Maybe Penguins can fly afterall - Crush Flyers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been nothing short of amazing in their post-season performance and while there were a few bumps along the way, they still have managed to put up a 12-2 record going into the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are also riding on a 16-game home winning streak at this point and it looks like there is little stopping them at this point. This is a team that is beaming with confidence. Not only are they playing well, but they are having fun doing it, which can be seen on faces like Marc-Andre Fleury after winning game 5 with a shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers and ending that series on a high note.

So what's next?

Well, the Pens will have a nice little vacation here as they wait to see the outcome of the Dallas and Detroit series, which heads back to Dallas tonight for game 6. If Detroit wins that series than they will have home ice advantage, but if Dallas wins than the Penguins will have the home ice, which based on the way that they are playing sounds like the preferred choice. Either team will certainly be a test for the youthful Pens.

Marian Hoss has 21 points in the playoffs with Crosby and Malkin right behind with 19 points, but the whole team is contributing in helpful ways. Fleury has been amazing with a 1.6 goals against average as well.

It's gonna be fun!

March of the Penguins...

Well, it does not look like it's going to take too long before we have this years 2008 Stanley Cup Champion and the final series is closely approaching, but no team is a guarantee at this point. However, the odds are looking VERY likely that it will be Pittsburgh Vs. Detroit. Tonight Detroit won it's 3rd game against a frustrated Dallas team, while the Penguins won their first two against Philly. There have only been 2 teams in the history of the NHL to come back from a 0-3 deficit, so it's doubtful that Dallas will move on. Pittsburgh can't let up either at this point as they have won their first two games with a score of 4-2, but Philadelphia isn't going to lay down for the Penguin express to flatten them out. Especially now that the next two games are IN Philly. Yet, if you have watched the first two games of the series you would also know that Pittsburgh has dominated Philly. Now you might have a difference of opinion here because looking at the score it wasn't a huge blowout, but Pittsburgh has really played well in all of the key areas to have Philly on their heels.

The first thing that has been impressive about Pittsburgh is their defense and goaltending combined. Not only are the defensive players (minus Ryan Whitney) playing well, but the offensive players are also playing good defense. The neutral zone has been highly controlled by Pittsburgh wingers and centers and this gives them the forwarding power to create open chances and goals to be scored.

The second thing that is really clicking for Pittsburgh is the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines. Not only are the top players playing well, but ALL of the team is playing well (minus Ryan Whitney again). Max Talbot scored the game winner in game 2 after coming off a injury, which elevated the teams spirits and brought them their 2nd win of the series. This is certainly a difficult thing for ANY team to handle when the opposing team has weapons on all of their lines, which is what Pittsburgh has. However, so does Detroit, which is why that matchup will be a real tester for both teams.

I am really excited for Pittsburgh and Detroit and I think it will be a great series regardless because both teams are similar in many ways. Starting with the goaltending, both teams have competent goalies who are playing at their best right now. I think that in many ways Chris Osgood as the advantage for his experience, but Fleury seems to have more confidence overall right now.

Defensively both teams are great, but the one thing that Detroit has again in it's favor is experience that players like Chris Chelios and Nick Lidstom bring to the game. This could also serve as a negative because with age comes a certain amount of sluggishness that Pittsburgh's blazing forwards could capitalize on. Many of these guys (of Detroit) have won Cups before, this brings about a marginally less amount of determination when compared to a young rookie or sophomore from Pittsburgh who is dreaming of Cups in their sleep. I think that the determination factor lies in Pittsburghs court at this point.

The other challenge facing Pittsburgh is that IF faced against Detroit that Detroit will have home ice advantage meaning that the Pens will need to win at least ONE game in Hockeytown. The Pens have managed to play at a whole new level thus far in the playoffs though and won both games in Ottawa and one game in New York, but the series against Philadelphia will speak volumes about how they can handle a tough team in their home town.

