Stanley Cup Preview - Piitsburgh vs. Detroit

By Scott Erskine
PA SportsTicker Hockey Editor

There is no shortage of stars in this year's Stanley Cup Finals. The best-of-seven series likely will not be lacking its share of goals either. The top two offensive teams this postseason begin their final step to the championship Saturday as the Presidents' Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings host the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Game One. After finishing first in the Western Conference and third overall in the NHL with 257 goals during the regular season, the Red Wings enter the Finals with a league-leading 55 playoff tallies, averaging 3.44 per game. Johan Franzen is leading the way with a league-high 12 goals, fellow Swede and Selke Trophy finalist Henrik Zetterberg is right on his heels with 11 and Selke and Lady Byng Trophy contender Pavel Datsyuk has nine. However, Franzen - who also has scored a playoff-best five game-winners - is doubtful to play in the series opener after missing the final five games of the conference finals against the Dallas Stars with a concussion. Detroit, which finished first in the NHL for the third time in four seasons, trails only Pittsburgh in postseason potency. With reigning Hart Trophy winner Sidney Crosby leading the playoffs with 17 assists and Evgeni Malkin - a finalist for the Hart this year - and Marian Hossa netting nine goals apiece, the Penguins are averaging a league-high 3.64 tallies per contest. Offense aside, the teams also have been impressive in their own end. But once again, Pittsburgh has the edge, allowing a postseason-low 1.86 goals per game to Detroit's 1.94 average - the second-best mark of the playoffs. The first overall pick of the 2003 draft, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins is the postseason leader in wins (12), shutouts (three) and save percentage (.938). Counterpart Chris Osgood, who began his tenure as Detroit's starter in the playoffs with a nine-game winning streak, is tops with a 1.60 goals-against average. Osgood's nine-game run also was a record for the franchise, which posted eight-game winning stretches in 1952 and 1995. Experience is decidedly on the side of the Red Wings, who have 10 players with their names already engraved on the Stanley Cup, including five - captain Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and former "Grind Line" members Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty - who played on Detroit's championship teams in 1997, 1998 and 2002. The Red Wings' group of 10 have combined for 23 titles. Conversely, the Penguins have three players - Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora and defenseman Darryl Sydor - who have won a total of four Cups, all of which were captured with other teams. But Pittsburgh - which was the second seed in the East - has other factors in its favor, namely youth and size. The average age of a Penguin is 27.9 years, while the Red Wings check in at 32.3 - nearly five years older. Pittsburgh also has the edge in stature, with the average player measuring in at 6-2 and 208 pounds as opposed to Detroit's figures of 6-foot and 195 pounds. The intriguing matchup is the first postseason meeting of teams from Motown and the Steel City since the 1909 World Series, when the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Detroit Tigers in seven games. The Red Wings and Penguins have not faced off since October 7, 2006, when Franzen scored the decisive goal and Dominik Hasek made 13 saves in a 2-0 triumph by Detroit. Currently a consultant for the Red Wings, the legendary Scotty Bowman coached both Detroit (2002) and Pittsburgh (1992) to their most recent Stanley Cup championships.

DETROIT RED WINGS -----------------
WHAT'S RIGHT: With Franzen on the sidelines after his sizzling start to the playoffs, Zetterberg has kept the Red Wings from missing a beat. The 27-year-old is tied with Crosby for the league lead with 21 points and is just one goal behind "The Mule" for first in the postseason. Zetterberg also is tops in the NHL with a plus-15 rating and three shorthanded assists while sharing the lead with a pair of shorthanded goals. ... After having his nine-game winning streak halted by consecutive losses to Dallas in the conference finals, Osgood bounced back with a strong performance in Game Six, allowing just one goal on 29 shots. With the victory, the All-Star passed Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk for first place on the franchise list with 48 career playoff wins. ... Draper has been superb on faceoffs, winning 154 of his 243 draws for a league-best winning percentage of 63.4. ... The 2001-02 Red Wings were the last team to win both the Presidents' Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season. ... Despite a record of just 5-3 on the road this postseason, Detroit has been fueled by Datsyuk, who has scored all nine of his playoff goals away from home.

WHAT'S WRONG: If the Penguins are able to slow down Zetterberg and Datsyuk, the Red Wings could be longing for Franzen. Dating back to March 2, he has scored 27 goals in his last 27 games, setting or tying numerous franchise playoff records along the way. ... Zetterberg and Datsyuk scored nearly half of Detroit's goals in the conference finals, combining for eight of the club's 17 tallies. Of the eight other Red Wings to score, only Jiri Hudler (two) netted more than one. ... Other than the conference semifinals against Colorado, Detroit has allowed its opponent to get back in series by dropping consecutive games. Continuing that pattern against Pittsburgh likely would end its championship dreams.

WHAT'S BEEN SAID: "You start out with 30. I believe in our league now, everybody's good. For two to be remaining, they must be very good. Their transition is fantastic. They have a bunch of kids that can really skate. It's going to be a huge challenge for us. But we're excited about the opportunity." - coach Mike Babcock
INJURIES: D Chris Chelios (leg), C Johan Franzen (concussion), RW Tomas Kopecky (knee-IR)


PITTSBURGH PENGUINS -------------------
WHAT'S RIGHT: After notching five points in each of the Penguins' first two series, Hossa nearly matched the two-round total in the conference finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, erupting for four goals and five assists in the five-game set. ... Pittsburgh has been unbeatable on home ice, going 8-0 in the postseason after winning its final eight games at Mellon Arena during the regular season. ... Fleury has been even more successful at home, winning each of his last 18 starts - including the playoffs - at the "Igloo." The netminder has not lost at home since a 2-1 setback to New Jersey on November 21. ... Pittsburgh enters the Finals with a 12-2 mark in the postseason, becoming the 11th team since 1980 to begin the championship round with two losses or fewer. The last club to accomplish the feat was the 2003 Anaheim Ducks, who also were 12-2 through three series. ... Crosby has recorded a point in 10 of the Penguins' 14 playoff games. Of those 10 contests, nine have been multi-point performances.

WHAT'S WRONG: Other than experience, absolutely nothing. The Penguins made short work of the defending conference champion Ottawa Senators in the conference quarterfinals, took out the New York Rangers in five games in the semifinals and made it look easy in a five-game romp over the Flyers in the third round. However, it is the first trip to the Finals for most players on the roster, as opposed to the wealth of championship experience owned by the Red Wings. ... One of Pittsburgh's few Stanley Cup winners, Roberts again is having health problems. The rugged veteran, who missed 43 games with a broken leg before returning for the regular-season finale, sat out five contests earlier this postseason with a groin injury before missing the last three of the conference finals with a touch of pneumonia. Having the grizzled left wing back in the lineup would be a great help in physically wearing down Detroit's defensemen.

WHAT'S BEEN SAID: "I think both teams are very similar. I think the way we played through our playoffs, I think we earned our chance out of the East. I think the same for them. I think we match up pretty similar, which is kind of scary. It's going to come down to those little bounces you might get or might not get, the penalty that might get called. As a fan watching, I think it's going to be great for hockey, great for the sport. You have so many world-class players playing, it's going to be some fun hockey to watch." - LW Ryan Malone

INJURIES: D Mark Eaton (knee-IR), LW Gary Roberts (pneumonia)

HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAYOFF HISTORY ---------------------------- None