It is a Stanley Cup finals matchup almost every hockey fan wants to see — even if it will go over like a ton of bricks in the District.
The Detroit Red Wings will try to defend their 2008 championship against the same team they beat to get it — the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were last seen around these parts playing the role of Scrooge with their blowout Game 7 win at Verizon Center in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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It won’t be of much comfort to Capitals fans — but your team lost to the group that will skate home with the Stanley Cup. The Penguins looked that good in the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes with a four-game sweep. And the Red Wings are that beat up with five regulars out of the lineup in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night, including Norris Trophy finalist Nicklas Lidstrom (lower-body injury) and Hart Trophy nominee Pavel Datsyuk (foot).
“Pittsburgh’s gone through a huge cultural metamorphosis since they made the coaching change,” said NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, noting the mid-February firing of coach Michel Therrien, who led Pittsburgh to last year’s finals, for minor-leaguer Dan Bylsma. “Rather than playing passive hockey they’re playing aggressive, in-your-face skilled hockey. They’re playing to their strengths. It will be interesting to see if Detroit has enough healthy bodies to handle that.”
They actually don’t. But it somehow didn’t matter against the Blackhawks, who also had the advantage in health and youth. One thing is for sure — there isn’t a team in the league that could lose two players the caliber of Lidstrom, long the NHL’s top defenseman, and Datsyuk, the game’s best two-way center, and still make the finals. Detroit’s big advantage?
“They’re the most intelligent team I’ve ever seen as a group,” said NBC analyst Mike Milbury.
That was more than enough last year. The Wings jumped on the young Penguins with two quick wins at Joe Louis Arena before Pittsburgh found its stride. The rest of the series was relatively even before Detroit won in six games. This time the Penguins have finals experience. This time they will do the celebrating.
