Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has a chance to put his stamp on something very special, to be the dominant player and the difference maker in the Stanley Cup final. (Mike Carlson/Associated Press)
Backgrounder
The Stanley Cup Final
Hockey Night In Canada analyst Scott Morrison breaks down the final series between Pittsburgh and Detroit
Last Updated Tue., May 20, 2008
Scott Morrison, CBC Sports
PENGUINS
STRENGTHS - Well, the obvious strengths haven't changed. The Penguins have firepower and plenty of it with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Petr Sykora, Ryan Malone and Jordan Staal. They get production and quality minutes from all four lines, which are also defensively responsible. Their ability to clog the middle of the rink and force turnovers proved deadly against the Flyers, who were frustrated by the defensive play of the Penguins. The gap between the Flyers defence and the forwards was wide, meaning they had trouble mounting an attack for extended periods. When the Flyers got the puck into the offensive zone, seldom did they do it with speed and seldom did they get to the puck first if they dumped it in. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury continued to be rock solid and the special teams are very good, as you would expect. They can win with offence or good defence.
WEAKNESSES - In the Red Wings, the Penguins will be facing their toughest opponent to date, considerably better than the Senators, the Rangers and the Flyers. The Red Wings can roll out the lines and generate offence and they are the best overall defensive team the Penguins have faced. When the Penguins have lost there has been a common denominator - they have been frustrated and roughed up. When the Flyers and the Rangers managed to play an abrasive game, they dragged Crosby and Malkin to the penalty box and got them involved in far too many scrums. That led to the only Pittsburgh losses of the playoffs. Not sure the Red Wings can play that kind of game effectively, but discipline is a key for the young Penguins.
KEY PLAYER - Sidney Crosby. This is his chance to put his stamp on something very special, to be the dominant player and the difference maker in the series.
Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood will have to be at his best if Detroit hopes to beat Pittsburgh. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)
RED WINGS
STRENGTHS - The performance in the sixth game against Dallas was pretty impressive to say the least. The Red Wings showed great poise and confidence in going into Dallas and thoroughly dismantling the Stars. It is always a bonus when your two best offensive players, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, are also great defensively, able to play in all key situations. Those two have had terrific playoffs, along with Tomas Holmstrom, though he has had some discipline issues. While the depth players, the likes of Kris Draper and Dallas Drake, stepped up in the final game, the Red Wings are going to need more production from the supporting cast to prevail. Too much offence has come from too few, especially with Johan Franzen's status in doubt. The defensive play continues to be very good and Chris Osgood has been very good in goal. Special teams were a key against Dallas, which produced just three power-play goals on 30 chances.
WEAKNESSES - Like we said, the bulk of the offence has come from Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Franzen and Jiri Hudler. They need more secondary scoring from the Drapers, Drakes and Danny Clearys. When they've lost, the big line has been silenced. After rolling past Nashville and Colorado, the Red Wings were tested by Dallas, facing a challenge when they won twice to force the sixth game. Puck control is going to be a key, meaning keeping it away from the Penguins is important. Dealing with the speed of the Penguins will be a challenge and avoiding turnovers another key. This will be the best offence the veteran Detroit defence has faced this spring.
KEY PLAYER - Chris Osgood. He is going to see a lot of firepower and has to be the best Red Wing for them to win.
2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Stanley Cup final
DET vs PIT
Conference finals
DET vs DAL
PIT vs PHI
Conference semifinals
DET vs COL
SJS vs DAL
MON vs PHI
PIT vs NYR
Conference quarter-finals
DET vs NSH
SJS vs CAL
MIN vs COL
ANA vs DAL
MON vs BOS
PIT vs OTT
WSH vs PHI
NJD vs NYR
