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It’s déjà-vu for the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The teams faced each other last year in the Stanley Cup finals, and this year, they are doing it again. The series promises to be different from last year’s, though; the Penguins don’t look as if they’re going to accept any more schooling from the veteran Detroit team.

The Red Wings managed to grab an easy 2-0 lead in last year’s finals before the Penguins were able to regain their feet, leaving Pittsburgh scrambling to catch up. Their rematch this year harkens back to the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers-New York Islanders series in the Stanley Cup finals. In 1983, the youthful but talented Oilers, headed by Wayne Gretzky, were trumped by the experienced Islanders. The next year, however, the Oilers returned to the postseason – and to the final playoffs against their older rivals – a hardened and wizened team. They soundly defeated New York, and the next years would belong to Gretzky and his Edmonton team.

The parallels are obvious.

The Pittsburgh Penguins: a young team boasting incredible talent, coming back after last season’s loss. The Detroit Red Wings: veteran players, defending champions but playing a weakened team.

The series may be a long one, but if history proves any guide, the Penguins may be geared for a Stanley Cup win.

Both teams have had strong seasons. They have each swept one series – the Wings taking the Blue Jackets and the Penguins the Carolina Canes. Each has faced strong adversaries. Each has prevailed over both injuries and a 7-game series.

Each lays claim to solid netminding. The Wings’ Chris Osgood and the Penguins’ Marc-Andre Fleury have earned their positions as last goalies standing. Osgood made 30 saves in Game 5, entering the game with a 2.14 goal saving average, second in the league, while Fleury has repeatedly proven himself able to recover from bad goals.

But Detroit is missing key players in its lineup while the Penguins are proving themselves this season’s offensive juggernauts.

The Wings players missing from Detroit’s pivotal Game 5 against the Chicago Blackhawks included Hart trophy nominee Pavel Datsyuk, six-time Norris trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Kopecky, and Kris Draper, while Jonathan Ericsson scratched after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

The players have only a few short days to heal for Game 1 of the series on Saturday.

The Penguins, on the other hand, are bringing the season’s top offensive players in the forms of Sidney Crosby and Evgenie Malkin. Both have matured since last year’s finals and, since Game 2 against the Washington Capitals, have been able to unite their attacks. These two have a combined point total of 56 – 28 each – with Crosby making 2 goals and 5 assists in the last series, and Malkin making 6 goals, 3 assists.

Nor is the rest of the Penguins lineup lacking. With strong, fast forwards like Tyler Kennedy, Chris Kunitz, Jordan Staal, and Maxime Talbot, Pittsburgh may very well wear out the Wings’ four remaining defensemen (Brett Lebda, Niklas Kronwall, Brian Rafalski, and Brad Stuart).

The Wings may have depth – players such as Johan Franzen (who is at the fore of the team with 10 goals), Daniel Cleary, Valtteri Filppula, and Darren Helm have made important contributions – but without Lidstrom, the Wings might find themselves overwhelmed.

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Game 2 of the Nuggets-Lakers series brought a shirt drenching reversal of fortunes. The game was everything basketball fans scream for – at least, in the second half. In some ways, Game 2 was a reflection of Game 1: one team grabbed an easy lead in the first half before the other team claimed the victory in the last seconds. The big difference was the winners. On Thursday, an exhausted but victorious team stumbled to the Denver locker room while the Lakers fled the court.

The Nuggets won Game 2 with 106 points against the Lakers’ 103 points.

The Nuggets did more than prove themselves serious contenders in what looks to be a long series; they were able to end a 24-year long playoff loss – made up of 11 consecutive games – against the Lakers. And they did it in the last 29 seconds of the fourth quarter.

Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant’s Olympic teammate from last summer, proved the superstar of the evening. He made 34 points and 9 rebounds, becoming the first Denver player since 1976 to score over 30 points in 5 straight playoff games. But Melo did more than play great offense; he seemed the only Denver player that was able to limit Bryant, managing to prevent 4 buckets of 6 attempts when one-on-one. His teammates, however, gave Bryant 16 points on 8-for-14 shooting.

Nevertheless, the Nuggets performance was a brought about by an overall effort. Chauncey Billups added a heavy 27 points, while Linas Kleiza added 16. In fact, Kleiza’s 16 and 8 made up about 80% of Denver’s bench points. Nene had 6 points but managed 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

On the home team, Kobe Bryant had 32 points and made 10 of 10 free throws, while Trevor Ariza added 20 points in a playoff career-high and Pau Gasol made 17 with 17 rebounds.

The first half of the game saw both teams playing a sluggish game, though the Lakers managed a 14 point lead early in the second quarter. The Nuggets responded, making 16 of the quarter’s final 20 points, with Anthony making 14 in a row.

Then, moments before halftime, Billups made a play that stunned the Lakers and must have left his teammates cackling. He bounced the ball off of Kobe Bryant’s back, caught it, and used it to score on a layup.

Whether it was due to Anthony’s performance or Billups’ jab, the second quarter seemed to turn the tide. The Nuggets went back into their locker room one point behind the Lakers, at 55-54.

Much of the second half of the game was spent head-to-head. Anthony made a jumper, tying the game at 56 as the building seemed to hold its collective breath. Trevor Ariza drove for the basket and managed 7 points; the Nuggets countered with the “Birdman” Chris Anderson, who interrupted Derek Fisher’s layup and managed to add his own 7 points.

The tension arrived in the last seconds of the fourth quarter. With less than a minute to go, the score was tied at 101 after Bryant’s jumper. Kenyon Martin scored on a layup with passes from Billups and Nene, giving the Nuggets the lead.

Bryant lost the ball on the Lakers’ next possession. Billups made three of four final free throws, missing one and ending the Nuggets’ 17 consecutive foul shouts. Nevertheless, it was enough for a 3 point lead that Bryant, with heavy guarding from Anthony, was unable to overcome. The ball ended up in Fisher’s hands, and he was unable to make a final 3 pointer from the right corner through Nene.

The game ended, and the Lakers lost.

The Nuggets recovered from their loss in Game 1 and staked out their victory in Game 2. No longer does the series seem a walk in the park for the Lakers, who had projected a future game with the Cleveland Cavaliers, pitting Bryant against budding superstar and NBA MVP LeBron James.

“It ain’t just going to be us and Orlando lay down so [Bryant and James] can play in two weeks,” the Nuggets’ Martin said. “That ain’t going to happen. I’m going to make sure it don’t. Y’all can go home and play NBA Live or something like that if y’all want to see that matchup. We’re going to have something to say about it.”