Red Wings/Penguins Game 7 Showdown

The time is almost upon us and no one is more excited than I as the hockey world prepares for the 15^th game seven in Stanley Cup Finals history. All of the hype over the past few days will culminate it what we hope will be one of the best nights of hockey in recent memory and perhaps one of the best games in all of sports history. That remains to be seen of course but one thing we know for sure is that the Stanley Cup WILL be hoisted tonight and if that isn’t enough to get you charged up then you simply don’t like hockey.  The fans, players, coaches, and media are all ready to go so the electricity inside Joe Louis Arena at the drop of the puck should be extraordinary.

So who will be victorious tonight and raise the Stanley Cup? Many think Detroit is the easy pick having home-ice advantage and experience on their side from having been here time and time again including last year over these very Pittsburgh Penguins. Detroit will also get last change so they expect to continue to hassle Crosby and Malkin at every turn frustrating them from the start of play until the final whistle. However, tonight’s X-factor is the third line of the Penguins with Staal, Kennedy, and Cooke. They have played very well at home providing great energy and both goals for Pittsburgh in game six. The biggest advantage for them is that Detroit likes to match-up against every line man-for-man and as a result of that the Penguins third line disrupts that order. For the most part this series the Penguins third line has got the best of Detroit even managing to frustrate them a few times. The top players are going to play well no matter what but when it comes down to it Pittsburgh’s third line has an edge over Detroit’s third line. So will all the emotion flowing through the Joe tonight it is the third line of the Penguins that will be the difference in them WINNING THE STANLEY CUP. I picked Pittsburgh to win at the outset of this series and I will not back away from that now. Detroit has a lot going for them tonight but it won’t be enough as the Pittsburgh Penguins will hoist the Stanley Cup for the third time in team history and first time since 1992.

Whether you’re a fan of Pittsburgh, Detroit, or just a fan of hockey generally tonight should be an exciting and memorable night; for no matter what happens it should be a great not for hockey. Enjoy the game everyone!