The StatMan  

The Conference Finals have already come and gone, but we have a record of Heather and my picks in the Conference Finals below.  We are also going to break the picks for the Stanley Cup Final right here on this blog since we ran out of time on the show.

The Conference Finals saw the Red Wings take on the upstart Chicago Blackhawks in the Western final while the Pittsburgh Penguins was trying to get past a pesky Carolina Hurricanes club in the Eastern final.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Detroit vs. Chicago >>> DETROIT IN SIX

Chicago was too young to be scared and made it through to this point.  Well, they also used timely goal scoring and a great home crowd to propel them this far.  I want Chicago to keep moving on, so I'll do what I did in the first two rounds: pick against them.  Detroit is looking for a repeat win in the Stanley Cup and they have only gained momentum in this year's playoffs.  Detroit won an easy series in the first round against Columbus and won a rough-and-tough series with the rock-'em-sock-'em Ducks in the second round.  They can play (and beat you) any way you want.  1-0?  5-4?  2 PIM?  30 PIM?  They can do it.  And, they will this time, too.
Heather's prediction: CHICAGO IN SEVEN

Post-Mortem: Detroit won the series in five.  Detroit won it because of two reasons: Chicago realized where they were and Detroit sent a big message to the Hawks in the person of Niklas Kronwall pasting Martin Havlat in Game 3.  Kronwall was given the gate for the hit, which, in retrospect, may not have deserved even a minor penalty.  Havlat was clearly not the same after that.  He did not return in Game 3 after he was hit about 14 minutes into the first period.  Havlat played 7:59 in Game 4 and was noticeably absent in Game 5.  Meanwhile, Kronwall averaged over 25 minutes a game and chipped in with two assists and a plus-2 rating in Game 4.  However, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Kris Draper have been hampered by injuries and that can hurt them down the road.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
Pittsburgh vs. Carolina >>> PENGUINS IN SIX
The Carolina Hurricanes have been the type of team that seems to have destiny on its side.  The late-game, late-series heroics are quickly becoming the stuff of legend and Cam Ward and Eric Staal, their narrators.  Cam Ward enters the series with a 23-14 career playoff record and Eric Staal is 4-0 in Game Sevens.  The first two series for Carolina went the full boat, with the Canes prevailing on the road against New Jersey and Boston.  So, with Carolina, destiny could strike again.  Pittsburgh wants their destiny to be a repeat visit to the Stanley Cup Finals and perhaps a chance to right a wrong from last June.  Sidney Crosby and the emergence of Evgeni Malkin are at the fore-front, but the supporting cast is better this year with Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz.
Heather's pick: PENGUINS IN SIX

Post-Mortem: Pittsburgh swept the series in four games.  Either Carolina ran out of gas or Pittsburgh can taste the Cup.  It is probably both.  Pittsburgh outscored Carolina, 20-9, and suddenly, Cam Ward's playoff season stats look pedestrian: 8-10, 2.67 GAA.  But, the .915 save percentage tells more of the story of how Carolina got this far.  In this series, too much Crosby (2-5-7) and too much Malkin (3-6-9).  There are two sides to the Pittsburgh success story.  Yes, they scored 20 goals, but Marc-Andre Fleury stopped the puck from going into his net, saving 109 out of 118 shots (.924 save percentage) and had a goals against average of 2.25 for the series.

STANLEY CUP FINAL
Detroit vs. Pittsburgh >>> PITTSBURGH IN SEVEN
Detroit and Pittsburgh are at it again with everything on the line.  This is the first rematch between Stanley Cup finalists since 1983-84, when the New York Islanders' "Drive For Five" ended in defeat to the Edmonton Oilers.  The Oilers lost to the Isles in the previous season to give the Islanders four Cups in four years.  Detroit is going for a repeat, trying to become the first team to win two in a row since the...Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.  Pittsburgh was the last team before Detroit to sip champagne from the Cup in consecutive seasons (1991, 1992).  The Islanders-Oilers matchup holds some water because the Oilers were the young team learning from the masters in the Islanders.  If this year's Final follows that blueprint, which I think it will, the upstarts will force a changing of the guard in the NHL.  The Penguins are the Oilers and the Red Wings are the Islanders.  Look for Crosby and Malkin & Co. to learn from last year and win it this year.  Around the league, Chris Osgood was just a good goaltender on a great team.  But, Detroit fans know better.  Since Ozzie took over for Dominik Hasek in Game 4 of last year's first round series against Nashville, Osgood has gone 26-8 with a 1.79 GAA, a .927 save percentage, and four shutouts.  Sounds like he's better than good.
Heather's pick: PITTSBURGH IN SIX