Detroit has tons of firepower, which the Penguins could probably match, but in order for that to happen the Penguins will need to up their game in many areas. If you watch the way that Detroit plays hockey that force the other team to play their style of hockey. Detroit is always or at least always seems to be in control of the puck and the momentum of the game. In game 3 against Dallas it wasn't more than a few seconds after Dallas got a goal and started to shift the fans excitement that Detroit squashed those woooo's with booooo's by quickly going down the ice and scoring. Detroit has TOP NOTCH passing and they win faceoffs, which is something that the young Penguin team struggles at and is more spotty with.

Here is my list of the key things that Pittsburgh needs to do in order to win the cup (given that they beat Philadelphia)....

1. Frustrate the Red Wing.
Detroit is a team that is used to being in control and controlling the pace of the game, the best thing that the Penguins could do is shut down the Red Wings in all areas of the ice and dictate the control of the game.

2. Utlize their 3nd and 4th lines.
Playoffs are where the stars become superstars, this is where guys like Talbot, Ruutu, Laraque, Staal, etc are in need. Their lines need to be productive in this series.

3. Capitalize on the powerplays.
The Penguins have been an excellent job on their penalty killing, but Detroit is tough when they have that man advantage, so Pittsburgh will need to stay disciplined with the penalty calls and when they get their man advantage chances they need to keep the pressure on Detroit.

4. Keep Fleury confident.
Up until this point Marc-Andre Fleury has played exciting and incredible hockey, he has saved the Penguins quite a few times from some botched plays, but Detroit will smell blood early if there are any signs of fatigue in the young Fleury, so they need to keep Fleury rested and also keep the shots on him to a minimum, this means blocking shots, hitting guys, and chipping the puck loose at every chance they can get. Sergei Gonchar needs to lead his defensive lines to the point where they are playing smart defensive hockey and enabling the power forwards to move up ice and have scoring chances.

5. Give Malkin the puck.
Crosby and Hossa are easy targets with their fast and agile moves, but Malkin is one of the key players as he comes up big when he has the puck and can completely dominate the other team when he gets chances. He is dangerous every time he has the puck and the Pens need to allow him to take shot after shot.

Ride the Tide...

I don't know why, but I love washing clothes. There are few things that I truly love when it comes to 'chores', but washing clothes ranks very high, probably next to vacuuming, which is another thing that I deeply love to do. Yes, I am strange.

Now folding clothes...that's another matter, but washing and drying clothes is fun for me. So I thought I would put out some recommendations for what to use since it's hard to find places online that list anything with regards to laundry, at least none that I can find which are not heavily advertised, of course each manufacturer is going to say that their product is the best...right?

Ok, so here goes:

Since I am using an Amana Front Loader (he) washing machine, everything pertains to that, but I think the results would be the same for conventional washers, although I must say that the front-loader is the way to go, it uses less energy, less water, and is better on your clothes. Since people spend money on clothes I think it only makes sense to take care of them so they last awhile.

Best detergent: Tide

You can get this is all sizes and shapes and with a variety of scents, but there is a reason why Tide costs as much as it does....it works. You can get Tide that has no dyes and perfumes as well, which I recommend for towels and bed sheets. Tide all the way, although if you want a cheaper alternative go with Purex. Never use powders, only liquids.

Best detergent for dark clothes: Woolite Dark Laundry

The problem with washing dark clothes is fading, especially jeans and t-shirts, but Woolite has introduced this amazing product that works fantastic. I highly recommend this for denim!

Best detergent for colors: Woolite All Colors

Most people are afraid to wash vibrant colors, but Woolite All Colors is great for those loads that have tons of colors, especially when washing a load of reds. I prefer to wash red by itself and then wash all other colors together.

Best detergent (concentrate): Method (he)

Method comes in a tiny little bottle, but packs a huge punch and is perfect for people who don't have tons of space and also do small loads such as college students, singles, or even couples.

