PITTSBURGH, Pa – Here we are again, back to the future. The defending Stanley Cup champions against the team they vanquished in the finals last season. The biggest question is: will these Pittsburgh Penguins be able to duplicate the feat the 1984 Edmonton Oilers did when they defeated the New York Islanders who had beaten the Oilers the year before for the Cup?
“I guess we’re the young up and coming team,” said Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero. “(Sidney) Crosby, (Evgeni) Malkin, internationally (it) makes for a great story. And within the NHL, it’s wonderful. (Coach) Dan (Bylsma) and I talk about this a lot, that there are 30 teams in the League. To be among the last two teams, we said imagine that, the other team, they’re pretty good. This is the Stanley Cup Final. There’s only two teams left. We’re hoping it’s going to be a great Final for the National Hockey League, both here and internationally.”
While there are similarities between the Oilers and Penguins, there are differences too – the chief of them being the Oilers were blown out in ’83 and swept out of the series. Last season, the Red Wings jumped out to a two-game lead and then the teams split the next four with Detroit winning the whole thing in six games. Due to that fact the Penguins will do everything they can to win either Game 1 or Game 2, should they accomplish at least a split, their confidence will be sky high. Pittsburgh also has to hope Malkin can have a better series than he did last year when he was limited to three points in the six games.
“This year, we know our opponent. We’ve seen them last year, we’ve seen them a couple of times this year,” said Crosby. “Last year that wasn’t the case. There shouldn’t be any anticipation, really. We know what to do. We’ve got to go out there and do it. We’ve definitely tried to play more aggressive and with a lot of speed. I think that’s to our advantage. I don’t think that’s something we did maybe as well last year. So hopefully that’s a big difference.”
Another interesting story line is Marian Hossa. Hossa lead all scorers in the finals with three goals and seven points while with the Penguins last year. After the season, Hossa spurned a long-term contract offer from the Penguins in order to sign a one year deal with the Red Wings as he looked for a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
“Going through the summer it was a difficult decision to make. You know, it came down to two choices,” said Hossa. “I could be a good scout because I picked the two best teams right now, but to tell you the truth, it was a hard one. You know, in life you have to make hard decisions, and I chose this one. Hopefully I made the right decision.”
The health of some of Detroit’s players will play an important role in these finals. NHL MVP-candidate Pavel Datsyuk, Norris Trophy finalist Nicklas Lidstrom and top four defender Jonathan Ericsson each missed Game 5 against Chicago, but Lidstrom and Ericsson are almost certain to play in Game 1 while Datsyuk will be a game-time decision according to Detroit insiders.
“I think everybody’s ready to go,” said Detroit coach Mike Babcock. “Pavel’s going to be the only last-minute decision. Everyone else will be ready. Ericsson’s playing for sure. He just didn’t want to (skate) with the surgery he had, they didn’t want to put him on the ice today. But he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
With all the Detroit injuries, you could almost forget the Penguins have a player coming off a key injury themselves in Sergei Gonchar. Gonchar has missed time during the regular season as well as during the playoffs. Look for Detroit’s forwards to hit him often, something the Carolina Hurricanes either could not, or did not, do in the Eastern Conference finals.
People are going to focus on the Datsyuk’s, Henrik Zetterberg’s, Crosby’s, Malkin’s et al, but the crucial differences will be in goal and with the depth players. Last season, 12 players scored in the finals for Detroit compared to half of that for the Penguins.
“Star power is year after year after year. So that’s why people like Zetterberg and Datsyuk and Lidstrom and Crosby and Malkin (are stars),” said Babcock. “But I think guys can step up and really show that they’re playoff performers and guys who can bring it at the right time of year. The more depth you have, the better off you are. I think obviously we’ve been fortunate managing the cap that we’ve been able to keep good players in the minors long enough for them to grow up. You have a way better chance if you’re (Ville) Leino and if you’re Ericsson and you’re 25 than if you do if you’re 18 or 19.”
In addition to depth, goaltending is the other part of the winning equation. Marc-Andre Fleury performed well in the Finals last season and posted a 2.51 goals against average in the series. While those numbers are good, he is going to have to be better this year for his Penguins to win.
“I was talking to someone about this today. He’s (Fleury) a 23, 24-year-old goaltender that in the last three years, this is going to be his ninth playoff series, which I find incredible,” said Shero. “And to me, Marc-Andre Fleury, someone mentioned his numbers in this playoff weren’t as good as last year, but to me it doesn’t matter. He is making the timely saves, winning the games, and this is what it’s all about in the playoffs.
“Our three series to me have been really incredible. There’s been three defining moments in each series. One, in Game 2 against Philadelphia the save he made against Jeff Carter. And in Game 7 at Washington, the save on Ovechkin on the breakaway. And last series against Carolina, Eric Staal with the empty net and 30 seconds left in Game 1 to tie the game up. And he came across and made that save. Those three saves define what Marc is about. He’s about winning…he’s being battle tested and getting better.”
