Back later with updates on the Rumor Chart as Stamkos will go live this evening after I talk to a source in Pittsburgh...but for now...Here goes.
San Jose vs. Pittsburgh
This is the match up we all wanted... (unless you are a fan of St Louis or Tampa of course) This is the matchup...
For a while there the Penguins truly looked invincible. They cruised through the first two rounds, but the speed and depth of Tampa really did show the rest of the world how to compete against Mike Sullivan's Penguins...You need to be ferocious on your forecheck, and you need to take advantage of your power plays..
In many ways the Sharks are like the Lightning, but with more speed and a dominant power play...That said, Martin Jones may be a step below Vasilevsky...
For the Penguins to win they HAVE to stay out of the box and get some great goaltending...Not just average, but great...
Both these teams have show they have multiple levels, but the Sharks have more a" killer instinct type of level" to be sure...The Sharks at their best could overwhelm a Penguins defense...especially without Daly in the Lineup. The Penguins at their best are better than any offense the Sharks have faced, but I am not sure they can overwhelm San Jose..
Listening to both sides talk so far the Sharks are maybe the more relaxed team as well...but thats just my first impression....
In the end my prediction is another Cup in California. Sharks in 6
What do you think??
We will discuss all this and more on the HockeyBuzzCast at Noon.
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) April 26, 2016