Flightless Birds vs Winged Wheels

On Monday, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Dallas "We're too good for Minnesota" Stars (yes, I can hold a grudge) 4 games to 2 to advance to the Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This matchup between a current NHL powerhouse in the Wings, and an upcoming powerhouse in the Penguins may be one of the best finals in recent memory.

Honestly, no one is shocked to see the Red Wings back in the finals, seeing as how they finished with the best record in the NHL and have made the playoffs in 23 of the last 25 seasons. The Pens, on the other hand, have gone from last place in the Eastern Conference the year after the NHL lockout to the finals just two years later by picking up big names like Sidney Crosby, Evegni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Marian Hossa, and former Wild player, Pascal Dupuis. This is going to lead to a very experienced, but older team in the Wings against a young, fast, and very talented Pittsburgh team.

The matchup also pits the leagues two leading playoff scorers, Crosby and Henrik Zetterberg, with 21 points each. Pittsburgh also has Marian Hossa with 19 points and 9 goals, a career high, in the playoffs.

One thing I have heard is that the Red Wings have been getting a lot of bad breaks and calls all playoff long. Although, I did hear this from my friend who bleeds red, mostly because he's human, but also because he's a die-hard Wings fan, so he may be somewhat biased. Although, I submit for you this evidence from Game 4 against the Stars:

How is this NOT a goal? That was played flawlessly by Holmstrom. We wasn't interfering or in the crease whatsoever.

Getting back to it...This will be a good Stanley Cup final, and it will be close. I'll admit that I am cheering for the Penguins, but only because they are a classic team and haven't won a cup in 16 years. I see this series going to at least 6 games, most likely 7. With that, I predict the Penguins winning in 7 games. There will be no octopi (octopuses?) on the ice in Detroit after that last game.