Detroit looks dominant in game one

The Red Wings looked pretty unbeatable in the opener of the Stanley Cup finals, shutting out the Penguins, 4-0.

Over at ESPN.com, Scott Burnside asks the question: Do the Penguins need to fail in order to win later, as did the Oilers in 1983? Avid readers of this space recall that on May 20 I predicted a Red Wings victory in six games and noted that, like the Oilers, the talented Penguins are just not there yet and could follow the same path the Oilers did.

Short-time Islanders GM Neil Smith -- who was with the Isles in the Cup years -- comes to a similar conclusion in the article , and Kevin Lowe notes that it's a matter of learning how to win. Butch Goring confirms the legend of the defeated Oilers passing by the Isles locker room and seeing less celebration than relief, a sign that the Isles left everything out on the ice while the Oilers hadn't yet reached that level of comittment.

One can see the same scenario playing out this season.