2008 Playoffs: Recapping The Conference Finals

After a pair of series that at one point both looked to be heading towards sweeps, we now have our Stanley Cup finalists. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be taking on the Detroit Red Wings for the right to lift hockey's holy grail. Before we get into breaking down the Finals, let's take one last look at how both teams got there.

Pittsburgh v Philadelphia

I said: Pens in 5
What happened: Pens in 5
Comments: This series was never close, as I expected going in. The Flyers were banged up on their blue line, but I really don't think that mattered too much in the end. The Penguins are getting near-flawless performances from every player on a nightly basis right now. Philly are a much improved team and they can be proud of what they did this season, but they simply had no answer for the Penguins defense or offense in this series. Oh, and having MAF in net helped a little too.

Detroit v Dallas

I said: Stars in 6
What happened: Wings in 6
Comments: I probably should have listened to my head more than my heart when predicting this series, but I really thought the Stars would have enough gas left in the tank to force out Detroit. They did make things interesting before all was said and done, but it was too little too late. Now Detroit has to get ready to face by far the toughest opponent they have come up against this post-season.