2009 Playoff Preview - Stanley Cup Finals

The teams are set. The schedule has been bumped up a week. And, in many ways, it's looking a lot like last year. Time to take a look at the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
It's been almost three decades since a straight-up rematch has happened in the Stanley Cup Finals. That time, the Edmonton Oilers faced off two years in a row against the New York Islanders. The first time around, New York used their age and experience to defeat a young, star-studded Edmonton team. When they matched up again one year later, the young Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, got their revenge and lifted the Cup for themselves. Could history repeat, with the Penguins taking the role of the Oilers?

In many ways, the Red Wings/Penguins rivalry is very similar to the Islanders/Oilers match-up of the early 80's. The Wings have age, grit, and plenty of experience on their side. They've also got a pile of championships over the years. Meanwhile, the current Pittsburgh team is full of young stars, featuring one of the NHL's brightest in Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh never recovered from getting knocked around in two quick games last season, but they're a different team heading into this final. For that matter, so is Detroit.

To get to the Finals, the Penguins had to dismantle Philadelphia's physicality, Washington's finesse, and then simply beat up on a Carolina team that was out of gas after taking two thrilling series victories away from New Jersey and Boston. Pittsburgh hasn't really had to deal with a physical presence since the first round, and their offense is only picking up steam. During the conference finals, the Penguins made Carolina look foolish all over the ice, as they skated to an easy sweep.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings battled first Columbus, then had to face Anaheim and Chicago. The series against Columbus was an easy one for Detroit, but both Anaheim and Chicago took their toll on Detroit. For proof of that, look at some of the star players for the Red Wings that didn't finish the series against the Blackhawks, and may be questionable for the start of the Finals. The Red Wings are definitely a better team with both Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Lidstrom, and both players missed games against a Chicago team that just didn't have the right touch when it came to overtime. Reverse two of those sudden death losses, and the Red Wings are scraping to another game seven, and possibly falling.

This match-up, much like last year, will be a battle between the long-time face of the NHL, and the new kids who want to be on top of the pile for years to come. Detroit started the playoffs poised to repeat as champions, and, after Boston got knocked aside, it looked almost inevitable. However, the way that the Penguins took care of their opponents for the past month shows that there are good things coming out of Pennsylvania hockey. Plus, the Penguins have the added incentive of sticking it to Marian Hossa, who lost with Pittsburgh last year and then defected to Detroit. Penguins should take the series in six games.