In approximately 1 minute (from the time I am writing this), the floodgates will open.  The NHL’s free agency period will begin!  Keep it here for updates and commentary throughout the day (most recent transactions will be at the top).

10:07PM: Boston signs forward Michael Ryder to a 3-year deal worth $12 million.

This is a great pick up.  Ryder had a slow season in Montreal, but with a change of scenery we could see him return to form.  I think he’ll fit in really well in Boston.

10:07PM: New York Rangers re-sign goaltender Steve Valiquette.

8:18PM: New York Islanders sign defenseman Mark Streit to a 5-year contract worth $20.5 million.

8:04PM: Minnesota signs forward Craig Weller to a 2-year contract worth $600,000 a season.

7:51PM: Tampa Bay signs forward David Koci to a 1-year, two-way contract worth $525,000.

7:38PM: New York Rangers sign Wade Redden to a 6-year contract worth $6.5 million a year.

7:23PM: New Jersey signs forward Bobby Holik to a 1-year contract worth $2.5 million.

6:52PM: Toronto signs forward Niklas Hageman to a 4-year contract worth $12 million

6:45PM: New York Rangers re-sign defenseman Michael Rosival to a 4-year deal worth $20 million

6:45PM: Vancouver signs forward Darcy Hordichuk to a 2-year deal

6:45PM: Philadelphia signs forward Nate Raduns to a 1-year deal

6:45PM: Philadelphia signs forward Glen Metropolit to a 2-year deal

6:32PM: New Jersey signs forward Brian Rolston to a four-year deal worth $20 million.

Great signing for the Devils. Rolston is a great scorer, great penalty killer, and will aid their power play immensely.

6:32PM: New York signs forward Patrick Rissmiller.

6:10PM: Philadelphia signs defenseman Ossi Vaananen to a 1-year deal worth $1 million

6:07PM: Columbus signs defenseman Mike Commodore to a 5-year deal worth $18.75 million.

5:44PM: Chicago signs defenseman Brian Campbell to an 8-year deal worth $56.8 million.

Chicago wins the first big prize of the day in Campbell, the best defenseman on the market this year.  The second fantastic move by the ‘Hawks today.  Watch out for this team next year.

5:19PM: Buffalo signs goaltender Patrick Lalime to a 2-year deal worth $2 million.

Chicago clearly didn’t need 3 goalies, and Lalime is probably a more solid backup for Miller than Jocelyn Thibault.

4:31PM: Ottawa signs goaltender Alex Auld to a a 2-year deal worth $1 million.

4:17PM: Tampa Bay signs goaltender Olaf Kolzig to a 1-year deal worth $1.5 million plus bonuses.

Step in the right direction for the ‘Bolts, who had some serious problems between the pipes last year.

4:05PM: Vancouver signs RFA forward David Backes to an offer sheet worth $7.5 million over 3 years. St. Louis has 7 days to match or accept a 2nd round pick as compensation. UPDATE: St. Louis has matched the offer.

Barely 4 hours in and we already have our first offer sheet! Let the games begin.

4:05PM: Colorado signs forward Darcy Tucker to a 2-year deal worth $4.5 million.

Not where I expected Tucker would end up.  Solid signing, regardless.

3:47PM: Chicago signs goaltender Cristobal Huet

Guess that answers the questions about the Theodore signing earlier.  GREAT pickup for a young Chicago team that just barely missed the playoffs this year.

3:47PM: Florida signs forward Cory Stillman to a 3-year deal worth $10.6 million.

This will fill in some of the void left by Jokinen’s departure. First solid move made by the Panthers all summer.

3:47PM: New York Rangers sign forward Aaron Voros.

3:47PM: Pittsburgh signs forward Eric Godard.

3:39PM: Tampa Bay signs forward Adam Hall to a 3-year deal worth $1.8 million.

I am once again forced to ask — where is Tampa finding all of this money?

3:31PM: Toronto signs defenseman Jeff Finger to a 4-year deal worth $3.5 million a season

3:31PM: Toronto signs goaltender Curtis Joseph to a 1-year deal worth $700,000

3:15PM: Phoenix signs Todd Fedoruk to a 3-year deal

3:15PM: Detroit signs goaltender Ty Conklin to a 1-year deal worth $750,000

Solid backup for Osgood now that Hasek hung ‘em up.  Great signing by the Wings.

