By going 1-1 last round (Pens correct, Wings incorrect), our record stands at a respectable 9-5 so far.

With the Stanley Cup final between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins finally set to begin Saturday at Joe Louis Arena, we're down to one last choice — and it's an incredibly tough one.

This series has the potential to be downright brilliant. There is plenty of skill to burn and the tempo should be uplifting.

The storylines are endless:

Who has the better dynamic duo: Crosby and Malkin or Datsyuk and Zetterberg?

Which goalie will stand tall: the unherald Chris Osgood or Marc-Andre Fleury, the first overall draft pick?

Will experience trump youth or vice versa?

Can Crosby, the 20-year-old captain, lead the Pens to the promised land in just his third professional season?

Can Marian Hossa continue his inspired play and drive up the price as he heads for unrestricted free agency on July?

These are some of the most popular one's, but what about the long list of potential unsung heroes?

What would it mean for Darren McCarty to rise from the depths of despair to win a fourth Stanley Cup?

By his own admission, McCarty has been through hell and back and now he's four wins away from raising Lord Stanley's mug over his head.

It's the ultimate comeback story.

What about a guy like 16-year veteran Dallas Drake getting his first taste of the final in his first season with the Red Wings?

Or Father Time, Chris Chelios, having another chance to get his name engraved on the Stanley Cup?

And the list goes on and on and on.

Most importantly, the NHL gets a marquee match-up that includes two American-based, hockey-crazed markets, not hockey-starving franchises from the Sun belt. Thank goodness.

We're tempted to stick with the Penguins, who we had advancing to the Stanley Cup final from the very beginning, but ultimately the Red Wings blue-line has just a little more depth than the Penguins and that will be the difference in this series.

The quartet of captain Nik Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart is key.

Not having Johan Franzen, who still leads the playoffs in goals with an even dozen, hurts the Red Wings but they'll get him back in time to pull out an exciting victory in Game 7.

Take the Red Wings in seven and enjoy every minute of it.

For now, the Penguins will have the comparisons to the 1983 Edmonton Oilers to latch onto.

The Penguins need to suffer the agony of defeat before adding a couple more complementary pieces in the off-season and winning the Holy Grail in 2009.