Five random things which haven't changed from last year's Stanley Cup final:
1.) Winter Curse. Anytime a road team wins the Winter Classic
aaaand has Ty Conklin (above) in net, they lose the Stanley Cup final. Yeah, there's that whole, "It's only happened one time you dumb$*@$#!" argument, but we're not going to get in line to quibble with a .000 winning percentage under those circumstances.
2.) Detroit's Depth. Few teams have anything approaching the organization depth the Red Wings have. Players like Darren Helm (above) and Ville Leino could be second-liners on most NHL teams. With Detroit, they're AHLers. The Red Wings were without players like Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom in the Western Conference final but still managed to dispatch Chicago in five games.
3.) Osgood really that good? A common complaint about Chris Osgood is that he's just the product of a good defensive system. We've made it and we believe it. If you stuck Osgood on the Penguins, they probably don't get out of the first round. But he doesn't play on the Penguins. He plays on the Red Wings. And he's gotten them to the Stanley Cup final for the second consecutive season. Who care's if he's part of a system? Especially if it's a really successful system.
4.) Battle up front. Last season, Hal Gill and Tomas Holmstrom proceeded to beat the daylight out of each other in front of Marc-Andre Fleury. If you're into seeing two grown men legally assault one another, keep an eye on these two. They should put on an encore performance.
5.) Home sweet home. Detroit has home ice in this series and that means the Red Wings will get to put Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk on the ice against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin should they choose those match-ups. Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Award last year for his defensive effort, especially on the power play, against the Penguins' best offensive weapons. Don't expect that strategy to change.
Posted
May 29 2009, 03:04 AM
by
Seth Rorabaugh