REMATCH.

Those series were unpredictably short. The momentum that both the Hurricanes and the Blackhawks had during the first two series didn't seem to follow them into the Conference Finals. The 'Hawks put up a good fight, taking the Wings into overtime three times and winning one of there five games in the series. The 'Canes however didn't show up versus the Pens. Crosby and Malkin were just too much for Cam Ward to handle and Fleury stood on his head between the pipes.

My prediction for the Stanley Cup is more wishful thinking than anything, so here goes:


Stanley Cup Finals

Pittsburgh vs. Detroit - Pittsburgh (7 Games)

It's the first time since the early '80s that there has been a rematch in back-to-back years in the Stanley Cup Final, and I'm hoping for the same result. In 1984, Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers won their first ever Stanley Cup, knocking off the defending four-pete champion New York Islanders who defeated them in the previous year. This year I hope to see Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins do the same to the defending champion Red Wings, who beat the Penguins in six games last season.

The Red Wings are the better team. The depth in their lineup is matched by no other team in the NHL and their top players are as skilled as any in the league, except maybe Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin. That being said, with injuries to Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Draper and Ericsson it may be difficult for the Wings to contain the high-flying Pens. Lidstrom should play in game one, but Crosby and Malkin will look to exploit his lower-body injury as best they can. An 80% Lidstrom is still better than the majority of defencemen in the league.

I hope to see Fleury outshine Osgood and the Penguins desire and disappointment from last year push them past the Red Wings this year. I also hope to see Crosby win the first of many Stanley Cups in his career.