I think Ross McKeon sums this up well...
Once we get to the Pittsburgh-Detroit matchup, it?s not even as close as last year?s, which wasn?t as close as a six-game series might suggest.
The Red Wings are just that much better. And nothing illustrates that point more than removing one of the Penguins? top supporting players ? veteran scorer Marian Hossa(notes) ? and adding him to the Detroit roster. How unfair is that?
But it goes much deeper.
On defense, the Wings have finally figured a way to get Jonathan Ericsson(notes) into the top six and limit minutes for Chris Chelios(notes) and Andreas Lilja(notes). Yes, Lilja is injured, but Ericsson is a better option than Lilja or Chelios, even if it has taken longer than it should for this alignment to become a reality.
Detroit?s forwards are better than a year ago, too. No one is surprised anymore when Johan Franzen(notes), Daniel Cleary(notes) or Valtteri Filppula(notes) contributes offensively. Darren Helm(notes) and Ville Leino(notes) add speed and skill that a Draper or Darren McCarty(notes) never had. Sure, we know all about the importance of the Drapers and McCartys, but there?s enough toughness throughout the lineup to make up for a couple of stalwarts.
Chris Osgood(notes) deserves better in terms of what is written and said about him. But even if he?s not regarded as an elite goaltender, he is trusted by his teammates, and that goes a long way this time of the year. He also never seems to face a barrage that could affect a goalie?s psyche. The Red Wings just don?t let that happen.
Then there are the Pens. Crosby and Malkin are eating the Eastern Conference alive again. But neither has faced an opponent that can bring it physically. Guess what? That?s what Detroit can do, even though few talk about the Red Wings in that respect. And when we say bring it physically, it?s not so much as the highlight-reel hits as how hard Detroit makes it to win pucks, keep possession and gain the important areas of ice.
The Penguins don?t have Ryan Whitney(notes), Ryan Malone(notes), Gary Roberts(notes), Jarkko Ruutu(notes), Daryl Sydor, Petr Sykora(notes), Adam Hall(notes) and Hossa. In their place are Bill Guerin(notes), Chris Kunitz(notes), Ruslan Fedotenko(notes), Matt Cooke(notes), Miroslav Satan(notes), Craig Adams(notes), Kris Letang(notes) and Mark Eaton(notes).
It can be argued which supporting cast is better, last year?s or this. It can?t be argued that there?s something to say about stability and familiarity, especially when it?s a proven winner. And while all that works in Detroit?s favor, more of the same isn?t a good thing for the NHL.
I think the other point delusional Eastern Conference advocates don't want to talk about, which is a much bigger issue than Wings v Pens is the fact that the Eastern Conference, as a whole, plays a style of hockey that is simply crushed by the devotion to defense and forechecking that the West, by and large, plays. Detroit isn't just better then Pittsburgh, so is Anaheim and San Jose and maybe even Chicago.
You want to know what Malkin and Crosby put up such great numbers in the playoffs? Part of it is that they're elite players, no doubt. But another large part of it is the up-and-down, "let's beat em 5 goals to 4" style of hockey the east plays. Look no further then the top DEFENSIVE defensemen they faced in each round. The best was probably Mike Green, aka Paul "Fourth Forward" Coffey, Jr. He is not a lock-down defenseman. Philly had Jamie Coburn and Carolina had Joe Corvo. Think about that. In 2 of the 3 rounds they played, the best defensemen on the team were Jamie Coburn and Joe Corvo. Do either of those guys even crack the top 6 for Detroit? Until the Eastern conference decide to play defense-first "playoff hockey" they're always going to be the more entertaining bracket, but ultimately the losing one 9 years out of 10.
