Game 1 sets tone for series

Sometimes Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals appears as a feeling-out process – two teams that aren’t familiar playing each other sizing each other up and not putting a lot of stock into the final result leading to an ultimate conclusion.

History suggests rethinking that theory.

The winner in the opening game of the NHL’s annual showcase series claimed 14 of the last 20 Stanley Cups. And get this. The team that owns home-ice at the outset of the series has won nine straight Cups and 17 of the last 20.

You had better believe Saturday night’s Game 1 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and host Detroit Red Wings holds significance.

“It’s a great opportunity,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, speaking about the big picture. “And I think a lot of us feel pretty fortunate to have it. It’s not something that happens too often.”

This best-of-seven pits two teams that never have met in the postseason. It matches a franchise that flirted with bankruptcy and probable relocation before getting a new downtown arena deal against another that is an Original Six, boasts 10 Stanley Cups and firmly is entrenched in Hockeytown, U.S.A. It’s a finale that will showcase some of the very best talent in the world – Evgeni Malkin and Crosby on one side, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk on the other.

It is the series that Commissioner Gary Bettman hopes will remove the NHL from the backburner of the sporting world’s landscape and help grow the game back to the popularity that was forecast for the game in the middle of the last decade.

And it features two teams that rolled impressively through three rounds to get here, each winning conference titles in dominating fashion.

“There’s a huge difference between the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Stanley Cup final,” said Detroit coach Mike Babcock, who coached Anaheim to a seven-game loss against New Jersey in 2003. “The giddiness of the players, exuberance and excitement. … It’s an exciting time. It’s the same if you’re 38 or 21. It’s exciting.”

Speaking of age, there is a significant difference between the two teams in that category and several others. Among players who have appeared in at least one playoff game this postseason, Detroit’s average age is 32.3, or more than four years older than the Penguins’ average of 27.9. With age has come success, too. The Wings’ roster boasts 10 players who have won a Stanley Cup, nine of whom have done so in a Detroit sweater. Pittsburgh boasts only three Cup winners, all with different franchises.

If the Red Wings have an advantage in experience, the Penguins have an edge in size. Pittsburgh measures in at nearly 6 feet, 2 inches and 208 pounds per player while the Red Wings average just fewer than 6 feet and 195 pounds.

It’s hard to tell what it really all means until the two teams finally face off. Because of the league’s rotating schedule, the two have not faced each other in a regular-season game since Oct. 7, 2006. A 2-0 Detroit victory at Pittsburgh almost 20 months ago doesn’t seem relevant.

“I think it’s the same challenge for both teams,” Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien said. “They’re going to break down their tape and their game, and we’ll do the same thing with them. … Our players are aware how they play. And I’m sure they did the same thing.

“I don’t think there’s a rivalry right now. Maybe the rivalry will start once the series goes on. But I think you’re going to see two teams really focused and really battle to win every inch on the ice.”

Matchups are key in any series, but they’re so pronounced in this one because there are so many star players involved on both sides. Crosby hasn’t had a say in the matter, but he was anointed the game’s savior coming out of the 2004-05 season lost to the lockout because of his high profile as an outstanding junior hockey player and Pittsburgh’s No. 1 pick in 2005.

“I think he is the face of the National Hockey League,” Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero said of his 20-year-old captain. “He’s proven it over the last two years, he’s the face of the league through his play, but I think he’s the face of the league through his actions as well. He’s a great spokesperson for our franchise and the face of our franchise. … And I think it’s a perfect stage for him, certainly in the third year of his young career, it’s pretty quick, but I know he’s ready for it.”

And while Crosby shares the postseason scoring lead (21 points) with Detroit’s Zetterberg, Malkin has been every bit as key to not only Pittsburgh’s postseason success but also the manner in which the Penguins rolled into the playoffs when Crosby missed 29 games late. Add recent high picks Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury, and the first-round foursome have arrived much quicker than anyone could have anticipated.

“Their management and coaching has gone in and done a real good job of giving them structure, focus and demand of their elite players who are very elite and very young,” Babcock said. “If the (salary) cap doesn’t get in the way, they have a chance to be very good for a long time.”

All Babcock is immediately concerned with is how good Pittsburgh will be in the next two weeks.

“We don’t feel the pressure,” Therrien said. “We try to put the pressure on the other team. This is how we try to handle our situation with that young group.”

With Crosby and Malkin usually playing on different lines during even strength, expect Detroit not to be afraid to match a Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Tomas Holmstrom or Jiri Hudler-Valtteri Filppula-Dan Cleary line against Pittsburgh’s top offensive units. Certainly Norris Trophy favorite Nicklas Lidstrom will be on the ice, and Detroit will be looking for physical play from fellow defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart in addition to steady containment from Brian Rafalski.

“We’ll play skill on skill,” Babcock said. “We believe it’s harder for skilled players to have to defend and play offense at the same time. If they never have to worry about defending against you, I think it makes it better for the offense players.”

The onus will be on Pittsburgh’s underrated defense to try and remain patient with Detroit’s puck-possessing ways, its tendency to cycle and move the puck quickly in the offensive zone and its potent power play.

Pittsburgh’s blue line, led in a physical sense by Sergei Gonchar, Brooks Orpik and Hal Gill, must maintain the fine line between hitting effectively and staying out of the penalty box.

“I really like the way we’ve been playing so far in the playoffs, both defensively and offensively,” Therrien said. “The confidence is there. When we started last year, I’m not quite sure if the confidence was there. But I can tell you, this is a group … that has a lot of confidence in themselves.”

Both teams are confident playing at home in this postseason, where Detroit finds itself Saturday. Between the two, however, only the Red Wings have the only home loss of these playoffs, a 2-1 setback in Game 5 against Dallas last Saturday. Otherwise, Detroit is 7-1 at Joe Louis Arena while the Penguins are 8-0 at The Igloo and 4-2 on the road in the playoffs.

“Honestly, it’s nice to be here. I believe our group deserves to be here. But in the meantime it’s like we’re not oversatisfied,” Therrien said. “We know that those are tough games to be played. We’re on a mission, and we want to win.”