Faceoff Factor

Penguins Will Be "Winging" It Against Detroit

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

May 19, 11:10 PM | Hype this story!

It may not have been the matchup selected by the Faceoff Factor crew, but it was the one that seemed most probable.

After losing their previous two, the Detroit Red Wings finished off the Dallas Stars in impressive — though not “Pittsburgh impressive” — fashion, setting the stage for what has the makings of being one of the most exciting Stanley Cup Finals in years.

On the surface, the teams appear to be mirror images of each other: both have high-powered offenses and neither likes to give up goals.

But age is the big difference.

The Red Wings, while not old by any means, have much more experience than the “peach fuzz” Penguins, who are one of the younger teams in the league.

It may even be a passing of the torch, so-to-speak, with regards to a team that has been dominant over the years and a team that is sure to be dominant in the coming years.

Regardless of the conjured-up stories that surely will show up in the media, on message boards and on blogs (including this one), what makes this series somewhat interesting is that the Penguins and Red Wings have not yet played each other in the 2007-08 campaign.

There are no previous experiences to call upon. There is no record between the teams to help with predictions.

What we have is a fresh series that will feature two teams that, despite film, really don’t know much about one another.

In a sense, both teams will be winging it (pardon the poor pun) for the first period, or maybe the entire first game.

But once the teams get comfortable, look out. We’re in for a treat.

Faceoff Factor will kick off Stanley Cup coverage beginning tomorrow, with predictions, previews, commentaries, news and much more. And, as always, we will be looking to reader contributions through our comments sections.