Stanley Cup Final Predictions

At the beginning of the 2005-2006 NHL season, anyone who would have predicted an Edmonton/Carolina Stanley Cup Final would have either been locked up in a mental institution or laughed out of the room — or both. But the impossible has come to pass: on one side, you have a Carolina team that may have the deepest set of forwards in the league, and on the other side, you have an Edmonton squad that has come together very quickly after being assembled at the trade deadline. Who will hoist Lord Stanley's Cup? Let's break it down.

Offense

While Edmonton can boast the likes of Ales Hemsky, Ryan Smyth, and Sergei Samsanov, Carolina's group of forwards is much deeper. The Hurricanes essentially have three lines that go do damage comprised of Eric Staal, Rod Brind'Amour, Matt Cullen, Justin Williams, Ray Whitney, Mark Recchi, Doug Weight, and Cory Stillman. That's eight forwards who can play on any team's top line. Throw in their combination of speed and grit (anyone watching the Buffalo/Carolina series knows how powerful the Hurricanes' two-man forecheck can be), and three bona-fide No. 1 centers and you've got yourself a handful.

Advantage Carolina.

Defense

When it comes to defense, one name immediately comes to mind — Chris Pronger. Jason Smith's nearly as effective as a shut-down guy, meaning the Oilers will have a defensive advantage for nearly half the game. Carolina's group, filled with veterans such as Glen Wesley, Aaron Ward, and Bret Hedican, isn't bad by any means, but it doesn't have any standouts like Edmonton. Jaroslav Spacek and Dick Tarnstrom are good offensive defenseman, but have had their battles on the defensive side of the play. Still, it's hard to argue with the Pronger/Smith tandem.

Advantage Edmonton.

Goaltending

When it comes down to pure talent, Cam Ward is hands down better than Dwayne Roloson. However, Roloson's defense is so strong at keeping shots to the outside and pushing away rebounds, that Roloson only has to be pretty good to look great. That's not to say that Roloson hasn't made his share of big saves — however, both San Jose and Anaheim were able to make him look mortal for stretches that lasted more than one game. Cam Ward's come up huge against a very dynamic Buffalo attack, despite sitting out for one game.

Advantage Carolina.

Special Teams

Carolina has the stronger power play. Edmonton has the stronger penalty kill. Who will come out on top? It's difficult to say — other than Detroit (who discovered that their fancy passing styles don't work when Pronger and Smith clog up the middle of the ice), the Oilers haven't had to deal with strong power plays. Yes, San Jose had a good percentage against Nashville before falling to the Oilers, but anyone watching the Sharks could see that they had huge problems with both the outlet pass and taking possession of the puck. Carolina's power play is gritty and sound; Edmonton's penalty kill eats up the slot area and keeps shots away.

This one's a push.

Coaching

Hand it to Craig MacTavish — he saw the weaknesses in each of his opponents (Detroit's overpassing, San Jose's lack of grit, Anaheim's lack of depth) and took advantage. Peter Laviolette knows what he's doing, but MacTavish has got his troops running like a well-oiled machine.

Advantage Edmonton.

Intangibles

It's very critical to note that Edmonton will have been off for over a week. Carolina's break is four days — the number of days that most coaches consider an ideal break between series. Nearly every team facing a long layoff in the playoffs has taken a game or two to find their legs — and against a Carolina team this deep, that may be deadly.

Also, while Pronger and Smith are extremely effective at shutting down the opposition, they've never had to deal with the three attack lines that Carolina is able to throw out. If Pronger/Smith shut down Eric Staal's line, then they have to handle Rod Brind'Amour's. If they handle Brind'Amour's line, out comes Doug Weight's line. Eventually, one of Carolina's many offensive weapons will take advantage of Pronger/Smith being off the ice. Another option is to separate the two, as has been done for stretches during the playoffs, and that may be the best solution considering what Edmonton has to deal with.

Advantage Carolina.

Prediction

At the beginning of the playoffs, I picked Carolina to win the Stanley Cup and I'm sticking with it. They've simply got too much depth at forward, all of their skill guys are willing to play a gritty forechecking game, and they have on of the fastest transitions in the league. Edmonton's strength comes from its stellar defense, but Carolina's unmatched forward depth and ability to bounce back from adversity should put them over the top.

Carolina in six.