According to some experts, the casual fan may see the teams and the results so far as being virtually the same. However, those die hard hockey lovers see some differences in the teams and the situation that may lead to different results to this Stanley Cup playoff.

The Penguin’s Sid Crosby has become a scoring machine in the postseason. He has 14 goals in 17 games, and leads any scorer in the 2009 playoffs, a distinct change from last year’s performance.

He’s put out some pretty incredible effort to earn these goals, too. They haven’t been just rebounds in the crease. A couple he pulled out of the air and batted them into the net, and he’s found new ways to get to the net, not just he standard lanes.

With the Red Wings, looking to Marian Hossa  was a nice addition to the team that didn’t really lose any of their top name players. This addition, besides weakening Pittsburg, also opened things up for Detroit. They could split Zetterberg and Datsyuk, and play Valtteri Filppula, a player that would be a #2 center on most other teams, down to the #3 center spot. Talking about depth – as usually, Detriot has it.

The Penguin’s team, has also changed in the look of the defense. Because of injuries and adjustments, the Penguins now frequently play one forward down and seven defensemen. This lineup means their top two offense players, Malkin and Crosby, are often on with the fourth line wingers.

With the help of the beefed up defense, this has meant increased scoring and additional threats from lines that in the past might have been overlooked. It strengthens the team down the middle, freeing the wings on both offense and defense to take advantage of opportunities opened up by their strong center. It’s made a difference in the Stanley Cup playoffs so far this year, will it continue?

The Wings, on the other hand, entered the Stanley Cup playoff season with a renewed netminder Chris Osgood. Although the first half of the season was such a struggle that he was pulled from net by GM Ken Holland, sent on a hiatus from the team.

While he admits he didn’t have the right focus coming into the season, he is mentally back and ready to go. He’s back to the winning style that carried him last season, and looks like he’ll take it through the Stanley Cup Playoff in 2009 as well.

While it’s hard to say if there’s still as much of a gap between the Penguins and the Wings as there was last year, there are some things on each team that bring a slightly different flavor to the same Stanley Cup fare we were served in 2008.

The question is, will such variations in seasoning matter if the dessert lands in Detroit?

Photo Credits: Hawk Eyes

Originally posted 2009-06-04 05:42:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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