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Sunday begins the battle for the rights to fight for Lord Stanley..., went 3-4 in the second round thanks to Carolina beating the Bruins last night (still can't believe that but 'it' happens I guess). With Pittsburgh facing Carolina and Detroit taking on Chicago, this final 4 should be a good one with a lot of 'what if's everywhere and possible past Stanley Cup rematches. Pittsburgh-Chicago from '92, Pittsburgh-Detroit from last season, Detroit-Carolina from '02? Anyway..., here are my picks.

2) Detroit vs 4) Chicago

    This has all the ingredients to be the Stanley Cup final..., the young upstart and talented Hawks going against the defending champion Red Wings. Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Hossa vs Kane, Toews and Havlat. Havlat vs Hossa could be interesting..., the two were dealt for each other a few years ago. I still don't think that Osgood is a great goaltender and if the Hawks are able to get to him early and get around or through that great defense of Detroit, they got a realistic shot of beating the Wings. No one expected the Hawks to be in the West finals and I think if the Hawks lost this series, it wouldn't be a huge letdown. This team is still young, has a lot of heart and with a couple of tweaks here and there in the offseason, this team will be a constant contender for years to come. It's going to be a long one..., a hard hitting series with a lot of goals, but in the end, the champs will prevail. The best series in the playoffs..., without a doubt!

        Detroit in 7

4) Pittsburgh vs 6) Carolina

     I bet a lot of hockey fans all over the country are groaning about this series..., me included. I had the Bruins from day one to represent the East in this matchup and it took a guy who by all rights should've been suspended to eliminate them. But hey..., this is the NHL playoffs and anything can happen. These two teams in January were all but done but both came back and now, the Eastern Conference title is on the line. I like Pittsburgh in this one..., I just think that Crosby and Malkin are the two most elite players in this game today and they can score at will. Thing is..., they gotta finish off the Hurricanes quick..., Ward is 4-0 in game sevens over the last couple of years and they've already won two road game sevens this playoff run. Fleury has to be the dominate goalie he was in the last couple of playoff games and if Gonchar is healthy, hopefully, the Pens should be able to survive the Hurricane and head back to the promised land. As a side note..., Staal vs Staal should be a good one.

        Pittsburgh in 6

 So..., it'll be a rematch of last years final with the Detroit Red Wings vs the Pittsburgh Penguins. Should be an exciting couple of weeks leading to the Finals..., just drop the puck already!