Three rounds and 14 series have all come down to this. Only two teams remain in the battle for the greatest trophy in all of sports. Even though my emotional investment vanished a month ago, I've still be curious to see how the postseason would unfold, and here we are. The Stanley Cup Final. One final time this year, let's take a look at the matchup.
Nashville Predators (beat Anaheim Ducks in six) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (beat Ottawa Senators in seven)
Teams split season series 1-1
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| Photo by Frederick Breedon (Getty Images) |
The Penguins are still pretty decimated by injuries, as they remain without top defenseman Kris Letang, but it hasn't mattered. Marc-Andre Fleury got shelled in one of the games against Ottawa, where Matt Murray came in and did well in relief to help seal the Eastern Conference title for the Pens. With a lot of guys contributing scoring, the Penguins are going to be tough to beat, but they're going to have to go up against a fantastic upstart team in the Predators. Pekka Rinne has been fantastic all postseason long and will probably win the Conn Smythe Trophy if Nashville goes on to win, but he's had a good amount of offense in front of him. The problem is that center Ryan Johansen will be gone, though the return of captain Mike Fisher will help mitigate that loss. At the end of the day though, I think the Penguins have more overall talent, and they're the defending champs. Combine that with the fact that
the Predators are the most classless organization in the National Hockey League, and any good will I may have had toward P.K. Subban and company is gone. Even if it means the Sidney Crosby-led Penguins will do something the Kane-Toews-Keith Hawks haven't done in repeat as champions, I'll take it if it means the Predators and their fans have to watch Crosby lift a cup in Nashville.
Penguins in six.
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