NHL Stanley Cup Final

It's taken a month and a half, but the Eastern and Western Conferences have dwindled themselves down to one representative for this years NHL Stanley Cup Final.

From the East, the Ottawa Senators. Lead by the deadly line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Danny Heatley, the Senators took down the best of the competition in the East and barely broke a sweat. None of the three series (Penguins, Devils, Sabres) went more than 5 games. They have played solid and smart in front of goaltender Ray Emery, who in turn has made the big save when needed.


Coming out of the West, the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks fought through the West, downing the Wild, Canucks, and Red Wings. Offensively, they have seen a consistent contribution from the all the members of the top 3 lines. In between the pipes, Giguere has played strong since returning late in the first round, posting a .930 Save Percentage.

The series should be a hard fought matchup. Both teams are play very smart hockey on both sides of the ice and have faired well on special teams. Of the two, the Ducks are by-far the more physical, which could become a factor. The Senators haven't run into a team as physical as the Ducks in the playoffs. Also working against the Senators is their reliance on the first line for scoring. If the Ducks could shut down Ottawa's top line, they could tilt the ice in their favor.

This should be a great Stanley Cup series and I'm picking the boys from Anaheim in 6.

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (2)

The complaint around the sports world in March was the lack of upsets in the early rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Of course the upside of which was the meeting of the giants in the later rounds of the tournament. Likewise, the Western Conference didn't see any huge upsets in the first few round. However we are rewarded with what has the potential to be the most exciting series of the entire post season.

The Red Wings came into the post season with the number one seed in the West, but after last years disappointment, facing questions about whether or not they were for real this year. Answering these questions, they overcame Kiprusoff and the Flames in the first round, and the San Jose Sharks in the second. While they haven't been able to open up games on the offensive side, they have played solidly in front of goaltender Dominik Hasek, who has allowed only 19 goals in 12 games.

With the pair of Ilya Bryzgalov and J.S. Giguere between the pipes, the second seed Anaheim Ducks have made quick work of defeating the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks. Much like the Red Wings, the Ducks offensive talent has not created a scoring frenzy this post season. However, with their defensive play, the Ducks have dominated low scoring games.

I can see this being a long low scoring series, with multiple overtime games. I picked the Ducks for the Cup to start the season, and I'm sticking by them. Anaheim in 7.

Anaheim Ducks (2) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)

The Ducks worked through a first round match-up with the Minnesota Wild, disposing of them in 5 games. Backup goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov stepped up to task winning 3 of 4 after being thrust into the starting role. Jean-Sebastian Giguere returned to win game 5 and clinch the series. Chris Pronger is a blue line threat, with 2 goals and 4 assists, and the Ducks powerplay is hot, coverting of 5 of 19 attempts against the Wild.

The Canucks edged out the Dallas Stars in a 7 game goaltenders duel, and are entering the second round on only a days rest. Roberto Luongo has played solid in the net, but Vancouver's forwards are going to have to step up and create more scoring oppurtunities.

Luongo is the most dominate goaltender in the Western Conference, but the Stars don't have the offensive force to give him enough room to win the series for them. The Canucks may steal a couple on Luongo's play alone, but this series is the Ducks in 6.

Anaheim Ducks (2) vs. Minnesota Wild (7)

The Anaheim Ducks became instant contenders last off-season when they picked up Chris Pronger, teaming him with Scott Neidermayer to create the most talented defense in the league. The Minnesota Wild have been a dark horse in the West for the past few years, and are constantly one of the best coached teams in the league. This year's playoffs are packed with great first round match ups.

The Wild finished 7th in the West, largely due to their top star Marion Gaborik missing extensive time during the regular season. With Gaborik healthy and playing well, a few goals could keep the Wild in this series.

Goaltending is a question in Minnesota. Backstrom has been thrust into the starting role, and played like he doesn't want to lose it. The Ducks Giguere became a household name with his dominant playoff play, Backstrom would like to do the same.

Jacques Lemaire gets everything out of the Wild, but the Anaheim Ducks are just too talented through their lineup to make this early of an exit. I'm picking the Ducks in 5.