3:15PM: Montreal re-signs forward Andrei Kostitsyn to a 3-year deal worth $3.25 million a year

3:09PM: Colorado signs goaltender Andrew Raycroft to a 1-year deal

This is a questionable move.  With Budaj left as their starter and the horrible season Raycroft posted last year, Colorado is left with a bit of a question mark between the pipes.

TRADE: Los Angeles acquires Denis Gauthier and a 2nd round pick in 2010 to Philadelphia for Patrik Hersley and Ned Lukacevic

2:55PM: Washington signs goaltender Jose Theodore to a 2-year deal

I guess this means Huet is on his way out? Interesting decision by the Caps. Have to wonder if they hit a stumbling block in their negotiations and wanted to be sure they locked up a bonafide starter.

2:53PM: Phoenix signs defenseman Kurt Sauer to a 4-year deal.

2:14PM: Penguins sign defenseman Marc Eaton to a 2-year deal worth $2 million.

TRADE: Calgary acquires Rene Bourque from Chicago for a future second round draft pick

1:55PM: Minnesota signs Andrew Brunette to a 3-year deal worth $7 million.

1:33PM: Vancouver signs forward Kyle Wellwood to a 1-year deal worth $997,500.

TRADE: Minnesota acquires Marek Zidlicky from Nashville in exchange for Ryan Jones and a second round pick

12:55PM: Boston signs forward Blake Wheeler to an entry-level contract

12:52PM: Tampa Bay signs forward Radim Vrbata to a 3-year, $9 million contract.

Where is Tampa finding the money for all of this?!  Also, might they consider finding some defense? With Dan Boyle rumored to be heading out of town, all of this scoring won’t help them much if they don’t focus on building their blueline ASAP

TRADE: Edmonton sends forward Raffi Torres to Columbus for Gilbert Brule, and defenseman Joni Pitkanen to Carolina for forward Erik Cole.

Clearing out cap space, much?

12:04 PM: Anaheim re-signs Corey Perry to a 5-year deal worth an average of $5.325 million a year.

Solid signing for Anaheim. Perry was probably their best forward last year.

11:58 AM: Pittsburgh re-signs forward Pascal Dupuis to a 3-year deal averaging $1.4 million a year.

This signing will fly completely under the radar, as did Dupuis’ half of the Hossa deal, but he was a solid contributor for the Pens in the playoffs, even if it didn’t show on the scoresheet. Depending on how badly dismantled they get today, this could be a huge move for them.

11:58 AM: Detroit re-signs defenseman Brad Stuart on a 4-year, $3.75 million a year deal.

11:35AM: New Jersey re-signs forwards Jay Pandolfo, David Clarkson, and Barry Tallackson.  Declines option on forward Sergei Brylin.

A great signing of the core of the team at the last minute for the Devils.  As much as it hurts to see Brylin go, he was past his prime and will make room for some fresh blood.

10:21AM: New Jersey re-signs defenseman Bryce Salvador to a four-year deal worth $2.9 million a year.

8:45 AM: Washington re-signs defenseman Mike Green to a four-year deal worth an average of $5.25 million a year.

This kid is the real deal.  Nice move by Washington to avoid crazy offer sheets.

Ohh, free agency.  The most frustrating time to be a hockey fan.  Weeks on end of biting your nails, waiting to see if your favorite players will be back, or if your team will suffer the fate of last year’s Buffalo Sabres. ( I, for one, am currently banging my head against the wall waiting for Lou Lamoriello to get his act together and sign Jay Pandolfo before the deadline. But that’s neither here nor there.)

In the week since the draft, the activity around the NHL has been typical of late June — contract buy-outs, big signings, qualifying offers, and everything in between.  With only 5 days left until the “big day”, here’s a round-up of the biggest headlines of the week.

*After a week of rumors that the Penguins were close to signing Marian Hossa, his agent announced this weekend that Hossa would be testing free agency.  Hossa is certainly going to be one of the most sought-after unrestricted free agents on the market, and will probably command over $7 million a year.

