Cup Final Rematch: Penguins and Red Wings - Part I

First of all, my apologies for being silent since late last week. I was out of town for 4 days and more preoccupied than I could handle. As it was, the Boys took care of their busines on the road Saturday against the Islanders thanks to big efforts from Tyler Kennedy, Jordan Staal and backup netminder Dany Sabourin.

It was especially good to see Kennedy pop in a few more and Staal show the more confident form of his rookie year on his goal. Of course, it never hurts to have houdini hiding pucks in his pads while going over the goalline on your opponent's final shootout attempt, either.

Enough about beating the sad-sack Islanders.

The focus tonight belongs on those cup-mongrels in Detroit, who the Penguins face tonight at 7:30 PM EST for the first time since the Red Wings beat them for the Stanley Cup on Igloo ice.

Of course, the big storyline in this game for most people surrounds RW Marion Hossa, who jumped ship on the Penguins after losing in the final to take less money so he could play for the Red Wings, a team who, in his estimation, has a better chance of winning the Cup than Pittsburgh.

F-Hossa.

Miroslav Satan has just as many goals as #81 for the Red Wings this season.

Surprisingly, Detroit has had a little trouble on defense this year. They haven't played as tight in their own zone as they usually do. Detroit coach Mike Babcock even benched one of their defenseman recently -- either Lebda or Lilja. I always get them confused.

Anyway, the Red Wings are allowing 3.08 goals per game -- just about in the bottom third of the league. The Penguins, meanwhile, allow only 2.50 per game. They sit around the top third of the league.

All of Detroit's struggles this year have added up to a miserable 9-2-2 record. The Penguins, also looking for consistency, sit just behind them at 8-4-2, 5 points behind the division leading New York Rangers with a whopping 4 games in hand already.

In order to keep their winning streak going, the Penguins are going to have to bring their hard hats and bring their wheels. We all know how the Red Wings can skate. It will be important to stay with them, and try to be physical without going to the box.

What I wouldn't do to see NHL hits leader Brooks Orpik dish out some free Candy on Hossa.

It also would help to get a top performance from center Sidney Crosby. Crosby is still battling an ongoing hip problem, and has struggled to score this year with only 3 goals. A nice 3-4 point performance on the road would go a long way towards victory tonight, and would make a statement in game most of the NHL will be watching.

Recap tomorrow ....