Stanley Cup Finals

Before the playoffs started, if you would have told me that the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes would be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, I would have called you crazy. Well, it just goes to show you how unpredictable the NHL playoffs are. Unlike the NBA playoffs, where the top seed wins more often than not, the NHL playoffs are a crapshoot.

I didn't think the Edmonton Oilers would make it to the second round, let alone to the Stanley Cup Finals. That was partly because they were playing my Detroit Red Wings, and partly because I forgot what it takes to win in the playoffs. In the NHL playoffs, grit and determination, mixed with some youth, speed, and a hot goalie, all add up to playoff success. This is still true in the so-called "new" NHL.

Both the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes deserve to be in the finals. The Carolina Hurricanes had a great regular season, but that seemed to go unnoticed by most coming into the playoffs. They were the team that no one talked about, with favorites like Detroit, Dallas and Ottawa getting most of the limelight. Well, everyone is sure talking about them now. The same is true of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers opened up the season in a way that typified their entire regular season campaign. They rattled off three straight wins to open up, only to lose their next seven, and then proceeded to win five straight. It has been an up and down season for the Edmonton Oilers, but they have reminded us all that it's not how you start, but how you finish.

Even if the Oilers lose to the Hurricanes, the Oilers can call this season a success. Sure, they will be disappointed if they lose, but not too often does a number eight seed advance all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. In fact, the Edmonton Oilers are the first eighth seeded team to make it to Finals since the current playoff format was instituted in 1994. With that in mind, here is my prediction:

Oilers in six.