*Ottawa bought out Ray Emery’s contract, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.  Given the problems he had in the locker room this year, it will be interesting to see who is willing to take a chance on him, and if the change of scenery improves his attitude.

*Los Angeles attempted to buy out Dan Cloutier’s contract as well, but because of his injury problems this season, Cloutier needs to get medical clearance before they can complete the process.

*According to Sean Avery’s agent, it seems highly unlikely Avery will be resigning with the Rangers, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.  Rumored interested teams include the Kings and the Stars.

*Shea Weber signed a three year, $13.5 million contract to stay in Nashville, keeping him from being a restricted free agent.  The Predators continued to lock up the core of their team, having already signed Martin Erat, Ryan Suter, and Dan Ellis earlier in the offseason.

*Gary Roberts announced that he would not be retiring, but that he would also not be returning to Pittsburgh.  Roberts intends to test the free agent waters on July 1st, stating that he was aware of Penguins GM Ray Shero’s signing priorities.

*Barry Melrose was officially announced as Tampa Bay’s head coach. Though rumored since the end of the season, the Lightning held a press conference Tuesday afternoon announcing Melrose and the rest of his staff. The move has been heavily criticized (Melrose hasn’t been behind the bench in 13 years, instead taking his perfect mullet to ESPN as their resident NHL expert), but that’s a topic for another day.

*Mats Sundin will also be headed for free agency.  Montreal was granted the rights to speak with him before July 1st, and Bob Gainey actually flew to Sweden to meet with Sundin.  As of right now, however, it appears Sundin is going to wait and see what he can demand on the open market.

*Because losing Mats Sundin wasn’t enough of a change for the Maple Leafs, the team also bought out the contracts for Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, and Kyle Wellwood. (two links) Wellwood was picked up by the Canucks on waivers.  No one can accuse Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher of not attempting to make changes for this team.

*Vincent Lecavalier is reportedly signing a 9 year, $77 million contract (worth approximately $8.55 a year assuming he reaches the ninth season) to stay in Tampa for the rest of his career.  He would be 37 at the end of the contract.

*Joe Pavelski, Brian Boucher, and Jeremy Roenick were all resigned by the Sharks this week.  Roenick and Boucher were signed to one-year deals, Pavelski received a two-year contract.

*Contract talks between Jose Theodore and the Avalanche broke down, making Theodore one of the only true starting goalies available on the unrestricted free agency list, as Washington is reportedly close to a deal with Cristobal Huet.

*After meeting with Anaheim GM Brian Burke Thursday morning, Scott Niedermayer announced he will return for the final year of his contract. Will Teemu Selanne follow suit?

*The salary cap is being increased to $56.7 million, a $6.4 million increase from last season.

For a more detailed look at the goings on, check out the headlines over at TSN.  Check back Tuesday for all the free agency craziness!

Draft weekend has come and gone, and Steve Stamkos is officially the newest member of the Tampa Bay Lightning (even though he was pretty much assured a Florida address the day the ‘Bolts won the draft lottery).  Overshadowing Stamkos’ (and the rest of the draft class’) big night was the major trade activity all evening long.  By the end of the first round, 14 trades had been made — more than in the last 3 drafts combined.  Now that the dust has settled on the draft, let’s take a look at the players that have changed teams this weekend.

Mike Cammalleri –> Calgary
12th overall pick (originally Anaheim’s) –> LA
17th overall pick (originally Calgary’s), 28th overall pick (originally LA’s) –> Anaheim

Within the first half hour of the draft, the Kings and the Flames made a big splash, announcing the movement of Mike Cammalleri, who had been the topic of many potential deals (no matter how ridiculous) in the previous weeks.  I think this is a great addition for the Flames.  Cammalleri put up great numbers early in the year last year, and although there was a drop off in his production, he was still very consistent on a terrible Kings team.  Using him as replacement for Alex Tanguay in order to save cap space for Daymond Langkow is a great move by the Calgary management.  As for the Kings, it’s become painfully obvious over the past few years that they need to rebuild.  While I would have probably looked to acquire something more than a draft pick for a player of Cammalleri’s caliber, clearing that cap room could put the Kings in the running for some of the better UFAs, while stocking their farm system for the coming seasons.  A solid move by all clubs involved.

