It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We'll be running our division-by-division preview of the offseason beginning later in the week, but we wanted to give the two top dogs their own space. Today: the summer outlook for the Red Wings. Tomorrow, the Stanley Cup champion Penguins.
The Red Wings came within one game of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. A goal or two here or there, and their mission – and Marian Hossa's – is accomplished.
Instead, Detroit's first question mark going into the summer months is Hossa. It's widely expected he'll re-sign with the Wings for five years or so, but that will push Detroit essentially to the limit when it comes to the cap, which is projected to be about $57 million again.
The handshake line that follows every NHL playoff series is a great tradition. The teams battle it out for four, five, six, or seven games. When it's all over, the two teams line up at center ice, take the gloves off their right hands, and shake hands with each other.
One of the great Stanley Cup traditions is its presentation. Yes, commissioner Gary Bettman -- after getting booed lustily -- takes a moment to congratulate the owners and general manager who helped put the team together. But the first person to touch the Stanley Cup after it is brought out to the ice surface is not an executive or a coach. It's the captain of the winning team.
Once the captain has his moment, he picks the second player to hoist the Cup. Since we know who gets it first, the only fun we can have is figuring out who will get it second.
Petr Sykora's return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup appears as if it's over after just one game, as Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting the veteran winger left the arena on crutches and with a brace on his right foot Wednesday afternoon.
Sykora played just a little over five minutes in Pittsburgh's 2-1 win on Tuesday, registering two hits and one blocked shot. As it turns out, the blocked shot, which occurred midway through the second period off the stick of Kris Draper, is the cause of the injury and will likely keep the 32-year-old out of Friday's deciding Game 7 in Detroit.
In The Face-Off Circle: A game-by-game look at the face-off matchups in the Stanley Cup Final
Tuesday's game 6 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings proved to be one of the most intense, exciting, and nail-biting games in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, as it literally came down to a matter of inches in the closing minutes of the third period. It was also the first game in the series where the two teams were even in the face-off circle, as both teams won 24-of-48 draws.
Which ones had an impact on the game? Find out after the jump.
When there's hockey being played as urgently, breathlessly, and brilliantly as Tuesday night's Game 6, and you're given the gift of more, you don't ask why. You just accept it and offer gratitude to the two teams who made it possible. Forget Saturday's anti-climax, a 5-0 win for the Red Wings over the Penguins that again had Detroit looking epic and Pittsburgh embodying the lamb. Forget what you've known through six games.
These two teams deserve the most poignant of climaxes to the thrilling narrative they've written thus far.
In The Face-Off Circle: A game-by-game look at the face-off matchups in the Stanley Cup Final
Saturday was a rather forgettable night for the Pittsburgh Penguins, to say the least, as they were on the receiving end of a 5-0 rout at Joe Louis Arena, falling behind the Red Wings, 3-2, in the Stanley Cup Final. While Detroit didn't win the majority of the face-offs in game 5, it managed to take advantage and capitalize on the ones it did win, especially in the second period as the Penguins were in the process of self destructing with a series of penalties.
In The Face-Off Circle: A game-by-game look at the face-off's in the Stanley Cup Final
The Detroit Red Wings had their best face-off man, Kris Draper, back in the lineup for Game 4, and as a team they had their best showing since Game 1, winning 34 of 60 draws. While Draper won six of his 11, the biggest factor in the margin on Thursday night wasn't what any one individual Red Wing did, but what one individual Penguin didn't do.
After missing six consecutive games with a foot injury, Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk appears to be inching closer to a return, as he's expected to be a game-time decision for Thursday's Game 4 in Pittsburgh. In the past three games, he had yet to make it to "game-time decision."
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a familiar situation against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final, down two games to none as the series shifts back to Pittsburgh, just like last year. On the plus side, at least they managed a goal (two!) in the opening two games in Motown. Here are three things to watch for in Game 3 as the Penguins attempt to claw their way back into the series.
The Red Wings came within one game of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. A goal or two here or there, and their mission – and Marian Hossa's – is accomplished.
The handshake line that follows every NHL playoff series is a great tradition. The teams battle it out for four, five, six, or seven games. When it's all over, the two teams line up at center ice, take the gloves off their right hands, and shake hands with each other.
One of the great Stanley Cup traditions is its presentation. Yes, commissioner 
In The Face-Off Circle: A game-by-game look at the face-off matchups in the Stanley Cup Final
