, there were a lot of people on these posts pushing for Osgood to start.