Alex Tanguay, 5th round pick –> Montreal
25th overall pick, 2009 2nd round pick –> Calgary

I touched on this a little bit in talking about Cammalleri.  Tanguay will be a great addition for the Habs — a solid veteran forward amongst the explosive young talent.  Tanguay didn’t have the strongest numbers this year  Calgary dumps his salary after adding Cammalleri in his spot, and gains some additional young talent.  Another strong move by both parties.

Olli Jokinen –> Phoenix
Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton, 49th overall pick –> Florida

This was probably the most criticized trade of the day, but I think Florida addressed a lot of their needs in acquiring two young defenseman.  That being said, I still tend to agree with the majority of those who think Phoenix got the better end of this deal.  Jokinen is a talented forward who has been putting up strong numbers in Florida, despite the lack of a supporting cast and his issues with the Panthers’ management.  A change in scenery can only improve his performance, and the young stars in Phoenix will absolutely benefit from having another veteran forward in their lineup.  Meanwhile, the Panthers certainly filled some holes on their blue line — but lost a LOT of scoring power, and don’t look to be filling that hole anytime soon.  While it was made very clear from the end of the season that Jokinen was on his way out, I think Jacques Martin could have found himself better compensation for the former captain.

RJ Umberger, 118th overall pick –> Columbus
19th overall pick, 67th overall pick –> Philadelphia

This move caught me by surprise.  After netting 10 goals and 15 points in 17 games in the Flyers impressive playoff run this year, I expected Umberger to be atop the Flyers’ list of priority signings.  Apparently, the 26-year-old didn’t quite fit into the club’s plans, and he was shipped to Columbus for a couple of draft picks.  For Columbus, this is a fantastic move.  Umberger is still fairly young, has shown he has the ability to be an explosive scorer, and that he can play well in the clutch moments.  He is an excellent addition to a club still seeking its first playoff berth.  For the Flyers’, this clears out the cap space they need to sign Jeff Carter to a long-term deal and prevent another team from snatching him away with an offer sheet after July 1st.  I can’t say I agree with letting a player of Umberger’s talent-level get away for mere draft picks, but in the salary cap era, more and more of these sort of moves are going to happen.

Steve Eminger, 84th overall pick –> Philadelphia
27th overall pick –> Washington

This move sort of snuck by unnoticed at the end of the night.  Eminger had a rough year with the Caps this season, playing only 20 games. He’s a solid defenseman and should fit in well in Philly.  Washington needs cap space to sign Mike Green and Cristobal Huet in order to keep the core of their team together, and as a young team still building for the future, the extra draft picks can go a long way.

Looking ahead, just over a week ahead from the July 1st free agency deadline.  Marian Hossa announced yesterday that he would not, in fact, be signing with the Penguins without testing the waters, likely making him the most sought after free agent on the market.  This week, I’ll be taking a look at the available UFAs, RFAs, and potential signings leading up to the big day.  Stay tuned!

Last night was the NHL’s annual awards ceremony. The evening’s big winner was, as predicted, Alexander Ovechkin. Here’s a breakdown of the award winners (and my pre-show predictions!)

Hart Trophy (MVP)

Predicted Winner: Alexander Ovechkin
Actual Winner: Alexander Ovechkin

What can you even say about this kid? 65 goals, 112 points — he’s just unbelievable. He never stops moving, seems to be a part of every play, and is one of the most passionate players I’ve ever seen. His leadership and determination was one of the major reasons for the Capitals late-season playoff push. While they ultimately didn’t make it past the first round, the team’s turnaround would not have been possibly without the presence of “Alexander the Great”. While Evgeni Malkin and Jerome Iginla’s contributions to their teams cannot be ignored, Alex was just too good this year.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie)

Predicted Winner: Evgeni Nabokov
Actual Winner: Martin Brodeur

That’s right, I’m a Devils fan and I picked against Marty. I thought for sure the voting would go in Nabakov’s favor this year. Both goalies have nearly identical numbers, played in front of struggling teams at the start of the season, and were unbelievable down the stretch. Apparently, the voters agreed — Brodeur barely edged out Nabokov, finished with 113 points to Nabokov’s 106. Making at least one Devils’ fan extremely happy, Lundqvist finished with a measley 13 points. You can’t argue that Marty kept the Devils in the game this year, so he is more than deserving of his fourth Vezina in the last 5 years, placing him second all time in career wins behind the recently retired Dominic Hasek, who won the award 6 times.

Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman)

Predicted Winner: Nicklas Lidstrom
Actual Winner: Nicklas Lidstrom

This award was a no-brainer. Lidstrom has won the award 6 times in the last 7 seasons. He is the best defenseman in the game right now, hands-down. You can’t beat his presence on the ice and his skill on both ends of the ice. The Wings are lucky to have had him on their bench for the last 15 years.

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year)

Predicted Winner: Patrick Kane
Actual Winner: Patrick Kane

The three kids up for this award this year had absolutely unbelievable seasons. Kane and Jonathan Toews were part of the turnaround in Chicago that saw them on the brink of a playoff spot for the first time in years. Unfortunately for Toews, he spent a chunk of time this year injured, which most likely killed his chances at winning the award. In spite of the injuries, he still led all rookies in scoring — leading me to wonder what he would have been capable of if he had been healthy all year. Backstrom, playing on a line with Ovechkin, benefited from playing with one of the most talented players in hockey — but that makes his accomplishments seem less impressive. Kane — at 5′9″, 160 — was the best of the three. Finding a way to be productive at that size, and adjusting as quickly as he did, made him more than deserving of the award.

Lady Byng Trophy (Sportsmanship Award)

Predicted Winner: Pavel Datsyuk
Actual Winner: Pavel Datsyuk

Datsyuk has won this award in the past, and given his style of play, for him to take as few penalties as he does is truly an accomplishment. He plays the game the way it should be played — clean defense, not chippy. This award really could have gone to any of the three — St. Louis and Pominville play in a similar manner, but their numbers are not nearly as staggering, and I think that makes Datsyuk much more impressive.

Selke Trophy (Defensive Forward)

Predicted Winner: Pavel Datsyuk
Actual Winner: Pavel Datsyuk

I wanted John Madden to win this more than anything, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. Datsyuk was the runaway winner in this category, with Madden finishing second. 31 goals, 97 points, and +41. You just can’t beat those kind of numbers. He and Zetterberg were dominant this year on both ends of the ice, and were continually the type of pairing that opponents hated to play against.

Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year)

Predicted Winner: Bruce Boudreau
Actual Winner: Bruce Boudreau

Back in November, the Capitals were tanking. They’d only won a handful of games, and were in last place in the Eastern Conference. On November 22, management hired Bruce Boudreau to his first-ever NHL coaching job. Boudreau lead the Capitals to a 37-17-7 record, a Southeast Division title, and became the fastest coach to 20 and 30 wins in franchise history. I can’t think of a more deserving man for this award. Not to take anything away from Guy Carbonneau or Mike Babcock, but Boudreau’s record and the turnaround in Washington was amazing to watch. Congrats to him.

Masterston Trophy (Dedication to Hockey)

Predicted Winner: Fernando Pisani
Actual Winner: Jason Blake

I think both of these men deserve this award.  I think Blake won because people hear “cancer” and immediately assume the worst.  I have the utmost respect for Blake for playing every single game this year after his diagnosis with chronic myelogenous leukemia.  That is everything this award is about - perseverance and dedication to hockey.  However, I think similar can be said about Fernando Pisani.  He suffers from ulcerative colitis, and had a terrible flair up this summer.  He was in and out of the hospital, lost something like 30 pounds, and thought he may never be able to play again.  By December, he was back in game shape, and never missed another game.  To me, that’s just as impressive.  I think the dedication of both men is something worth being honored.

Lester B. Pearson Award (Player’s MVP)

Predicted Winner: Alexander Ovechkin
Actual Winner: Alexander Ovechkin

The players always say that this is the award they take the most pride in winning because it is voted on by their peers.  That they voted on Ovechkin as well came as no surprise to me.  As I wrote above, he had an unbelievable year and led his team farther than anyone expected from them.  It is only fitting that his peers recognize him for these accomplishments.

