Penguins vs. Red Wings: Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

Here we go again! The Stanley Cup Finals are set to kick off today, and things look pretty familiar. For the first time since 1984, we have two teams squaring off in a re-match with the Stanley Cup on the line. The storyline is much the same as last year, with the young Penguins facing off against the battle-tested Detroit Red Wings. Of course, a few things are different, like the team that Marian Hossa plays for and the health of a few key players for the Red Wings.

After going 2 for 2 in my Conference Finals picks, here is my pick for the Stanley Cup Finals. I was tempted to simply re-post my pick from last year when these two teams played, but although the prediction is the same, the reasons for the pick are slightly different.

Stanley Cup Finals
Pittsburgh vs. Detroit
Detroit in 6
With how evenly matched these two teams are, this is a tough prediction to make. Both teams feature quality top-end scoring talent, deep forward lines, solid defense and a goalie who is just good enough when he needs to be. Neither team really has momentum on their side, either, since both simply rolled over their opponents in the Conference Finals. The Penguins are the healthier team, but Detroit has the better talent all-around.

So, when two teams are so closely matched on paper, you start to look at the intangibles. Which team has tons of playoff experience? Which team has guys who have been through the war and know what it takes to win? Which team has done it before? The Red Wings are the answer to all of those questions, and therefore are my pick to win it all.

Of course, the Penguins are capable of proving me wrong. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been fantastically good, putting up possibly the best numbers for any teammates in NHL Playoff history. These guys can carry the Pens without any help from their teammates, so it will take quite an effort from the Red Wings defense to slow them down. The health of Nicklas Lidstrom, who appears set to go, will be a big determining factor as to how well Detroit can contain the Big Two.

Detroit will also be without Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper for at least the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals, so their depth will be tested. Luckily, they have a slew of quality forwards who can step into the gaps and the team won't miss a beat. The Red Wings are a fine-tuned machine, and if one of the gears goes out, they simply replace it with one of the many parts they have lying around. The Wings also have a slightly better defense than Pittsburgh, plus a goaltender who has a few Stanley Cups under his belt already.

The Penguins are getting closer, but they still don't have what it takes to take down the Red Wings juggernaut. The Wings have too much talent, depth and experience to be knocked off. The only thing that could possibly hold them back is if a few more players are sidelined due to injury, but even then, a second straight Stanley Cup seems inevitable. With the mess that has gone on in Detroit over the last year, it will be nice to see Hockeytown celebrate another win.

Penguins vs. Red Wings: Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

The Stanley Cup Finals will kick off Saturday so it's time for me to weigh in on who I think will take home the Cup. So far in this playoff season, I am 11 for 14 in picking the teams that will advance in each round. Of course, I have rarely been right as to how many games each series will take so I won't be calling myself a hockey genius any time soon. Read on to see who I think will win the Cup.

Stanley Cup Finals
Pittsburgh vs. Detroit
Detroit in 6
As much as it pains me that the Flyers are no longer playing, this should be a very entertaining series between two evenly matched teams. You have the Penguins with all their young guns and stellar team defense going against the Red Wings and all their older guns and stellar team defense. You have two goalies who aren't spectacular but they manage to make all the necessary saves. You also have a ton of superstars on both teams that have won numerous individual awards but are looking to take home the one trophy that matters the most.

Pittsburgh proved they were better than the Flyers in all aspects of the game. Their offense is loaded with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby getting all the attention from the other team, opening things up for studs like Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone. Their defense lacks one true standout but they benefit from an entire team approach to shutting down the opposition. Marc-Andre Fleury also appears to have overcome his playoff demons and elevated his game to be just good enough to always be in the right place at the right time. The Pens will not look as fast against a team like Detroit because the Red Wings can match them stride for stride, but they are still a very dangerous team with a ton of weapons.

The same can be said of the Red Wings. Even without Johan Franzen, the star of the first two rounds of the playoffs who is still out with concussion symptoms, Detroit has a bevy of players who can light up the scoreboard. Most of the Wings offensive punch is found on their first line in Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom, but they have plenty of role players who find ways to score when the team really needs it. If Franzen comes back at some point in the series, the Red Wings would have a big advantage offensively, but for now, the Penguins depth makes them the slightly better group of forwards.

Where the Red Wings have an advantage is all the star power along the backline, starting with multiple-time defensive player of the year Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom will be the best player on the ice and it will be up to him to shut down one of the Penguins dynamic forwards, Crosby or Malkin. Fortunately for Detroit, they have several other defenseman who will also be up to the task of shutting down the Pens, including Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and the ancient Chris Chelios (when he is healthy enough to play). Where the Flyers lacked the defensive depth to keep up with the Penguins' horses, the Red Wings have an abundance of blueliners who can shadow and disrupt the Pens attack.

The Red Wings are my pick to win the Stanley Cup because while these teams are pretty even across the board, I give Detroit the advantage on defense. The way these two teams play, it won't be the goaltenders that will win the games, it will be whichever team plays better defensively. Because the Red Wings have the experience, skill and depth to slow down the Penguins attack, the will be the ones bringing home the Stanley Cup this year. Now if only they could find a way to fill all of those empty seats in Hockeytown......