Best bleach: Clorox 2 (for colors)

This comes in a variety of scents, but is a must-use as it's one of the few bleaches out there that you can use 100% with colors and without any issues of bleeding.

Best fabric softner: Ultra Purex Soft (rainflower mist)

While it might cost less than the rest this one is the best with only Snuggle being a close second. Purex gives just the right amount of scent without causes your clothes to get stiff or over-powered with scent.

Best fabric softner sheets: Snuggle Blue Sparkle/ Arm & Hammer Essentials (Tie)

Both of these are excellent the Snuggle is preferrable if you want just a mild smell to your clothes, whereas the Arm & Hammer is far more potent, so it's a matter of preference. You might want to use the Arm & Hammer for heavier loads or heavier materials like towels or jeans, although I NEVER recommend putting jeans in the dryer.

Only 4 remain...

There were quite a few surprises this year in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I don't think many people expected Dallas to roll over San Jose like they did, although they did let the Sharks come back a bit after going up 3-0 in the series, but after a multi-overtime win in game 6 the Stars advanced. The other surprise was Philadelphia beating out Montreal, who towards the end of the season was looking like they had their eyes on the Cup, but Flyer goalie Martin Biron crushed those dreams early.

I was not surprised by Detroit annihilating Colorado, but to be fair, half of the Avalanche team was hurt, so it was a massacre. Pittsburgh let The Rangers take one game out of their series, but there was no way that the Rangers were any match for the young guns of Pittsburgh. That means this:

Pittsburgh VS. Philadelphia

Dallas VS. Detroit

So here's my prediction:

Pittsburgh and Philly are rivals and this series is going to test both teams dramatically. I am a little nervous though because Pittsburgh has some serious firepower, but Biron has been strong and withstood the Montreal attack quite well. However, so has Marc-Andre Fleury. If Pittsburgh is going to win the series they need to have an answer to RJ Umberger, who is originally from Pittsburgh, he has been hot in the playoffs. The Pens also need to capitalize on their power play opportunities and maintain their strong penalty killing that they have thus far. The other thing that they need to do is maintain the lead, especially if they have a 2-goal lead. This has always been a dangerous thing for them as they begin to let off on the throttle once they think that they have clinched the game. The outcome of a hockey game can be won or loss in a matter of seconds, every second counts, and more importantly, no lead is secure. The Pens need to constantly be aggressive on the attack and with their abilities, this should not be a problem. Other keys to their success in this series will be their second and third tier players making contributions, which I think is what enabled them to surpass the Rangers, players like Ruutu, Staal, and Roberts. All three of these players can dynamically change the pace of the game with their attitude and presence. Marian Hossa has also been stepping up to the plate lately and getting great chances, as is Evgeni Malkin, who has been getting lots of shots on goal. I'm thinking this series is going to challenge the young faces of Pittsburgh in many ways, probably going to 6 games, but with a Penguin win!

Detroit and Dallas is going to be a serious gunsling of a series, but that doesn't mean lots of goals as both Chris Osgood and Marty Turco have been excellence thus far, but I don't think that Detroit has been challenged that much so far, certainly not to the extent that Dallas can put forth, which might mean that this series bounces back and ultimately rests upon the goaltenders ability to keep pucks out! Turco saw 60 shots agains the Sharks in their final game and only allowed 1 goal! That's impressive against the highly gifted San Jose forwards. Keep in mind that Dallas also sent the Ducks home early, which was a huge shock for last years Cup winners to go home after one series. It wasn't even close though, Dallas destroyed them. Dallas could be the wild card in this entire playoff year as everyone has doubted them and thought they would go home by now, but this Dallas team is tough, they not only have good goaltending, but their offense is superb with Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, and Brendan Morrow leading the way, but other guys like Ott have stepped up as well, plus they have Sergei Zubov back in defense and he is making an impact for this team! I'm going to say Dallas in 7!