Additionally, Alex Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to win the Hart, Pearson, Art Ross (most points) and Rocket Richard (scoring title) all in the same year. At 22 years old, that is quite an accomplishment.

Congratulations to all the winners!

I have returned from the wild world of Europe, and it sounds like I missed one hell of a series. Congrats to the Detroit Red Wings on being the 2008 Stanley Cup Champions.

I will be watching the games in the coming weeks, and will post a more detailed review of the series after I’ve watched them. As of right now, all I can say is that Detroit was simply the better team. Kudos to Pittsburgh for putting up one hell of a fight, and pushing the series as long as they did, but it seemed from game 2 that it was only a matter of time.

In other news, Dominic Hasek, Trevor Linden, and Mattias Norstrom all announced their retirements this week. After his collapse in the playoffs, it was only a matter of time before the announcement from Hasek. His level of play has been slowly declining over the past few season, but its hard to argue his contributions earlier in his career. He will certainly be a Hall of Famer.

Most of the Vancouver community knew Linden would not be returning, so his announcement was also not surprising. The team’s last home game ended in an uplifting tribute to the man who spent 16 of his 19 seasons with the club. He has always been one of the classier players in the game and I hope he continues to stay involved in the NHL.

The NHL awards ceremony is tonight at 7PM EST on VS. I’ll take a closer look at the winners tomorrow!

After a week-long layoff in action, Pittsburgh and Detroit will face off for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals tomorrow night at Joe Louis Arena. The teams haven’t met since October 7, 2006 - making this the third straight Stanley Cup Final between two teams that didn’t play each other during the regular season. Gotta love that unbalanced schedule — but that’s a rant for another day.

A breakdown of the match-up:

Offense

These two teams are arguably the two best offensive powerhouses in the league. On Detroit, you’ve got Datsyuk, Zetterburg, Franzen, and a group of second-tier scorers (guys like Tomas Holmstrom and Kris Draper) that crowd the net and find ways to score better than anybody. They move the puck amazingly well and their transition game is unbelievable. If the opposition isn’t picture-perfect, they’re going to find a way make you pay. Over in Pittsburgh, the list of scorers is intimidating. Crosby, Malkin, Hossa, Sykora, Malone — all have been extremely effective in the playoffs. They move the puck about as well as Detroit and have an amazing amount of speed. The styles of play of these two teams are extremely similar, and I expect we’ll see a LOT of scoring, particularly in the early games of the series.

Defense

Detroit’s defense is the best in the NHL. Captained by Niklas Lidstrom, from top to bottom their defensive pairings are more than capable of not only preventing the opposition from gaining opportunities, but creating offense for the Red Wings. The Penguins will be at a disadvantage here, there’s no way around it. However, I think their defense has not been given enough credit for how well they have played throughout the playoffs. Sergei Gonchar, Hal Gill, and the rest of the Penguins defense corps have done a great job of shutting down the opposition when necessary — and I’m sure the Rangers and the Flyers would agree. They’re going to have to bring their A game to get it done against the Red Wings offense, but I wouldn’t count them out yet.

Power Play

Both of these teams have had an amazing amount of success with special teams thus far in the playoffs. Pittsburgh has an impressive 24.6% success rate on the power play, and Detroit’s not far behind at 21%. Their penalty kill numbers are identical, with both teams at an 87.3% success rate. A key to this series is going to be playing smart. Neither team is going to be able to afford giving up countless power play opportunities to the other - we’ve seen both teams repeatedly cash in on those kind of opportunities throughout the playoffs. I have a feeling that the team that can keep themselves out of the box and make the most of the man advantages they do get will be the team hoisting the Cup in 2 weeks.

Goaltending

Chris Osgood and Marc-Andre Fleury have both been unbelievable thus far. Osgood is the more experienced goalie, but coming into the finals on nearly identical records, Fleury’s youth feels much less relevant than it did at the start of the playoffs. Fleury is going to have to come up big in Game 1, and stand up to the same crease crashing treatment from the Red Wings that bested Marty Turco in the last round. If he can find a way to stop them, it will be a huge boost of for the Pens.

