It is going to be a great series, however I was hoping for home ice advantage. :-(
The teams are pretty evenly matched. Here is how I see it:
Offense: Crosby, Malkin, Hossa, Datsyuk, Zetterberg. These guys should be great to watch in the series. If Franzen comes back, I call this EVEN. If not, a SLIGHT EDGE to Pittsburgh.
Defense: A SIGNIFICANT EDGE to Detroit. Lidtrom, Rafalski and Kronwall are all threats to put up points. Kronwall and Stuart will rattle a few teeth as well.
Goaltending: Both are playing at the top of their game right now. We may see a lot of 1-0 or 2-1 games in this series if Fleury can handle the sheer volume of shots coming his way. I call this EVEN.
Special Teams: They both have the same penalty kill percentage at 87%+. Pittsburgh has a slightly higher power play percentage but they have taken more penalties while playing two fewer games. EVEN.
Intangibles: Experience and Home Ice are ADVANTAGES to Detroit. Plus we have the Octopus!
Prediction: Detroit in 7 Games with 4 or 5 overtime games and the deciding game ending in the 3rd overtime.
I’m obviously rooting for the Wings but I tried to keep my analysis as objective as possible. Flame away!