Five For Chirping: F*** The Wings.

Osgood however, in my opinion, is the cream of the crop as far as the afforementioned are concerned. He's got better fundamentals and speed than Hasek (though that's not hard these days, or in the case of fundamentals, ever), better reflexes than Vernon and Legace, and is better positionally than Cujo. He's a weak puckhandler, but with Nick Lidstrom on your team, it's a moot point.

If there's a team who can 'part the Red sea' with their counter-attack, Pittsburgh is the clear choice, so they will make Osgood sing for his supper undoubtedly.

Defensively, Detroit has the edge with the Norris hog Lidstrom, as well as Kronwall adding a little more physical emphasis. Gonchar is really the only blueline standout on Pittsburgh, though Hal Gill will gladly take housekeeping duties to rid Fleury's field of vision of all things red and white except the Canadian flag at the far end of the rink.

As for non-issues in this series, Johan Franzen is name number one on that list.

After a fortuitous series against Colorado, Franzen kept momentum going up against Dallas, only to exit with 'concussion like symptoms' and will probably miss Game 1. He's received too much press, as has crease crowder Mikael Samuelsson and wunderkind Jiri Hudler for the Pens not to have taken notice

For the Wings to win, they'll have to prey on the Pens youth and immaturity in prodding them into stupid penalties, a task uberpests Draper and McCarty are no strangers to. Their powerplay versus a spaced out Pens PK unit will provide the seams they need to generate opportunities. Crashing Fleury will most likely prove ineffective as he has composure far beyond his years and seems to forever have that huge grin visible under his mask

For the Pens to win, they need to learn from Dallas' mistakes and let their speed on both sides of the puck dictate the flow of the game. For my money, Crosby, Malkin and Hossa are better than Datsyuk, Zetterberg and any random Swede anyday, so they can definitely roll lines in an effective way to keep the Wings guessing and pepper Osgood with quality shots.

It is my opinion that Pittsburgh can take this series in 6 games because of one simple reason, and that is attitude. The Penguins have a team harmony that is impressive in any sport and/or league, they are loose and are doing what should be happening to a team in their position, they're having fun. Levity is necessary in the pressure cooker of the NHL Playoffs, and the team confident enough to laugh about their younger stars horrendous attempts at playoff beards illustrates a comraderie I have never really felt from Detroit.

The 'March of the Penguins' will continue for at least 4 more games, it's David versus Goliath, can the Pens part the Red sea? Can the Wings put the cap on the Pens?

Choose whatever cute cliche or pop culture reference you think applies, but in its simplest terms, tomorrow is the beginning of the end.

On the Bleacher Report, I'm Andrew Castaneda with a special tip of the hat to my newfound anti-fan club of 1 (you know who you are), keep chirping buddy, you're bound to make a valid point one of these days!

With files from CBC.ca, TSN, The Hockey News and www.goaliesarchive.com.

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