Injuries

For the most part, these teams are fairly healthy (as healthy as a team ever is this far into the playoffs). Johan Franzen will miss Game 1, but is expected to return later in the series. His absence didn’t appear to set the Wings back against the Stars, but the Penguins are a much higher scoring team than Dallas, and his firepower would certainly be helpful for the match-up. The sooner he’s back, the better. Gary Roberts missed the last game of the Eastern Conference Finals with pneumonia, and has been out with other injuries at various points during the playoffs. I have not heard either way whether he will return for this series, but the veteran presence would certainly be a welcome addition to the Pens lineup for this series.

Youth vs. Experience

The series has been touted as the “Young Pens vs. the Old Wings” on many NHL sites. The core of the Penguins is around 20 years old, a large number of the Red Wings are over 30. Along with age comes experience — many of the Red Wings have been here before, they know how to get it done and are eager to repeat. But on the flip side of that, the youth on the Penguins are eager for their first taste from the Cup. And their young legs are going to be feeling the effects of the grueling 2 months of playoff hockey a lot less than, say, 46-year-old Chris Chelios. The Penguins have already proven themselves to be for real and I think they’re going to have the edge.

As such, my prediction is Pens in 6. Every time they’ve been beaten they’ve turned around the next game, fixed whatever wasn’t working, and been 10 times better than they were the night before. I think their youth is going to prove difficult for Detroit to keep up with, and I think their defense doesn’t get enough credit. It’s not going to be easy for them, but look for Sid to be hoisting the Cup when the series is done.

I’m leaving for Germany on Sunday, and will not be around to blog about the series. I’ll be back the week of June 10th with my thoughts on the outcome and the impending free agency rush. Enjoy the Finals!

The Red Wings came out flying in Dallas last night, led 3-0 after the first period, and never looked back. It seemed the team finally found the killer instinct they lacked in games 4 and 5, and they put away the Stars 4-1. They now move on to face the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals. Here are the highlights:

Detroit simply outworked the Stars from the first drop of the puck last night. They came out fighting hard in the first two periods and Dallas didn’t have an answer until it was too late — much like the first 2 games of the series. Zetterburg and Datsyuk got back on the scoreboard and some of their second tier scorers got back on the board by getting themselves planted in front of Turco to create scoring opportunites. Kris Draper scored a goal off his chin — now THAT’S playoff hockey at its finest.

Keys to the series:

Sloppy Defense

Dallas was sloppy on defense early on in the series, tightened up in the games they won, and crumbled a bit again early in game 6. Detroit’s offense is too explosive to allow for any mistakes. One sloppy pass and Zetterburg, Datysuk, or any number of other talented forwards is burying one at the other end. There were a TON of bad defensive plays, sloppy passes, and turnovers in the neutral zone in games 1, 2, &, 3 before Dallas really got themselves together — and by that point, it was too late.

Power Play

Philly went through this with Pittsburgh, and it was no different in this series. Dallas’ power play had more than enough opportunities to rescue them when games were still within reach, and they just couldn’t convert. Last night, Detroit spent the majority of the second period down a man, and Dallas barely registered a shot on the man advantage. You aren’t going to win games this way. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Dallas took way too many penalties against a potent power play. In game 1, they were down 3 goals very quickly because of bad penalties — a deficit they never overcame.

Zetterburg and Datysuk

Possibly the most dynamic pair in the league, this duo of Selke finalists had a fantastic series, and gave Marty Turco fits. Zetterburg had two shorthanded goals and Datsyuk had a hat trick in game 3. Both were nearly invisible in games 4 and 5 when Detroit lost — coincidence? Not likely. When these guys are on their game, Detroit wins. The key to beating the Red Wings is shutting them down, and Dallas didn’t do it nearly well enough.

Goaltending

It pains me to say it because he’s one of my favorites, but Marty Turco struggled in the early stages of this series. Detroit’s net crashing got under his skin, and I think he had a bit of a mental struggle due to his personal record against Detroit being so poor. That being said, he also had some spectacular moments — he played amazingly in Game 5 and some of the earlier games could have been a lot worse for Dallas were it not for him. But he admitted himself that he felt he wasn’t at his best, and teams don’t win championships without consistently reliable goaltending. Osgood, on the other hand, has been just that - consistent. He lost his first game of the playoffs in Game 4, and preserved leads for the Wings more than a few times in this series. I’ve been repeatedly impressed with his play, and he’s quietly putting on one of the best performances of his career.

