Stanley Cup Finals preview
The Penguins made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals and so did the Detroit Red Wings. The series starts tonight in Detroit. I really feel like the Pens are playing really well right now. They play a fast game and really try and force the puck down the other teams throat. The Wings beat the Blackhawks in the previous series which I really saw as them being the more experienced team. You may have noticed the Wings having trouble with the Ducks. I really feel that this series is going to be close.
I really feel as if the Pens are a team that learns a lot from previous experience. In 2007 they made the playoffs(barely) and played the Senators in the first round. The Senators beat them in 5 games and really taught them a lesson about how playoff hockey is different from the regular season. The following year the Pens made the playoffs again and faced the Sens in the first round. They showed the Sens that they learned a lot from that previous year's experience and beat the Sens in 4 games. The surprising thing with last year was that they went on to win the next two rounds as well. They then ran into Detroit who has a lot of experience in the Finals and struggled mightily. The series went 6 games but Detroit was clearly the better team. This year the Pens have that experience and they have added some valuable players who have had their own finals experiences and are a much better team. I feel that the 3 series that the Pens have played in this playoff year has tested them in so many different ways. In the first round they played a very physical Flyers squad. The team tested them with toughness and very physical play. The Capitals played a different type of game in the next round. Their team was focused around the amazing talents of one player and was a very offensive series. The Canes also tested their metal in a physical series. I feel as if the Canes were a step slower then the Pens and that lead to their victory in the series.
Those experiences will be valuable headed into the series against the Wings. So with that my prediction:
Penguins will win against the Wings in 7 games.