Let's Have a Rematch!!

It is not very often that there is a rematch in a championship game and the last time it happened in the NHL was in 1983 and 1984 where the teams split the Stanley Cup with the Islanders winning it one year and the Oilers the other. Last year, Detroit handled the Pens winning 4-2 and during the offseason received one of the Pens' forwards.

This year is going to be a great series. Both teams are playing great hockey and working as a team. The Wings are a little banged up with some injuries and have been complaining that they didn't get enough rest before the start of the finals. The Wings do have home ice advantge and that will play a big role as they are dynamite in Joe Louis Arena.

I think that as of right now the Pens are playing better hockey. They outplayed the Canes in every game of their last series. Crosby and Malkin have this team on the right path to come away as Stanley Cup Champions this year. It is going to be a great series. The Wings are one of the best teams that hockey has seen and they have a few players that are going for their fifth Stanley Cup. The Wings by far are the veterans, but the Pens do have the experience of last year and are playing better.

It is going to be fun to see how this series rolls out and don't be surprised if it goes to 7 games. My prediction is 4-3 for the Pens. These are my two favorite teams in the NHL, but I hope that Pittsburgh wins because Detroit wins it too often. I just hope for a good series.

Are the Cavs' in Trouble?

Who would have thought that the cavs would be down 3-1 against the Magic in the Conference Finals. At most we thought 2-2, since the Cavs' were so good at home during the regular season only losing twice. The Magic have just outplayed them and out hustled them. The Cavs' have not been rebounding nor playing defense and late in the game they stand around on offense and watch LeBron do his thing.

There are a few reasons why I think the Cavs' still have a legitimate chance at winning this series. The odds are definately against them as only 8 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series., but who better than LeBron and the Cavs' to be the 9th team. It is going to be an uphill battle but it is not impossible. When you have MVP on your team and arguably the best player in the league, there is always a chance.

As for the Magic, they live and die by the three and that showed yesterday as they made 11 more three-pointers than the Cavs'. The Magic went 17-38 from three-point range shooting 44%. However, the Magic are not going shoot that well every night and that is when they lose. They are not smart enough to constantly feed Dwight Howard the ball and continue to shoot the three whether or not they are feeling it. If the Cavs' can capitalize when the Magic are not shooting well, then they could have a blowout win.

Another reason, of course is LeBron James. He has not played his best in this series so far, yeah he is scoring a lot but has had many costly turnovers late in the game. Also his teammates have not been helping him like they were during the season and their first two playoff series.

I would not count out the Cavs' just yet, all they need is one decent victory that is not on a last second shot to get their confidence back and when that happens, look out Magic. The Magic are a young team and the Cavs' have been to the Finals before, so they know what it takes to pull it out. May the best team win!!

How Sweep It Is

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing excellent Hockey and that shows with the sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes that was completed last night. The Pens outplayed them in every single game. This series really wasn't that close. The Pens outscored the Canes 20-9 on the series, with three wins by a margin of at least three goals.

There was a time this year that everyone lost hope in the Pens. They were out of the playoff race sitting in tenth place and they switched coaches about mid-way through the season. However, since then they have been playing incredible hockey and it has paid off as they now await to see who they will face in the Stanley Cup Finals.

There is a chance that we could see a repeat of last year, if Detroit were to make it. The Pens await the winner of the Detroit-Chicago series and that currently sits at 3-1 in favor of Detroit. The Pens have one of the best if not the best player in the NHL in Sidney Crosby and he has been stellar this postseason, not only scoring, but invovling his teammates. MY prediction is that the Pens win the Stanley Cup, beating the Red Wings in seven games. The Finals is going to be a great series to watch.