Overtime Hangover?

The Stars took 2 games to find their legs and really start playing strong hockey. After an exhausting 4OT victory to eliminate the Sharks in the previous round, they only had 2 days off before the Conference Finals. The Wings had a full week between series. Was the exhaustion a factor? With an extra few days (or two fewer overtimes), does Dallas come out stronger sooner? The Stars certainly proved in games 4 and 5 that they could compete with Detroit. Had they brought that intensity from the start of the series, this could have been an entirely different beast.

Bring on the Finals!

After an impressive 6-0 hometown showing against the Flyers yesterday, the Penguins are the first team to head to the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m sure Gary Bettman & Co. threw a party afterwards. Here are the highlights — Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa are particularly impressive.

Pittsburgh showed the true intensity of their offensive firepower all throughout this game, and the Flyers just couldn’t keep up. You have to wonder if Michel Therrien drew some inspiration from watching Detroit falter on Saturday — the Penguins came out playing for the kill. They never looked nervous, never once looked like they doubted themselves. For a group of very young players, they are showing a great deal of maturity. Marc-Andre Fleury continues to impress — early in the game when it was still close he made a couple of unbelievable saves that turned the momentum in favor of the Penguins. These kids are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the finals.

The keys to this series:

Kimmo Timmonen/Braydon Coburn

The Flyers were a different team in Game 1 without Timmonen. Their power play suffered, and some mistakes were made that may not have been with him in the lineup. When Coburn went down early in Game 2, leaving them with only 5 defensemen for the majority of the game, the complexion of the series changed dramatically. Losing their top defensive pairing against a team with the firepower of Crosby, Hossa, and Malkin (and Malone, and Sykora, and…) was a huge blow to this team. Watching their power play yesterday, you could see how much better the puck movement was with Timmonen in the lineup. This was the number 2 power play in the league during the regular season. Having that attack all series has the potential to make a huge difference. The injuries were a factor.

Transition Game

This Penguins team is FAST. There is little to no room for error in the neutral zone, or they will be on the attack before you have time to blink. They move the puck unbelievably well and have an uncanny ability to just…find each other…up ice. This is part of what makes this team so scary. The Flyers just didn’t have an answer for them, and the lack of their defensive core hurt as the series wore on.

Power Play

The Flyers (read: Derian Hatcher) take stupid penalties. They are a tough team, which benefits them at times, but also bites them in the ass. Being in the box a lot against a team full of snipers is not going to benefit your cause. The Pens power play was lethal during this series, and the Flyers weren’t able to fight back, even though they had plenty of opportunities as this thing got a little ugly. They had a couple of chances when the game was still salvageable yesterday and couldn’t put one home. This is as much a credit to the Pens penalty kill, but you have to take advantage of the power play when you get one — and you can’t take stupid penalties in the playoffs, or you aren’t going to move on. Just ask Ryan Hollweg.

Danny Briere/Vinny Prospal

Has anyone seen them? Danny Briere played a great Game 4 to send this thing back to Pittsburgh, but I’d be hard pressed to find any great moments from Prospal all series. The duo carried the team through the end of the regular season after Prospal was acquired at the trade deadline, and they were phenomenal against Washington and Montreal. Where’d they go? If you’re going to win in the playoffs, your big guys need to step up

Pittsburgh awaits the winner of Dallas/Detroit. Game 6 is tonight in Dallas, after Marty Turco stood on his head on Saturday to grab his first-ever victory at Joe Louis Arena and help his team live to see another day. Dallas has some new life, and Detroit is looking a little tense. I think Dallas might be able to push this another game — all the momentum is in their favor right now. The pressure is on Detroit to prove that they can close out the series and not let things linger any longer. I called Dallas in 7 from the start of the series — will we see a miracle comeback?

Pardon the appearance around here….I’m doing some overhauls, as my blogging focus will be undergoing a bit of a shift. I should be up and running soon!