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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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The Anaheim Ducks entered into the NHL postseason as the undisputed underdogs. Their regular season had a rocky beginning, and only a dramatic recovery at the end of the season pushed them into the Stanley Cup playoffs in the eighth seed.

Their opponents: fellow Californians and top-seeded San Jose Sharks. The Sharks were the undisputed top team in the league for the Western Conference. They entered the playoffs already bearing the President’s Trophy and had only lost 5 home games during the regular season. The series playoffs began in their home territory, in San Jose.

Many predicted that the series would be challenging for the Sharks, who had a strong team but who lacked significant playoff experience. Those predictions have rung terribly true for the Sharks; the team has already lost its first two games in the playoff series against Anaheim. Now tongues wag, and there are whispers that San Jose is continuing its long tradition – six of the last eight playoff games – of dropping out of the postseason in a hurry.

But the Sharks haven’t yet lost hope. “It’s not like we’ve been spanked and we’ve got our tail between our legs,” San Jose Coach Tod McLellan stated. “We play the same way, do the same things, create the same number of chances, eventually it’ll go in for us, and we’ll continue on.”

After the loss in Game 1, McLellan changed his lines, breaking up top scorers Joe Thornton and captain Patrick Marleau. He had Thornton skate with Jeremy Roenick and Jonathon Cheechoo at the top while Marleau moved back to the middle. Both Clowe and Cheechoo scored, but it’s not clear that the goals came as a result of team effort rather than outstanding individual effort.

The Ducks, on the other hand, benefited from an excellent overall effort, a combination of postseason experience, skill, and simple luck. Their first goal – and the first goal in Sunday’s game – came less than 4 minutes into the first period. The Ducks had only seconds left on a power play when their young forward, Bobby Ryan, bounced the puck off of Sharks goaltender Evgenie Nabokov’s goalpost. Ryan then leapt over the prone Nabokov in order to shoot the puck into the net.

Early in the second period, Ryan Clowe was able to score the Sharks’ first goal in 174 minutes of playoff time. The score raised San Jose’s scoring chances and Anaheim Coach Randy Carlyle called time-out a few minutes later. Anaheim was unable to score in the second period; and even worse, the Ducks continued with penalties – Chris Pronger committed two fouls in that period alone.

With a 17-3 shot advantage in the second period, San Jose was slowed only by Anaheim’s stalwart goaltender, Joseph Hiller. Hiller made 42 saves on Sunday, and although the Swiss player has no previous playoff experience, he is a veteran from the Swiss League and the world championships. He has posed a major challenge to the Sharks in the first two games in the series.

Ten minutes into the third period, rookie Andrew Ebbett was able to break the tie, scoring his first career playoff goal. Ebbett deflected the puck off of Nabokov’s playoff pad after Teemu Selanne sped behind the Sharks’ defense and fired the puck into the net, setting Ebbett’s play in motion.

Just minutes later, Drew Miller scored again for the Ducks on a rebound goal. There were less than 7 minutes left to play and the Ducks were ahead 3-1. Seconds later, however, Cheechoo managed to shove past Anaheim’s defense to score. The Sharks kept the pressure on, and Christian Erhoff even hit the post with just over two minutes left to play, but the Ducks were able to keep control of the puck in most of the final minute.

The game ended 3-2, Ducks.

Since 1994, an eighth seed has defeated a top seed seven times. To keep the Ducks off of that list, San Jose must win four of the next five games, two of which will be in Anaheim. Another early playoffs loss would be a devastating blow to a team with a President’s Trophy and a 117-point season. The next game will be on Tuesday.

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Predictions for the Eastern Conference, First Round

The NHL’s playoff season has finally arrived, with the First Round of playoffs beginning Wednesday, April 15. The matchups this season have been extraordinary, and some promise grueling matches—and rematches—between rivaling teams.

We at Instant Action Sports want to help hockey fans gain insight into the ins and outs of the games this season, so we’ve done our research and compiled the picks from top-notch hockey experts and bloggers, including those from ESPN, NBC, The New York Times, Bleacher Report, the Daily Gazette, and our own staff here at Instant Action.