Fleury was good last year but Detroit’s Chris Osgood took it to a different level and was more than a goal better than Fleury with a 1.47 goals against average. Osgood posted back-to-back shutouts in Games 1 and 2 last season to set the tone for the series.
While Osgood might be the best money goaltender ever, he wasn’t earning his money in the regular season as he struggled mightily through most of the 2008-09 campaign.
“(Detroit GM Ken Holland) told me you’re going to work with (goaltender coach) Jim Bedard for three days, it was on the weekend, you’ll be practicing with the team again, but you’re not going to play for 10 days. But given the fact that we had won, I think it gave me more time to try to work my way through it,” said Osgood. “But it was good. I got a good break. (I) Got to work on some things with Jimmy and cleared my mind. It was kind of like that was my new starting point to get ready for the playoffs was that January break. It was really good. I just cleared my mind, and I just 100% on, got myself ready for the playoffs.”
Each of the teams had some fortune getting through their conference with their most difficult tests coming during the semifinals. Pittsburgh took out the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the opening round while the Red Wings swept the not-ready-for-prime time Columbus Blue Jackets. Both teams went the full seven games in the next round against Washington and Anaheim respectively before moving into the Conference Finals. In that round, the Penguins swept the Carolina Hurricanes while Detroit went five games with Chicago.
If you believe the Red Wings are going to win, you will point to their experience, the fact their injured players are likely going to be in the lineup and they are a deep club. Those who favor Pittsburgh are going to point to the Crosby-Malkin tandem, how closely they played the Red Wings last season and the play of Fleury.
It says here don’t look just to the stars alone. Generally the stars will get their points. You need to watch how the goaltenders are playing and see if the depth players are scoring. The team which can get those two factors will win, be it the new guys or the old guys. Detroit has already had their depth players step up this year and now the Penguins will need to have secondary scoring too.
“Last series (against Chicago) I thought was a good example. We had to pick each other up. That’s the beauty of the system, and it doesn’t matter if your name’s Leino or (Darren) Helm or (Derek) Meech or (Chris) Chelios,” said Babcock. “When you get the sweater on, you expect to do a job, you expect your teammates to be the best they can possibly be. Whoever dresses tomorrow that’s what we expect the same.
“You know, I think it’s been a real good opportunity. It’s been a coming-out party a little bit for a guy like Helm. I think Ericsson’s done a really good job for us at playoff time here. And someone else is going to have an opportunity on either team or other people will have an opportunity to step to the forefront in this series. To me that’s what sport is all about. That’s what makes it fun.”
Notes
Detroit will attempt to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since their 1997 and 1998 teams turned the trick.
Crosby and Malkin are treading in rare air. They are tied for the league-lead in scoring with 28 points. No player has scored more in a single playoff season since Joe Sakic scored 34 points for the 1996 Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche.
People may point to last year’s experience-gaining for the Penguins, but only nine of the players on the 2008 team are on the 2009 version of the club. Pittsburgh’s experience level has been raised, but from the outside, not necessarily from the inside. Meanwhile Detroit returned 18 of the 20 players who appeared in the finals last year. After correcting their slow regular season start, the Penguins brought in additional experience in Billy Guerin and Chris Kunitz to help them in the postseason.
“With the Billy Guerin situation, you know, we had scouted him quite a bit the last month, month and a half or so. He certainly was not at the top of his game. He was in a situation where they were more or less going with youth. He’s a veteran guy,” said Shero. “But we just felt that given the cost to acquire him (a third round draft pick) that in the hole that we had, could he rekindle the magic and enthusiasm for the game? Because we thought he could still skate. And obviously, he’s answered that question and he’s done a great job. He’s always had a winning background, no different than Ruslan Fedotenko (and) Miroslav Satan. Ruslan’s won the Cup, Miro’s been in the Final with Buffalo and Craig Adams has won a Stanley Cup.
“These guys are good people with winning backgrounds. Sometimes you’re in a situation with a team that’s going through a curve where they’re at. I think a lot has to be said for our group of leaders that we have, too, because we went through a big transition last July, and it took us a while to find our stride here this year.”
Pittsburgh rookie head coach Dan Bylsma played and was an alternate captain for Detroit coach Mike Babcock in 2002-03 when Babcock was coaching the Anaheim Ducks. If the Penguins win the series Bylsma will become the first rookie head coach to do so since Montreal’s Jean Perron achieved the honor in 1986.
“Dan played for me a couple of years, and Dan was a real important part of our team,” said Babcock. “We went to the finals with Anaheim he was a guy who was a heart-and-soul guy, a good teammate, a positive person. And he made his teammates better. After he was done playing, he was an assistant coach on our minor league team. We talked a number of times and he wanted the job in Grand Rapids.
“You know, I think we’ve talked periodically since that time. But the reason Dan’s doing a good job is not because he talked to Mike Babcock or not because he played for Andy Murray or played for me, it’s because he’s a good person. He works hard, and he has a passion for the game. Now he’s sharing that with his players.”
Contact the author at tom.schettino@prohockeynews.com
