Well after six weeks of playoff hockey, the NHL probably got the best match-up it could’ve wished for in the Stanley Cup Finals as the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins will go head-to-head for the right to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. This series has the potential to be one for the ages, as it pits two high-octane offenses against each other but also two solid blue line corps and goaltenders playing at the top of their respective games. Both teams are well balanced throughout and that is why this scribe is predicting a seven game series.

When one thinks of either team, offense naturally comes to mind, and why not? The Penguins sport the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa, while the Red Wings have Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. But while the aforementioned offensive superstars have played huge roles in each team’s success this spring, they haven’t been the only reasons that each team is still standing. In fact, Detroit and Pittsburgh are probably playing some of the best all-around hockey these eyes have seen in a long time.

With a defense that could claim Chris Chelios as the No.5 defenseman at times, everyone knew how deep Detroit was in that department, and they have lived up to the hype allowing only 23.6 shots-against throughout the postseason. But after this lambasting by Penguins Head Coach Michel Therrien shortly after he took over as Head Coach in Pittsburgh, who would've imagined that the Penguins would be thriving off a suffocating trap?

Well, Therrien and his defense have come a long way from that day. The Penguins are only allowing 27.9 shots a game and once they have a lead, they’ve looked like the Devils' dynasties, incorporating a trap and frustrating their opponents into submission.

Between the pipes, both teams have gotten amazing performances and some might say even surprising. Many questioned Marc Andre Fleury’s ability to handle the workload of being a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL and also pressure situations like the playoffs. But after battling an ankle injury all season, Fleury came back with a vengeance in the playoffs, going 12-2 with a 1.70 goals-against average, .938 save-percentage and three shutouts. On the other side of the rink, Chris Osgood simply filled in for an embattled Dominick Hasek in the first round, won eight straight, and is now 10-2 with a 1.60 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.

Now, many will point to the fact that Osgood doesn’t face many quality chances because of Detroit’s defense and while that may be true, he has on almost all occasions stopped the chances he has faced. So while that could be an x-factor, the belief here is that experience and coaching will win out in the end and in both categories, Mike Babcock and the Wings have the edge over Therrien and the Penguins. This will be a dandy but the Cup will be back in HockeyTown this summer, as the Red Wings will win a classic series in seven games. Let the octopi fly!