2016 Stanley Cup Final Preview

I lost track of the second round playoff series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so I forgot to get a post in for the conference finals. Fortunately, I have plenty of time to get the Cup Final prediction in.

After the first round, we lost our last four Cup winners, as well as five of the last six, with a guarantee that we'll have a team that hasn't won a Cup since as far back as 2009. It's an interesting new matchup that, even if may not be a sexy ratings pick, is a compelling storyline and will be a series between two very, very good teams that deserve to be here.

Stanley Cup Final

San Jose Sharks (46-30-6, Beat Kings in five, beat Predators in seven, beat Blues in six) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (48-26-8, Beat Rangers in five, beat Capitals in six, beat Lightning in seven)
Teams each won 1 of 2 regular season meetings

Photo by Rocky W. Widner (NHL/Getty Images)

The Penguins have been a league darling for a decade straight now, but haven't made much postseason noise, making just their third Cup Final in that stretch and their first since they won the Cup in 2009. They take on a Sharks team that is making its first ever trip to the final round after years of missed opportunities. Pittsburgh has been fairly balanced in its scoring, with eight players recording at least 10 points through three rounds. Phil Kessel leads the team in goals (nine) and points (18), while media darling Sidney Crosby has played very well to the tune of six goals and nine assists, though he is a -2. They're getting a little thin on defense, with Trevor Daley out now, but young goaltender Matt Murray has been phenomenal with a .924 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average. On the other end, Martin Jones has played incredibly well as well, with a slightly worse save percentage (.919) but a better goals against average (2.12). San Jose's offense has been more potent, with Logan Couture (eight goals, 16 assists) and Joe Pavelski (13 goals, nine assists) leading the charge, and an excellent defensive group with only two skaters logging a negative plus/minus. Brent Burns is +8 so far, while Marc-Edouard Vlasic is a team-high +13. They're going to need to be on their game all the more against a star studded Pittsburgh attack.

My heart wants to take the Sharks here, because I can't stand the lovefest for Sidney Crosby who has done nothing in the Kane-Toews-Keith-Q Dynasty and also because they saved the black cat that scrambled onto the ice during Game 1 against Nashville and found her a forever home. My head is initially leaning Pittsburgh because Crosby and company seem to have finally figured things out after six years of playoff disappointment that had featured only one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. With their issues of defensive depth against a ferocious attack though, I'm thinking I should switch sides. It's going to be a long, hard-fought series, but at the end of the day, give me the newcomers and the debate of who Pavelski hands the Cup to first: Patrick Marleau or Joe Thornton. Sharks in seven.

Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Joe Pavelski, Sharks