The Last Stand

Here comes the final series of the season. The last stand, the final stretch for the Stanley Cup. It comes down to what should be a dynamic series between East and West- President's Trophy winners the Detroit Red Wings against a youthful, seemingly unstoppable Pittsburgh Penguins team. The Wings make up in speed and jump for what they lack in youth, and while their goaltender, Chris Osgood, hasn't been an overwhelming difference-maker, he hasn't had to be- the offense has been solid, and defensively is superb for Detroit. Their experience can take them all the way back to the Cup; however, after giving up two straight games to Dallas in their last series before clinching a berth in the Cup Finals, one has to wonder if fatigue may be setting in.

On the other end, the Penguins have barely faltered since the first round. They are 12-2 in the postseason, and they have been able to pick off the beaten Senators, the feisty Rangers, and the tough-as-nails Flyers, to get to the Finals. See what I'm getting at here? They're not ready to lie down and let Detroit (who may be the favorite over them) take the Cup from them, which will make this an entertaining Finals, and maybe the toughest one yet for either team.

My Prediction: Pens take the Cup in 7. They've got the edge in youth, and they may just want it more. Expect Detroit to put up a great fight, however.

Round 3... One Step Closer to the Cup!

With the beginning of round three of the playoffs comes a realization- there is only about a month left to the NHL season. If that hasn't broken your heart, then nothing will. And the four teams vying to get to the Stanley Cup Finals are in the thick of it now.

The Western Conference matchup is between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, and so far the Wings have cruised out to a 2-0 lead over the Stars. The boys from Detroit make up for speed what they lack in youth, and they have skated all over the Stars thus far. Chris Osgood has been solid, but luckily for him, has not had to be spectacular as of yet. As far as the entire team goes, they have been doing the little things necessary to keep Dallas from sneaking up on them, but now Dallas will have something to motivate them: the end of Game 2, when Mike Ribeiro reacted badly to a little butt-end pop from Osgood and slashed the goalie in the neck. Now Ribeiro may likely face suspension, and the Stars will look to avenge against Osgood and what they may feel is his show of complete nonchalance and disrespect toward the Stars.

As for the East, and the series I must admit I'm watching more intently, there is a great matchup between two division rivals- the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. As predicted, the Penguins have taken the early lead over Philly thanks to their potent offense, but don't count the Flyers out just yet. Their own offense- with Mike Richards, Daniel Briere and the like- has done well, especially on the PP. However, the most clear-cut competition is between defense and offense- Timonen, Hatcher, Coburn, Parent and the gang against Crosby, Malkin, Hossa and their offensive band. As far as goaltending is concerned, Martin Biron has the edge over Marc-Andre Fleury, but as long as Pittsburgh holds up on defense, offense stays hot, and most importantly, there is no parade to the penalty box for the Pens, they will be able to stay the course and stay on top.

My Predictions: Wings in 5, Pens in 6.

TSN's Focus on the Isles Is a Sharp One

Compliments of TSN.ca, a bite-sized, accurate look at what the Isles have done and need to do in order to achieve success in 2008-09.

link- http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?id=236403&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl