Wings Shutout Boston: A New Streak Begins, Kessel Debuts In Toronto, Winter Classic Tickets

Unfortunately for Boston, as one streak ends, a new one begins.

In tonight’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the B’s snapped a loss-win pattern that has plagued the club throughout their first 13 games of the 2009-10 NHL season. However, in the process, the B’s failed to score a goal, rendering them goal-less in their past 133 minutes and 58 seconds of play.

Following tonight’s display in Detroit, is the frustration officially beginning to mount in the Hub?

While the Bruins got shutout by an Original Six team for the second time in the past 72 hours, these Bruins simply don’t appear to be trying out there as a cohesive unit.

Yes, top-liners such Marc Savard and Milan Lucic are both on the long-term injured reserve, but isn’t that extra incentive for players such as David Krejci, Michael Ryder and Marco Sturm to step up?

Tonight, it was more of the same from the black and gold−which simply hasn’t been a good thing this season.

The daggers tonight came from Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom, who both scored late in the first period of the Tuesday night contest in the Motor City. Zetterberg’s powerplay goal seemingly happened instantaneously, so quickly that the VS cable crew was nearly unable to catch it on TV.

Three minutes later, and one Thomas positioning-gaffe later, and Tomas Holmstrom put the Wings up by two, which is more than what Chris Osgood needed to earn the ‘W’ tonight.

Osgood, who came into tonight’s match-up boasting a 4-2-2 record with a 3.10 goals against average, was mechanical, lucky and mechanically lucky for sixty minutes, making 29 saves and getting two lucky post-rings to secure his 50th career shutout.

For Boston, the powerplay-woes continue as the Bruins went 0 for 3 tonight with a man-advantage, worsening to 1 for 20 since being without Marc Savard in the line-up due to a broken foot.

Some good for B’s fans to take solace in is that fourth line cogs, Shawn Thornton and Steve Begin, to continue to play strong and create chances even without 6′4″ Byron Bitz out of the line-up. More good news surrounding the slumping Bruins is that since the team’s acquisition of Daniel Paille, the B’s have killed off 17 out of 18 penalties.

Warning: Phil Kessel Talk Ahead

Tonight marked the debut of Boston’s newest-villain, Phil Kessel, in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform. The formerly-loved and delightfully dangerous goal scorer, who lit the lamp 36 times in 2008-09 for Boston, who demanded/didn’t demand a trade out of Boston this off-season after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new deal.

To the joy of Boston fans, Kessel had an absolutely frustrating night tonight in his Leafs debut. In his return from major shoulder surgery over the off-season, Kessel was on the ice tonight for just under 24 minutes and had a career-high 10 shots, the end result? Zero goals, zero points, and one bone-crunching and bloody-lip inducing hit from Bolts blue-liner Mattias Ohlund. Anyone else want to go out and buy an Ohlund shirt?

Also, honestly what was penalty worthy about that hit? Nothing dirty there, just keep your head up, Ke$$el.

Oh Phil, how Boston will feed off your misery.

Who Got Winter Classic Tickets? Oh Yeah, That’s Right, This Guy!

Honestly, this process was a lot easier than I expected for those of you who have yet to purchase your seats. However, it was still a little questionable to me.

After logging in using my private password and username, I selected the option of “Best Available”. The results weren’t not what I expected. While I knew seats atop the Green Monster, in the left-field grandstands and in the Pavilion Club would be gone, I didn’t expect what I got back.

Two seats, right field grandstand 3, row 13. The view? Here. The price? 225.00 dollars per seat. Errrr, what? For a near-outfield-bleacher view, I simply wasn’t paying this price. I instead opted for seats along the right field line, in right-field box 93, row 7 for 125.00 dollars per seat. My only hope is that I’m not behind Pesky’s Pole.

What’s Next?

On Thursday night in Boston, it’ll be the 700th meeting between the Boston Bruins and the hated Montreal Canadiens. Both Boston and Montreal are coming off losses on Tuesday night. The Canadiens shouldstart Jaroslav Halak for this match-up against the team that eliminated them from the 2009 Playoffs, considering the absolute disaster of a start Carey Price has had to the 2009-10 season. Halak is 5-2-0 with a 2.85 goals against average on the season and has clearly outplayed Price thus far (then again, that hasn’t been hard).

Follow me on Twitter, folks.

Ty

Odd Manny Out: Where Will Fernandez Sign?

For Bruins netminder Manny Fernandez, the 2008-09 season was a renaissance of sorts. No, he didn't win the Vezina, play in the playoffs or be a consistent starter (due in large part to the spectacular play of Tim Thomas). However, what Fernandez did do was revitalize the idea of a future in the NHL.

Coming off a disasterous 2007-08 campaign where Fernandez played in just 4 games, going 2-2-0 with a 3.93 GAA before injuring his knee during practice. The knee, an injury that nagged the butterfly goalie in Minnesota would go on the keep Fernandez out of the Bruins next 73 games of the season. To put it simply, 2008-09 was in all likelihood Manny's last chance to put together a strong season if he had hopes for another contract in the National Hockey League.

Fernandez answered the call in 2008-09, putting together a solid season inbetween the iron for the Bruins, going 16-8-3 with a .910 SV%. Fernandez's best stretch for the black and gold came in November through December. In these two months, as the Bruins were on a tear Fernandez posted a 12-1-0 record with a 1.47 GAA.

Despite the success in 2008, Fernandez was unable to post stats on par with that into the second leg of the season in 2009. In 2009, Manny went 4-6-2 and was held to limited ice time due to a nagging back injury and Thomas' Vezina-worthy play. However, with Fernandez currently still among a vast sea of free agent goaltenders, where will Manny be playing in 2009-10?

One thing's for sure, it won't be Boston. After another year of seasoning in Providence, it's officially Tuukka Time (to ride the bench) in the Hub of Hockey. Rask is coming off yet another successful season for the Baby B's. In two seasons with Providence, Rask boasts a 60-33-6 record with five shut-out's and a .910 SV%. If Tuukka flops in this contract year, the Bruins have Dany Sabourin waiting in the wings down in Providence on a two-way contract.

As the Fernandez era draws to a close in Boston, what seems next for the 35 year old?

Recently, rumors have ran rampant about Fernandez signing a deal with the Montreal Canadiens. This rumor was generated largely because of the report that Fernandez was buying a home in Montreal. Despite this rumor's emergence, Fernandez is a Canada native and it's entirely possible he just enjoys the city of Montreal. However, an idea that gives this rumor some possible validity is the idea that Montreal is willing to send Tomas Plekanec along with back-up netminder Jaroslav Halak to San Jose in exchange for number one center Patrick Marleau.

Speaking of everyone's favorite northern California team, the San Jose Sharks are a team who could also use the services of Manny Fernandez as an insurance option to Sharks M.V.P Evgeni Nabokov. Although Nabokov has averaged 67 games in between the iron for the Sharks, one would think the lack of success in the playoffs has left Sharks GM Doug Murray contemplating whether or not more rest for Nabokov would be better for the Sharks come April, May and hopefully for them, June. If so, the Sharks best bet may not be to rely on Thomas Greiss in the event of an injury to Nabby, who currently has just three games of NHL experience under his belt, where he's gone 0-1-1 and has allowed 7 goals in 50 shots.

After Montreal and San Jose, a possible option for Fernandez may reside in Detroit. Considering the departure of Ty Conklin to St. Louis and Detroit's love of experienced NHL goaltenders, Fernandez could possibly be an option to ride the pine and fill in for Chris Osgood when needed. However, the age of both Fernandez and Osgood could play a factor in durability, a potentially large issue for the defending champions of the Western Conference.

A dark horse in Manny's search may be the Los Angeles Kings. While the Kings appear to have their man of the future in Jonathan Quick, a veteran such as Fernandez could be a positive mentor to the 23 year old goalie who nearly snuck the Kings into the playoffs.

Wherever he goes, Manny Fernandez is sure to provide a solid spot as a netminder who could easily play 20 to 30 games at a highly competitive level for a playoff caliber team. Given his injury history it's near impossible that Fernandez can be a full time starter for any NHL club. Given the rather barren market and dwindling cap space, it is very likely that Fernandez could be had on the cheap and as it currently stands he is perhaps the best available goalie still on the market considering the struggles of both Manny Legace and Olaf Kolzig in 2008-09.




While he may not have an NHL team yet, it appears as if Manny Fernandez landed a job doing commercials to get his name out there for potential suitors. (No, it's not really Mandez in the commercial, although this goaltender does sport a number 35 on his jersey).

Chelios Wants To Play, But Can He?

Earlier this week, 47 year old defensemen Chris Chelios was told by the Red Wings front office that they were moving on and not re-signing the 25 year NHL veteran. Despite Detroit's move, the Chicago native says he still wants to play in the NHL. He went on to say he'd even prefer to play in the Eastern Conference to avoid the rigorous travels of the Western Conference. By his comments, we all know he wants to play, but does he still have enough in the tank to be a worthy signing for an Eastern Conference team?

Yes, he's a veteran, yes he's one of the best defensemen in the last 25 years (heck, the guy's played 25 years) but does his body have enough in the tank to withstand a 26th NHL season? The numbers don't favor Chelios' chances as in 28 games with the Red Wings he registered a grand total of zero points and finished with a +1. Although Chelios hasn't been a major point contributor like he once when you consider that he's yet to register over 39 points in a season since the 21st century but the concern with his zero points is valid for another reason.

During the 28 games that Chelios was in the line-up for, Detroit's offense was absolutely on fire. They scored 5 or more goals in 8 of those 28 games Chelios participated in including 2 6-goal efforts and a mammoth 8 goal explosion against Edmonton, and he was still held off the board? Jeremy Roenick may have tried to stir the Detroit pot when he came out and said Chelios never plays due to Wings bench boss Mike Babcock's 'disliking of North American players', but the Habs 2nd round draft choice in 1981 may just have lost it.

In 2007-08, in 69 games for the Wings, Chelios had 12 points but was held off the scoreboard in the Detroit's 2008 Stanley Cup Championship run. Cheli was held to a smaller role in the 08-09 campaign, and an even smaller role in the 2009 Playoffs, when he honestly looked out of sync and winded by the pace of play. By no means am I suggesting that Chelios' know-how wouldn't help a team such as Boston or Pittsburgh, but the days of playing more than 40 games may simply be behind the American blue-liner.

In recent years, the NHL has become a very youth-filled sport and shows no signs of slowing down. For Chelios to make an impression with any team, he's going to need to prove himself in a club's training camp and even then, nothing will be guaranteed for the player who'll turn 48 in January. Chelios, it's been nice, but it's time to move on from the playing days. Sure, there are playoff teams such as the Rangers, Capitals and Flyers among others that could use a veteran defensive defensemen on their blue-line to help their youth, but chances are it won't be you.

Perhaps it's time to make the switch from the press box in a suit to behind a bench in a suit as an assistant coach somewhere will be a good move for Chris Chelios, but I have a feeling that somehow, someway, this guy will end up fighting for a spot on an NHL club's roster in September.

Picture Note: I don't know what's funnier, the kid's sign which reads "Time To Retire Chelios", or the fact that the kid is wearing a Georges Laraque jersey.

Bruins, Datsyuk Look To Hit Jackpot In Vegas

It's been just 6 days since the Pittsburgh Penguins won their 3rd Stanley Cup in franchise history when they beat the Detroit Red Wings in a phenomenal Game 7. The NHL off-season moves fast, and sometimes too fast when you look where we already are: the eve of the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas. 2009 marks the first time that the award ceremony has been moved from the annual location in downtown Toronto to the City of Sin. The 2009 Awards Ceremony has also put the limelight on new and interesting faces on the rise in the NHL.

The race for the Calder Memorial Trophy was led by one amazing goaltender out of Columbus, Steve Mason. The 21 year old 'tender out of Oakville, Ontario went 33-20-7 with a 2.29 GAA and a league leading 10 shut-outs. Opposing Mason for the Calder are wingers Bobby Ryan and Kris Versteeg. Versteeg, who was obtained from Boston in a 2006-07 (now regrettable) trade where the Bruins acquired just Brandon Bochenski in exchange for Versteeg has had a more than solid season for the 'Hawks. Versteeg scored 22 goals along with 31 assists and finished with a +15 in his first full NHL season. In Anaheim, the potential of the Ducks 2005 first round selection is just beginning to become reality as Bobby Ryan put together an incredibly strong season despite his journey beginning in the AHL. Ryan went on to score 31 goals in just 64 games for Anaheim and became a serious power-play weapon for the Ducks push to the playoffs. Despite the note-worthy playoff performances of both Versteeg and Ryan, you can't look at the numbers Mason posted as a rookie and not be impressed. When all is said and done, Steve Mason will join the likes of Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito as Calder Trophy-winning goaltenders. My Pick: Steve Mason.

The Nicklas Lidstrom Memorial Trophy, I mean the James Norris Memorial Trophy is given to the NHL player who demonstrates the best play as a blue-liner. Lidstrom, a 6-time winner of the Norris has dominated the competition to say the least, however this year's race may be the tightest Lidstrom has ever competed in. Attempting to knock Lidstrom down are two Eastern Conference defensemen; Capitals d-man and mohawk fan Mike Green and Boston captain Zdeno Chara. Along with setting a new NHL record for the hardest slap-shot during the All-Star Weekend in Montreal, Chara is coming off a strong season where he finished with 50 points and a +23. In Washington, Green set an NHL record when he scored in 8 consecutive games for the Capitals and finished with 31 goals, including 18 powerplay tallies. Despite the reputation of Lidstrom and Green's offensive talent, this trophy's heading back to Boston as Zdeno Chara will join the likes of legendary Boston defensemen such as Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque as he'll bring home the Norris. My Pick: Zdeno Chara.

The Lady Byng Trophy, named after the wife of at-the-time Canada General Governor is awarded to the player who expresses the most "gentlemanly" conduct in the game. This year's nominee's are Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Devils winger Zach Parise and Tampa's Marty St. Louis. My Pick: Zach Parise

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is simply put, the NHL's perseverance award. Cancer survivors such as Jason Blake, Phil Kessel and Saku Koivu have all taken the trophy home in recent years and the awarding of the Trophy is in my opinion, a two-man race. Despite the longevity of Chris Chelios' career, he really wasn't plagued by any injuries or had to over-come anything to find himself in the press box for 44 games this season. This brings it down to Steve Sullivan of the Nashville Predators and Richard Zednik, who both came back from serious injuries to return to the game they love. Sullivan was forced to miss all the 2007-08 campaign due to major back surgery and his return to Nashville was more than welcome this year as he registered 32 points in 41 games for the Preds. Then there's Richard Zednik, who's life was in considerable danger last year when he caught a skate in the jugular and needed to be rushed to a local hospital. My Pick: Steve Sullivan.

The Vezina Trophy is in easy terms: the ultimate award for a goaltender in the National Hockey League. When Martin Brodeur went down in November, the chase for the Vezina blew open. Emerging from this pack as a front runner and favorite was Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Thomas went 36-11-7 and led the NHL in both GAA and SV%. Opposing him is Columbus phenom Steve Mason (33-20-7) and Wild netminder Niklas Backstrom (37-24-8). Despite Backstrom's anchoring of the Wild and Mason's NHL-leading 10 shutout's, this one's all Thomas. My Pick: Tim Thomas.

The Lester B. Pearson trophy goes towards the NHL player who is considered "most outstanding" by the members of the National Hockey League Players Association. The nominee's are Pittsburgh Penguins and Mrs. Malkin's soup junkie Evgeni Malkin, Caps winger Alex Ovechkin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk. For me, the choice is simple. Malkin's numbers are just undeniable. My Pick: Evgeni Malkin.

The Jack Adams Trophy is the NHL's form of a Coach of the Year award. This year's nominee's include Sharks coach Todd McLellan, Bruins coach Claude Julien and Blues bench-boss Andy Murray. McLellan coached the San Jose Sharks to their President's Trophy in their 18 year history and were seemingly favorites to capture the Stanley Cup but failed to get by the 8th seeded Anaheim Ducks in the 1st round. In Julien's two years with the Bruins, he's brought them from 13th to 8th, and then from 8th to 1st and has done nothing but help the development and get the full potential out of players such as David Krejci, Phil Kessel, Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas. Behind bench in St. Louis, Murray worked wonders with essentially nothing. The Blues lost their best defensemen Erik Johnson before the season even began and lost top winger Paul Kariya in the first leg of the season but somehow found a way to sneak into the NHL Playoffs with a team effort. My Pick: Andy Murray.

The NHL Foundation Award recognizes the charity efforts of players within their community. This year's nominees are Columbus captain Rick Nash, Kings forward Dustin Brown and Habs leading goal scorer Alex Kovalev. My Pick: Alex Kovalev.

The Frank Selke Trophy is awarded to the forward who excels in the defensive aspects of the game and this year's nominees include two fresh faces: Flyers captain Mike Richards and Canucks center Ryan Kesler. While these two emerging forwards in the NHL look to capture their first Selke, current holder Pavel Datsyuk is looking to bring home the trophy for a 2nd straight season. My Pick: Pavel Datsyuk.

Undoubtedly, the biggest trophy at tonight's festivities in Vegas is the Hart Memorial Trophy. The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player voted to be the most valuable to his team and this year's contest includes three Russian superstars. Defending the Hart Trophy is current holder Alexander Ovechkin who is coming off yet another strong season in the nation's capital where he scored 109 points in 79 games. Opposing him is 2nd time nominee Pens superstar Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk. Despite the strong season of both Datsyuk and Malkin, they are under nearly as much pressure as A.O due to their supporting cast. Ovechkin is without a doubt, the most valuable player to the Washington Capitals and in my opinion, the NHL. My Pick: Alexander Ovechkin.

The T.A.B.B. 2009 Playoff Awards

For all, the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs drew to a close of extremes. Either you loved every second of Sidney Crosby hoisting the Cup in Detroit due to your respect for the Pens captain or for your incredible disdain for Detroit's recent dominance over the NHL. On the other hand, you could have hated seeing the Pens capture the Cup due to your disliking of Crosby (much like myself) and the entire Pittsburgh Penguins team. Fact is, whether it was a bitter, sweet or a bittersweet ending to the playoffs, you can't say it wasn't entertaining. With another year in the books, it's time to hand out the non-conventional awards of the playoffs invented by yours truly.

The Worst Playoff Slogan: "The Beard is Back" - Detroit Red Wings.

- Like, really? "The Beard is Back"? The beard never left when you consider that Detroit hasn't missed the playoffs since the 1989-90 season. A word for the Detroit Red Wing P.R staff, do your research before making another dumb slogan.

The Best Playoff Slogan: "We Want It" - Boston Bruins.

- Okay, maybe I'm being a homer here. In all seriousness though, the simplicity is there and clear as day. The Bruins wanted it, the fans wanted it, ownership wanted it and the city of Boston wanted it. However, thanks to Scott Walker and the rest of the Carolina Hurricanes, they'll have to want it more next year, and so on and so forth until they get it.

The 'OMG' Moment: The Fall of Marty - New Jersey Devils Game 7

- On March 17th, Devils goaltender and President of the Sean Avery Haters Club Marty Brodeur passed Patrick Roy's NHL record of 551 wins with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite Brodeur's 15+ years of dismantling opponents, he simply couldn't hold off the Carolina Hurricanes in the closing minutes of Game 7. The Devils were penciling themselves in for a date with the Washington Capitals in the 2nd round when disaster struck. With just 1:20 left in the 3rd period, Jussi Jokinen struck again when he scored the game-tying goal. Then, the unthinkable happen when Eric Staal slipped one by the ten-time All-Star with just 32 seconds left in regulation to secure a win and advancement to the 2nd round for the 'Canes.

The Joe Thornton Award: Jeff Carter - Philadelphia Flyers.

- The Joe Thornton Award is given to the player who plays very strongly in the regular season but then disappears when the pressure's on. For this 'honor', the choice is simple: Jeff Carter of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyer's sniper finished with a career high 46 goals, good for 2nd in the NHL behind Alexander Ovechkin. Then, when it came time for the Flyers to avenge their 2008 Conference Finals loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers number one scoring threat was nowhere to be found. Carter finished with just 1 goal and a -2 in their 6 game series loss.

The Ulf Samuelsson Trophy: Scott Walker - Carolina Hurricanes.

- The Ulf Samuelsson Trophy, is an award intended for the cheap shot of the Playoffs. Now, close runner up honors for this "award" go to Donald Brashear's hit on Blair Betts and Michael Cammalleri's punch to the head of Martin Havlat, both notable cheap-shot's of the 1st round. However, the honor goes to Mr. Walker who's punch to Aaron Ward's face went unsuspended and inevitably put Scott in position to finish the Bruins season in Game 7's overtime period.

The All Guts Award: Mike Richards - Philadelphia Flyers, Sergei Gonchar - Pittsburgh Penguins and Phil Kessel - Boston Bruins.

- This award goes for the guys who put their physical pain aside and still were more than able to compete at a high level of play. Richards competed at a high level and registered 5 points in 6 games..in true captain fashion with two torn shoulders. Sergei Gonchar, injured in a questionable hit by Alexander Ovechkin missed just two games and was an offensive leader on the Penguins blueline with his 14 points in 22 games despite playing through a torn MCL in his knee. Phil Kessel, the Bruins best pure goal-scorer earns honors for this award with his strong post-season play through a torn rotator cuff and hip injury.

The Worst Playoff Beard: Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins and Jonathan Toews - Chicago Blackhawks.
- Alright, I know these guys are young but seriously? Crosby's pirate 'stache would leave even Captain Hook insulted. Toews, can we get some gravy with those 'chops? C'mon Peter Pans, get real...you guys looked like the 8th graders who forced facial hair upon themselves in feeble attempts to land the good looking girls.

The Best Playoff Beard: Erik Cole - Carolina Hurricanes

- Seriously, this guy had the thickest beard of anyone..even in the 2nd round. The dark-ness of the beard truly made the 'Canes winger a weirdo with a beard-o.

The Irony Award: Marian Hossa vs. Pittsburgh

- In all honesty, this was one of the reasons why I found myself rooting for the Penguins at times. I love the continuing torment of Marian Hossa by the Hockey God's above. The irony of Hossa's statement made upon signing with the Red Wings of "When I compared the two teams, I felt like I would have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit.". Oh, the irony.

The Player Who's Stock Doubled In The Playoffs Trophy: The Sedins - Vancouver Canucks

- Every one's presumed 2 for 1 deal continued their 2008-09 strong regular season play into the playoffs where they each registered 10 points in 10 games. The Swedish twins both proved themselves more than capable offensive weapons and were lethal on Vancouver's powerplay. Their estimated July 1st pay-day has undoubtedly increased with their strong performance. Whether the Sedins will end up moving to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or even Atlanta has yet to be determined.

The 'Who The Heck Is That?" Award: Jonas Hiller - Anaheim Ducks

- Undoubtedly, the biggest surprise of the 2009 Playoffs was the man in between the iron for the Anaheim Ducks, a 27-year old Swiss goaltender. Jonas Hiller, a career back-up to J.S Giguere was given the task of stopping the NHL-best San Jose Sharks, which he did. Then, Hiller was given the task of stopping the Detroit Red Wings, something he almost did. Overall, Hiller finished with a 7-5-1 record with a 2.23 GAA. His play has also put the Ducks in position to trade away Giguere and make room for Hiller to take over as the full-time starter in Anaheim.

Now come's the fun part, the NHL draft and the beginning of free agency are just weeks away.

Datsyuk's Return Spells End For Pens

Alert the mayor, this one's over.

Despite not being officially eliminated after their 5-0 beatdown by the Detroit Red Wings, the Pittsburgh Penguins are simply over matched by the depth and experience of the Motor City. Now, with the return of Detroit's top center Pavel Datsyuk, the Penguins officially find themselves with no room for error. It's undoubtedly a tough reality to grasp for Penguins hopefuls and fans, but simply put, it's inevitable. Fact is, this team's not winning the Stanley Cup if their inability to play their game outside of the Mellon Arena continues. The Pens were completely out-hustled and worked by the elder Red Wings for 60 minutes at the Joe Louis Arena, for the 3rd time out of 3 visits to Motown.

For the Red Wings, the return of Datsyuk into the line-up and more importantly the powerplay was the difference maker in their Game 5 demolition of Marc-Andre Fleury. Despite gingerly skating on his injured foot during the pregame skate, the Russian center proved to be effective as ever. In his 17+ minutes of ice time Datsyuk didn't miss a beat, picking up a pair of assists including a great feed to Brian Rafalski on the powerplay to increase the Red Wings lead to 4-0.

In what has become typical Detroit-fashion, the Wings systemically destroyed the Penguins and exploited their youth throughout all three periods of Saturday night's tilt at the Joe. The Wings got the Penguins frustrated early and often, a tactic which led to 9 powerplay opportunities for the Red Wings. The Red Wings took advantage of this, scoring 3 straight powerplay goals in the 2nd period, putting themselves up 5-0 on the Penguins and leading to the exit of Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh net.

As a confidence-less Fleury headed down the runway and back to the Pittsburgh locker room, the doubts of Pens Nation grew. The rumored fatigue of the Red Wings is gone; they're back, and they smell blood.

The Penguins defenders were unable to stop the one-footed Datsyuk and Wings, as they often resorted to swinging their sticks blinding from their knees in a feeble attempt to stop the Wings roaring offense. The series swings back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the same setting where the Penguins felt their initial dream of bringing their 3rd Cup to the city of Pittsburgh crushed by Chris Osgood and the Red Wings.

It's not written in stone that the Penguins will not pull off the upset and capture the Stanley Cup, however, the continuing failures at the Joe Louis Arena are creating massive clouds of doubt among NHL fans worldwide, including myself. M.A Fleury has created the image of the Joe being his House of Horrors much like Tim Thomas' was seemingly tormented by the Bell Centre during his first few years in Boston. Fleury's record in Detroit during the past two Stanley Cup's is anything but flattering as he's gone just 1-4 with a GAA just under 3 and a .906 SV%. Fleury's only win came in 2008 Stanley Cup's epic Game 5 where the Penguins survived the Red Wings to avoid elimination with a win in the 3rd overtime.

Now with 2 days for both teams to rest their surely sore bodies, the Penguins have two options before their eyes: regain their confidence and believe that they can top this team or lose once again in front of their home crowd. Despite the added noise and spark the Igloo White-out will provide, the Red Wings are just too strong on their special teams with the return of Pavel Datsyuk. As Nicklas Lidstrom and the rest of the Red Wings will raise their 2nd Cup in as many years we'll learn that Hossa was right, he did have a better chance in Detroit because the Pens are simply done.

Motor City vs. The 'Burgh: Part II

"When I compared the two teams, I felt like I would have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit.". These now famous words were said by 2008's free agency top prize Marian Hossa following his signing of a one year, 7.45 million dollar deal with the Detroit Red Wings. The second team mentioned by Hossa is of course, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

During the 2008 trading deadline, Penguins GM Ray Shero took the monumental risk of trading away Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, top prospect Angelo Esposito and a 1st round draft pick to the Thrashers for Marian Hossa along with Pascal Dupuis. When the Penguins pulled the trigger to land the Slovakian winger, the goal was simple: win the Stanley Cup, now. Hossa's signing gave at-the-time Penguins coach Michel Therrien a legitimate sniper to play wing along captain Sidney Crosby.

Hossa's tenure as a Penguin didn't start off well as in the 1st period of his debut against Boston, Hossa suffered a lower body injury that caused him to miss 6 games. However, Hossa finished the regular season strong, registering 10 points in 12 games with Pittsburgh. His strong play continued into the Penguins push for their first Stanley Cup in 16 years, as Hossa led the Penguins in goals scored and was second to Sidney Crosby in point totals. Despite the winger's strong performance, it simply wasn't enough to top the NHL best Detroit Red Wings. As Hossa sat against the boards in disbelief along with the city of Pittsburgh following his inability to put the puck past Chris Osgood in the closing seconds of Game 6, the rumblings and concerns of his future immediately grew.

As free agency rapidly approached, Penguins GM Ray Shero found himself unable to reach an agreement to a long-term deal with Marian Hossa. Despite the Pens offering of a reported 7 year deal worth 50 million dollars, Hossa had elected to hit the free agency market. On July 1st, rumors ran rampant all over North America from Boston's rumored 77-million dollar total contract to Edmonton's 9-million a season contract but Hossa still had not accepted any of these reported offers. Then, the surprising and crushing news to every Pittsburgh fan broke: Hossa had opted to become a Red Wing. Yes, the same Red Wings that had just beat the Pittsburgh Penguins just a little less than a month ago.

Outrage was a light way to put it as a Penguins fan; it was pure salt in a still open wound. Hossa had kicked the Penguins to the curb, essentially stating their inferior chances of winning a Stanley Cup when compared to the Detroit Red Wings. It's been 335 days since Hossa traded a black-and-gold 18 for a red-and-white 81, but Penguin fans have surely not forgotten. Despite the possible underlying bitterness residing within Pens Nation, they have reason to be happy. First off, their team's back in the Finals and secondly, their failure to re-sign Hossa has surely made more fiscal sense for the Igloo's inhabitants.

When comparing these two combatants, their season's had undoubtedly taken different paths in route to the Stanley Cup. Detroit's easy ride through the regular season and Playoffs have come as no surprise, while Pittsburgh's rollercoaster season has led them back to the same stadium and in the same setting as they were a year ago. The mid-season firing of Michel Therrien has worked wonders for the 'Burgh, as Dan Bylsma has completely changed the mindset of the Penguins. At the deadline, the Pens added depth at the wings through acquisitions for veteran Bill Guerin and 29 year old Chris Kunitz. Whereas the Red Wings have once again relied on their post-season experience and know-how in their quest for the franchise's 12th Stanley Cup.

Despite the addition of Marian Hossa, I'm going to have to give the edge to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hossa's production and offensive capabilities have been replaced by the new found depth of the Penguins, as the 'new' guys on the Penguins such as Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz and even Ruslan Fedotenko have all provided the offensive upside the Penguins supposedly lost with the departure of Marian. Simply put, the Detroit Red Wings have cruised through the 2009 NHL Playoffs against teams that lack playoff experience. They steamrolled the Columbus Blue Jackets in 4 games, followed that up with a 6 game series win over Anaheim and a 5 game series win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The common factor with the Red Wings opponents throughout the course of their Western Conference dismantling? Inexperienced playoff goaltenders.

Marc-Andre Fluery, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby all gained valuable Playoff experience in their 2007-08 run for the Cup. Now, Pittsburgh's big three are a year older, more mature, hungry and ready to take on the wounded Wings. The Red Wings head into Game 1 with a battered captain in Nicklas Lidstrom and will possibly be without top-point man, number one center and powerplay machine Pavel Datsyuk for the start of the series. Despite the depth and experience of Detroit, Hossa's words will come back to bite him as the Penguins will raise their 3rd Stanley Cup banner to the rafters of the Igloo.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games.