Wednesday’s question of the day: What two teams will play in this season’s Stanley Cup Finals?
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Reporters from around the Tribune family tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they are wrong. Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times
Hollywood loves sequels for their familiarity and box-office lure. The NHL saw the value in sequels last season when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in a seven-game Stanley Cup final that generated splendid storylines and solid TV ratings (for hockey, anyway).
The problem with movie sequels is that the original idea often gets diluted. Not in the NHL, where Penguins-Red Wings Part II had a different and more dramatic finish. Get ready for son of the son of Red Wings-Penguins, a sequel hockey fans would welcome.
The Blackhawks are the trendy pick in the West but lack proven goaltending and muscle on defense. The Flyers are the sexy pick in the East after adding Chris Pronger but their goaltending is questionable. Same for the Capitals. The Penguins have the youth to get through another grind and the talent to repeat. The Red Wings should gain life from an influx of young talent. Give it a thumbs up.
Ron Fritz, Baltimore Sun
This is a time when one trade helped both teams, and because of it they will face each other in the Stanley Cup Finals. When the Philadelphia Flyers ponied up Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and draft picks for Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks, it instantly put two teams who were close to the finals over the top.
Lupul (25 goals) and Saku Koivu (50 points) join Teemu Selanne to give the Ducks a strong second scoring line. Pronger immediately makes the Flyers better defensively, which should help the goaltending, where reclamation project Ray Emery gets a second chance. The Flyers have lacked a big, crease-clearing defenseman for years, and their goalies were exposed. Not even Bernie Parent could have saved them. Pronger brings nastiness and experience.
The Flyers or Ducks will be drinking from the Cup.
Steve Gorten, South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Canucks and Capitals will meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, and NHL fans will get a chance to see two of the league’s superstars -- goalie Roberto Luongo and winger Alexander Ovechkin -- go head to head.
Yes, the Canucks face a daunting 14-game road trip because of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but they have tons of talent with the Sedin twins back after signing long-term deals and boast arguably the deepest blue line in the league.
The Capitals are ready to take the next step after giving eventual Stanley Cup champ Pittsburgh all it could handle in last season’s playoffs. Goaltending is a question mark, as it was last year, but the Capitals have more than enough offensive firepower to compensate for that.