NHL Stanley Cup Finals Preview
At the beginning of the season, I predicted that the Stanley Cup Finals would be between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Seven months later, here we are and the Stanley Cup Finals will be between Nashville and Pittsburgh.
The Penguins are looking to repeat as champions. It hasn't happened since the Detroit Red Wings repeated in 1997 and 1998.
The Predators defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in 4 games, the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks in 6 games. The Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in 5 games, the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators in 7 games.
Pekka Rinne (12-4 record with a 1.70 GAA and a ,941 save percentage along with 2 shutouts) or Ryan Ellis (4 goals 7 assists) will win the Conn Symthe if Nashville wins the cup.
Sidney Crosby (7 goals 13 assists) or Evgeni Malkin (7 goals 17 assists) will win the Conn Symthe if Pittsburgh wins the cup.
Possible X-Factors: Nashville: Colton Sissons and Mattias Ekhokm. Pittsburgh: Conor Sheary and Trevor Daley.
(WC2) Nashville Predators vs (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins: Both teams like to play a transition game, but they do it in different ways. Nashville likes to generate offense from their defense and Pittsburgh like to generate offense from their top lines. Nashville will be tough through the neutral zone, but Pittsburgh will find a way to be tough once again. If Pekka Rinne struggles, they have no one to turn to, but if Matt Murray struggles, they could turn to Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins are used to big time games and this is the Predators first go around in the finals. Coaching will also be a key in this series. This is the first time in the Stanley Cup Finals that two-American born coaches will be squaring off against one another. Peter Laviolette (NSH) and Mike Sullivan (PIT) are the coaches. At the end of the day, experience matters. The pick: Pittsburgh in 6.