#1 Boston vs. #8 Montreal

Boston and Montreal face off again in the First Round of the Eastern Conference. The teams were matched last year but their roles were reversed; the Canadiens in the first seed and ultimately won 7 games.

But Boston’s fortunes have changed. Now in the first seed, the Bruins have enjoyed a winning streak this season—with an 8-2 run, they almost claimed the President’s Cup. Tim Thomas’ .933 save percentage is no small boon, nor is Zdeno Chara, who, at 6’9,” is a monster of a defenseman. With an outstanding offensive and defensive team, the Bruins prospects are good.

Montreal, in contrast, was unable to live up to its success last year. A combination of high expectations and a coaching controversy—Guy Carbonneau was fired after coaching for three seasons—brought down its game. The team dropped 8 seeds and barely made it into the playoffs; with only 93 points, the Canadiens only made it because of a tiebreaker with Florida. On the other hand, the team has won 24 of 31 playoff series.

The overwhelming consensus, however, goes to Boston.

#2 Washington vs. #7 NY Rangers

The Capitals and the Rangers played their first game Wednesday night, with the Rangers ahead 4-3. The win must have come as a surprise to the experts, because the consensus went with Washington. The power of a strong goalie can never be underestimated, and in the person of Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have got one. Lundqvist made an astonishing 32 saves last night, with only a few sliding by him.

One win, however, doesn’t spell victory. Although the Rangers recouped in the second period, they had a rather shaky first. The Capitals boast strong talent, with Alex Ovechkin, who leads the league in goals for the second consecutive season and takes second for overall scoring, and Mike Green, a defenseman who enjoys some 31 goals already this season.

Rangers coach John Tortorella seemed to aim for penalty kills and power plays. “Our power play is going to have to score for us to stay in there,” he said. Washington came out successful on that round. After intermission, the Rangers were able to get in “some lucky shots,” Green explains.

How lucky will they be next time?

#3New Jersey vs. #6 Carolina

Opening Wednesday night, the game between the New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Canes continues a long playoff rivalry. It is the fourth time that New Jersey and Carolina have met in the post season in the past 8 years. The overall outcome is yet uncertain, but the Devils dominated the Canes in a 4-1 victory.

The easy win may come as a surprise. New Jersey had a slow season this year, winning only four of their eleven games—although it entered the playoffs on a winning streak. The Devils relied on goalie Mark Brodeur, who performed well in the playoff game though he was out much of the season due to elbow surgery. They also have a strong top line, and in the first period outshot the Canes 15-7—though their efforts didn’t meet with success until Carolina goalie Cam Ward began making mistakes.

The Hurricanes entered the playoffs as one of the Eastern Conference’s hottest teams. Ward has a .931 save percentage, and Eric Staal led Carolina in a 9-game winning streak. But the team just lacked energy in this first game. Matt Cullen, Carolina’s center, remains hopeful. “We know we have to have a better effort, and fortunately, there is better hockey in this room.”

If the Hurricanes regain their energy, this playoff series may be a close call between New Jersey and Carolina.

#4 Pittsburgh vs. #5 Philidelphia

The Pittsburgh Penguins enjoyed a one-sided victory over the Philidelphia Flyers in the opening game. The game ended 4-1, almost a reenactment of last year’s playoff game.

The Penguins have done well for themselves this season, clawing their way to the 4th seed in the playoffs. They have a strong top line, anchored by Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, and of course, Sidney Crosby, as well as a top goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury. They’ve also won 18 games in 24 since February 15, when Dan Bylsma took over as coach.

The Flyers have six players that have made 25 plus goals—tops in the NHL—but have won only 3 of their last eight games. They suffered in their first playoff game from mistakes—the first of which was losing to the Rangers Sunday and so losing a chance to have Wednesday’s game at home. They made some carelesspenalties, and were unable to gain the momentum they needed to fight the Penguins’ pressure.

Though the Flyers enjoy some support from the critics, the majority point to the Penguins as the winners this season.

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