Well, well, well, look what we have here. All this gold in the Stanley Cup Finals, pretty fancy. There are going to be a variety of match-ups from the dot out. I think it's going to be a great series because each team has had players step up to win big games. Honestly, Chris Kunitz pulled a Kelly Olynyck and delivered a huge game for the Pens to get to the big dance, I don't think anyone saw that one coming, just like Colton Sissons getting a hat trick.
Something that will probably come up when one underperforms (or dumps the other into the boards) is the Neal-Hornqvist trade. Keep in mind this wasn't a straight swap, the Pens also got the Palmerston native Nick Spaling in the trade. The Pens seems to have won that deal: Hornqvist's hasn't lowered his production rate, and Neal hasn't been anywhere near 80 points, or the Stanley Cup, since the trade.
Defensively speaking, Nashville has a clear edge. I'd take Roman Josi over any of the blue-liners on Pittsburgh. The Pens' D does have experience, the core won the year before, however, Kris Letang is on the shelf, so Dumoulin, Cole, Maatta, Hainsey and Daley are going to have to step it up because Nashville terrorises the offensive zone when they're done by one in the third. The Pens are lacking an X-factor on defence as well: PK Subban and Co are capable of delivering on the powerplay and jumping in even-strength.
Letang's injury isn't a big deal considering how Pittsburgh has made it through the East without him. Ryan Johanson played in 14 playoff games (scoring 13 points) and now is out with a leg injury. This is a big hole for the Preds to fill with their committee. Colton Sissons didn't seem to mind though. Can he contribute consistently though for the next four to seven games? Forsberg and Arvidsson are hoping so.
Pittsburgh has a committee as well but, it would be comparable to the "committee" of scorers on the Golden State Warriors. Hockey is a completely different game from basketball, but having better players than the other team results in the same outcome. Evgeni Malkin can own the ice when he wants to. Phil Kessel is an amazing player despite all his sad-faced memes. Nick Bonino and Bryan Rust just score when it counts. Sid the Kid seems like an unstoppable force now that his concussion symptoms are gone.
Two years ago, Jonathan Toews was the best player to have in the playoffs because he had 3 rings in 6 years and did everything. Now, Sidney Crosby is that guy. Even though he's a barely minus player this year and last in the playoffs, he isn't playing regular shifts with stars or even experienced players and makes them look great. It's the Kevin Stevens theory: put a regular guy on a line with Mario Lemieux and-- Boom!-- over 100 points from someone who rarely got 40 before and after. Sherry and Guentzel are more offensively minded than Kevin Stevens, but Jake Guentzel wouldn't have blown off the doors into the playoffs if he was on a line with a B+ centre. Kudos to Sid for bringing the youth movement along in Pittsburgh.
Nashville is going to be playing match-ups the whole series, they have to capitalise on mismatches and contain Pittsburgh's two offensive lines. That will happen as much during the game as it does between the whistles. Nashville's blue-collar approach to the game is going to make this series interesting. There's a whole bunch of gritty players on the roster and if any of them can get under Crosby or Malkin's skin it gives them an edge mentally, and that's what can decide a game sometimes.
A goalie still has more impact on a game as a whole than one person's collectedness. Fatigue sets in for everyone; however, the way Matt Murray timed his injury he won't be as tired as Pekka Rinne. Rinne has never made it this far into the playoffs but is putting up a 1.70 GAA and has a 0.941 save percentage which is leaps and bounds better than his stats from Nashville's previous playoff runs. He's keeping Nashville in tight games and there will be at least four more. It seems like Matt Murray has ice in his veins, his stats are better than a year before (although the sample size is much smaller) I don't think he'll have a sophomore slump.
On paper, Pittsburgh is the clear favourite based of their offensive prowess. Yet, there's something in the back of my mind that makes me think that Nashville can steal this: the city has rallied around their team and they're confident, even after squeaking into the playoffs as the 16th seed, they've proven everyone wrong so far. This will be a series I watch fervently: the grit, the talent, the potential for an upset, it's a great matchup.
I predict the series will be back and forth series with a lot of close games: Penguins in 7.
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