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One was the NHL's top team during the regular season, the other has been the best in the playoffs.
Each has marquee names sprinkled throughout deeply skilled rosters, and both the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins have arrived at this Stanley Cup Finals by using similar formulas of timely scoring, tight defense and solid goaltending. The Red Wings will have an extra game at home if the series goes the distance, but they've lost once in their own building, something the Penguins haven't done.
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| All-time great Nicklas Lidstrom helps give Detroit an edge on the blue line. (US Presswire) |
Forwards
Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are not the poster boys Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are, but they are just as lethal a combination and they play on the same line. Unfortunately, that's part of the Red Wings' problem in these playoffs.
Detroit relies a little too much on its top line for much of its offense, while the Penguins can spread it around a lot better. Crosby and Malkin will be on the ice at the same time during power plays, but they anchor separate scoring lines that have both produced effectively in these playoffs. Pittsburgh's third line centered by Jordan Staal has contributed its share of offense, and the Penguins fourth unit has contributed in some key situations as well.
The Red Wings were getting additional offense earlier in the playoffs from their second line when Johan Franzen was scoring at a remarkable pace, but concussion-like symptoms have sidelined him since Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. He remains a wild card because he's expected to return sometime during the Finals. And once you go deeper into the lineup, Detroit's forward units tend to be made up more of grinders, who are effective in that role, but not the kind of players who are counted on to make an offensive impact in a series that should be all about speed and skill.
Advantage: Pittsburgh
Defense
Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom may one day go down as the best overall defenseman to ever play the game, but for now the 38-year-old is simply the leader of the NHL's best group of blue liners.
Lidstrom partners with Brian Rafalski, an excellent two-way defenseman in his own right who has the experience of two Stanley Cup victories with the New Jersey Devils. They are supported by an experienced and savvy crew that includes punishing hitter Niklas Kronwall and dependable veterans like Brad Stuart and the ageless Chis Chelios.
Pittsburgh's defensemen aren't as impressive on paper, but Sergei Gonchar is a talented puck mover and power-play quarterback, and Hal Gill and Brooks Orpik have made opposing forwards pay a price deep in the Penguins zone. Overall, Pittsburgh's defense has been a lot better through the playoffs than it is given credit for, but it still pales in comparison to the Red Wings.
Advantage: Detroit