It’s official people, the returning Red Wings will take on this year’s hockey kings when Detroit takes on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the title.

Yes, the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Finals have all the makings of a classic match up as two powerhouse teams, the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, play for hockey’s biggest prize.

The Detroit Red Wings are trying to win their fourth Stanley Cup since 1997. Led by Captain Nicklas Lidstrom, the Red Wings are trying to make Detroit, ‘’hockey town'’ once again.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, on the other hand, are led by the finest 1-2 punch in the NHL in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh is in the finals for the first time since 1992, when owner Mario Lemieux was leading the club to the second of back-to-back Cup wins.

Ironically, Detroit and Pittsburgh are the only teams to successfully defend a Cup championship since that era. (Detroit won in 1997 and 1998…)

A key match up between two goalies could be the very thing to watch in this series. Detroit’s Chris Osgood have the top goals-against average (1.65) and third-best save percentage (.927) heading into a sensational outing Monday versus the Stars while Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury have a 1.70 GAA and .938 save percentage after three rounds.

If the Detroit Red Wings want to capture the 2008 Stanley Cup title, one way to beat a team like the Penguins is to keep the puck away from them. Thankfully, the Red Wings are one of the best puck-possession teams in the NHL.

On the other hand, the Detroit Red Wings will have their hands full against the Pittsburgh Penguins regardless of how good their defense is. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have combined for 40 points in 14 postseason games for Pittsburgh. Crosby will definitely hit the Stanley Cup finals tied with Zetterberg for the playoffs scoring lead.

Offense versus defense for the title. It doesn’t get any better than that. It all begins this Saturday in Game 1.

Who will win the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

Detroit Red Wings 3.50

Pittsburgh Penguins 5.50

Want more odds? Visit Bodog sportsbook for more NHL hockey betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

Detroit Red Wings Pittsburgh Penguins