BACK TO THE FUTURE
VS
Lets start out in the battle of the west. The Dallas Stars and the Presidents Trophy winners the Detroit Red Wings. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was back in 1998 in the Western Conference finals. The Wings took the series by a 4-2 margin and were the eventual Stanley Cup Champs. The Red Wings are coming in well rested and re-focused while the Stars may be feeling a little bit hungover and tired from their series against the San Jose Sharks. Many people had the Sharks penciled into the Stanley Cup finals but the best players for the Stars stepped up and proved they can play. This series will be a battle right from the get go and goaltending will be the biggest factor in this series. However, the Eastern Conference battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will be no cake walk either. Both tenders played phenomenal in their respective series' and I think both conference finals will come down to which goaltender is playing at the top of their game.
Marty Turco has been playing spectacular throughout the playoffs and is an early candidate for the Conn Smythe. He was a big reason for the Stars series victory. Captain Brendan Morrow has also been on fire and that move to acquire Brad Richards looks genius right now. However, I think the Wings will show their true talent and experience in this series. The Wings are stacked with four good lines and their ability to role four lines may be a killer to the Stars. The best players have to be the best players and Henrik Zetterberg is my early candidate for the Conn Smythe. Although lets not forget the play of Chris Osgood who has had a tremendous season right from day 1 and is playing like he did back in the '98 playoffs. Turco is playing awesome as well but I think Osgood will be the answer for the Wings.
When all is said and done this series should be filled with end-to-end action with neither team giving an inch. My pick is the Red Wings in 5. At home the Wings are unstoppable, and Marty Turco is 0-7-2 in the Joe Lewis Arena. I think they'll be able to steal one in Dallas and wrap it up at home.
DETROIT IN 5.
BATTLE OF PENNSYLVANIA
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In the Eastern Conference Finals we see a surprsing match-up between the Penguins and Flyers. Many people had the Penguins penciled in to this series but not the Flyers. After a disasterous 2006-2007 season the Flyers made some off-season changes that paid-off drastically this season. The Penguins have one of the best core of young talented players in the league and their lack of playoff experience has not been a factor. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has showed why he was taken first overall in the 2003 draft. Flyers goalie Martin Biron has been now slouch in the playoffs either. He has kept his team in games they had no business being in and in my opinion was the only reason why Philly beat out Washington. The Flyers are big and tough hockey club but don't get me wrong they have players who can finesse but their bang and crash strategy has paid off thus far. The Pens powerplay is one of their biggest assets but the Flyers penalty kill is also one of their biggest assets. They shut down the top ranked powerplay of the season with ease but the question will be can they shut down the likes of Malkin, Crosby, Gonchar and Hossa? The Canadiens moved the puck well but looked for one man and one play only. The Alex Kovalev play. The Penguins are much more creative and should be able to out-smart the likes of the Flyers penalty killers. The Flyers are going to come out hitting and try to knock Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin off their games but they are going to need to keep their composure if the Pens hope to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flyers gave the Pens a good series during the season so I'm thinking this one will go to seven. I like the Pens in this series, not because I don't like the Flyers but because I think they have a better all around hockey club and I think the Pens will out-coach the likes of John Stevens and the Flyers. But lets be realistic how can you cheer for a team that should never have gotten past the first round?
PENGUINS IN 7.
