Echolalia

DET/PIT 4-1

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=424203 They had to have used regular season stats to yield that kind of result.

This year is the first year the Wings have made it to the Finals and I'm not 100% confident that the Cup is in the bag. Granted, the Pens lost a huge chunk of their roster last year, but they're still dangerous, and what they lost in pure skill they more than made up for in pure hunger. They have experience now, which is something they painfully lacked in the first two games of last year (the next four, you may recall, after they gained their composure were split). Crosby and Malkin are playing like Helm right now (and applying that kid's drive to two of the most offensively-minded players in the league scares the s*** out of me), which makes up for the fact that they aren't as deep as the Wings. If Detroit is going to take home another Cup, our stars are going to have to step up their game. Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Hossa, in particular, not only to shut down their two big guns, but to also score for the Wings. I'm not worried about our second, third, and fourth lines, but I am worried that their goal differential over the Pens 2nd, 3rd, and 4th won't make up for what Crosby and Malkin do, especially in a penalty-riddled game. On the plus side, comparing the Penguins to the Ducks, IMO, paints the Ducks as the superior team. I believe the Getzlaf Perry Ryan line was hotter than Malkin and Crosby both defensively and offensively. At the very least our players won't be bowled over when Crosby gains the zone, and our defense can push him to the outside. The Ducks defense may possibly have been better than our own, which blows the Pens out of the water, no compitition. MAF is definitely the better goalie, however, but hopefully our guys will have more room to work with down low. Because the Wings beat the Ducks I feel that in the end the Wings will repeat, but I think it will be much closer than last year. Especially if our guys are tired, like the media is portraying them to be.

Seriously. Peer pressure for you to change your name. I'll give you five stars even

What an interesting situation in that the entire East seems to be rooting for the Wings and the entire West seems to be rooting for the Pens. That's what you get when the two most hated teams make it to the finals, I guess.

Drake_Markus needs to change his name to Arms-Crossed-Guy immediately.

Someone needs to give that kid an award for what he's bringing to the table, in addition to the Stanley Cup(s (in pending)) he helped the Wings bring in.

Cabrera Cabrera or Granderson

Geez, not ANOTHER McKeon column...

I thought you weren't supposed to skate it around?

I'm nervous as well, but not as much as I was when I found out we would verse the Ducks. And I always thought the jinx with the trophies was you don't skate around with them. I never thought it mattered whether you picked them up.

I don't think I would care if Crosby or Malkin received the award. They are playing phenomenally right now, regardless of who they are versing. If they can continue those numbers against the Wings, sure, give 'em the Conn Smythe to share, regardless of who wins the Cup. They mean more to their team than any two players on the Wings mean to Detroit. But that comes with having 9 top-six forwards who all know their roles as well as the best defensive lineup in the game, which is what wins Stanley Cups in the end; not two superstars on an otherwise average team.

Getting swept definitely sucks, but the Wings were definitely outmatched that year. I'm not going to say they deserved to beat the Devils, but hey, at least it didn't take them 3 games to score a goal, right?

This seems kind of odd. He had a good thing in Washington with a young core of guys with a bright future. They were one win away from the ECF, which might as well have been considered one win away from the SCF. You would think he would hold out for at least another year to try to win the cup one last time.

let us all know how the pwning goes

As quiet as he's been this year, I feel like Lidstrom's name should be thrown around more for MVP. He has been absolutely crucial to some of our more pivotal games this year, and he's putting up pretty good numbers (almost a point per game) for defense.

Haha I just went through the same thing in Indiana

I thought it was a great testament to his support of Kronwall. All this crap from the the Blackhawks and the media making it seem like they're singling Kronwall out, and Stuart comes in and pretty much says, "Anything you plan on doing to him, you better plan on doing to me, too."

I'm definitely nervous but I feel that the worst has already passed in facing the Ducks. Crosby seems just as lethal as last year, but Malkin was a no-show in the Finals and now he's as potent as everyone expects him to be. He is what scares me the most, but there is no reason a team as talented and as deep as the Wings should lose to the Pens.

"Just resting"

and goalie

I don't know if the Wings are a dynasty, per se, but they are consistently the best, and currently the closest to a dynasty a salary cap can allow.

Crap I was so close too! (Filppulla)

It wasn't even him threatening Kronwall. It was more, "I know people who're gonna give it to him, but I'm going to be minding my own business turning the puck over and securing the ice outside of our zone. But those other people! They're gonna be let loose!"

What's your opinion on the stock market these days?