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The NHL has its dream matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Detroit Red Wings in what could be a Stanley Cup Finals for the ages. There are cases to be made for each team to emerge as the potential winner, but one thing is for sure: The Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP will be playing in this series.
Here's a look at the leading candidates from each team.
Detroit Red Wings
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| Chris Osgood is putting up stellar numbers after taking over from Dominik Hasek. (Getty Images) |
Chris Osgood: The veteran goalie wasn't the man when the playoffs began, but he took over from a shaky Dominik Hasek after Nashville tied the opening round at 2-2 and Detroit has never looked back. Osgood has great postseason numbers -- a league-best 1.60 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage -- although he gets a lot of help from the way the Red Wings play defense. That makes his steady, if unspectacular play easy to overlook but it shouldn't diminish the important contribution he has made for Detroit so far.
Nicklas Lidstrom: The Red Wings captain should win his sixth Norris Trophy at the end of next month, but in the meantime he has his eye on another piece of hardware to share with his team. And he's doing more than his part to help them get it. Lidstrom spends more time on the ice than any Red Wing, matches up against every opponent's top player and still puts up some of the best numbers of any defenseman. Most often, his best games are the ones when you hardly notice him. Quite simply, Lidstrom is the heart and soul of this team.
Pavel Datsyuk: He plays alongside Zetterberg and has kept pace offensively while playing an equally effective two-way game as his line mate. Datsyuk is only two points behind the overall playoff scoring leaders, and he has done much of his damage on the road where he has scored all nine of his goals. Three of them have come on the power play, which has been critical to Detroit's success so far, and while Datysuk doesn't take nearly as many faceoffs as Zetterberg, his winning percentage is almost the same.
Johan Franzen: This one's a little tricky because concussion-like symptoms have kept Franzen from playing since the opening game of the conference finals against Dallas. Even so, he still has more goals than anyone in the postseason with 12. Franzen's offense made it seem like he was shot out of a cannon over the last few weeks of the regular season, and he kept up the pace when the playoffs began, giving the Red Wings critical scoring power beyond its top line. There's no official word on when he might return, but if he does and picks up where he left off, he'll have to be considered.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby: You start any discussion about the Penguins with Crosby; when it comes to potential playoff MVPs, it is no different. Crosby is part of the mix by virtue of his numbers –- he's tied with Zetterberg for the overall scoring lead and has more assists than anyone -– but leadership intangibles have to be considered as well, especially since he is so young. Crosby, 20, does many little things on the ice that never show up in the stats. Off the ice, he absolves his teammates of a major distraction by being front and center every day when it comes to dealing with the media. That's no small matter at this pressure-filled time of year.
Marian Hossa: His coach dismissed the problems Hossa had in previous playoffs with other teams, insisting that the smooth right winger never had the right players alongside him. Hossa certainly seems comfortable with Crosby, which isn't surprising, and he's having the best postseason of his career as a result. The Penguins traded for Hossa at the deadline to add offense and he has nine goals and 10 assists, but he has shown himself to be an excellent player without the puck as well, making several key defensive plays throughout the playoffs.
Evgeni Malkin: He carried the Penguins for several months while Crosby was hurt in the regular season, and to a large extent was the offensive catalyst through Pittsburgh's first two rounds of the playoffs. Malkin ran into a bit of a wall during the conference finals against Philadelphia, leading some to suggest he was getting tired, but more likely it was the result of the Flyers pounding him at every opportunity. Still, Malkin has 19 points in 14 games and he'll be facing a far less physical team in Detroit, which should help him spike his production back up.
Marc-Andre Fleury: The knock on him is that he's young and has never risen to the occasion in big situations, even before he turned pro, but Fleury has silenced many of his critics with a brilliant postseason. Like Osgood, he gets a lot of help from the tight defensive system his team plays, but Fleury, 23, has been tested through three rounds and has passed with flying colors. He comes into the Finals leading all goalies in wins, save percentage and shutouts, and his 1.70 goals-against average is second-best.
Sergei Gonchar: He's the main man on the Penguins blue line, and one of the keys to the offensive attack because of his ability to start rushes and get the puck out of his end. Gonchar plays against other teams' top lines, kills penalties and quarterbacks the power play. Off the ice, he serves as a mentor and interpreter for Malkin. Gonchar is on the ice for nearly 24 minutes a game and is tied for second in scoring among defensemen, and most importantly plays a smart game that is disciplined enough to keep him out of the penalty box for all but six minutes in this postseason.