(My Sportsbook) - The Detroit Red Wings will be looking to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since, well, themselves.

The Red Wings dispatched the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games for the right to lift Lord Stanley's Cup last season, the 11th championship in club history and first since 2002. No team has repeated as champs since Detroit did it in 1997 and '98.

While the Red Wings will face a Columbus squad that is new to the second season, the playoffs are a given conclusion to Detroit's season. The club has reached the postseason in 18 consecutive seasons -- the longest active streak among all major pro teams -- and has done so in each of the last eight seasons as Central Division champs.

Finally, Detroit set a new league record with its ninth-straight 100-point season, and if it needed anymore of an edge, returns five players (Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby and Chris Osgood) from the '97 and '98 title teams.

Offense is the name of Detroit's game. While it ranked tied for 19th in goals allowed per game (2.93) and 25th overall on the penalty kill (78.3 percent), the club led the league with 3.52 goals per game and was tops on the power play at a 25.5 percent conversion rate.

The top scorer on the club was Pavel Datsyuk, who finished fourth in the NHL with 97 points off 32 goals and a club-high 65 assists. He matched his career high in points set last season and was also third in the league with a plus-34 rating, arguably anointing him as the two two-way player in the game.

Marian Hossa watched the Red Wings skate around with the Cup last year as a member of Pittsburgh, and will try to join in on the fun this year. Detroit inked Hossa to a one-year deal this past offseason and he responded with 40 goals and 71 points, marking the third different club he has scored 40 goals with (Atlanta and Ottawa).

Hossa should earn the rest of his paycheck in the upcoming weeks, as he was third among playoff skaters last year with 26 points in 20 games with the Penguins. He did miss the final two games of the regular season with a groin issue, but should be ready for the opener.

Want more? How about reigning Conn Smyth Trophy winner as playoff MVP, Henrik Zetterberg? One of two players to sign a new contract of over 10 years with the Red Wings this season -- along with Johan Franzen (career-high 34 goals -- Zetterberg notched his third straight 30-goal season with 31 tallies to compliment 42 assists.

Zetterberg led the 2008 postseason with 27 points and 116 shots last year while also tying for first with 13 goals and plus-16 rating.

Even the Red Wings' blueline gets in on the act. Detroit had three defensemen rank in the top 11 in defensive scoring. Lidstrom (16 goals, 43 assists) and Brian Rafalski (10g, 49a) were tied for third with Scott Niedermayer with 59 points each, while Niklas Kronwall (6g, 45a) was 11th with 51 points.

Osgood ended up getting the bulk of the starts in last year's postseason over future Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek, but struggled this year to a 3.09 goals against average and .887 save percentage while still managing to go 26-9-8 in 46 games.

Ty Conklin, meanwhile, was 25-11-2 with a 2.51 GAA, setting new personal bests in wins and shutouts (6).

Osgood should get the first crack at starting since he has 106 career playoff appearances to Conklin's one.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (7th seed, West)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 41-31-10

2008 PLAYOFFS: Did not qualify

(My Sportsbook) - Yes, the Columbus Blue Jackets are into the postseason for the first time in their eight-year history. Just don't expect them to act like a bunch of tourists.

Using club single-season records in wins (41), points (92) and goals scored (226), the Blue Jackets reached the second season for the first time since entering the league prior to the 2000-01 season. Still, veteran playoff coach Ken Hitchcock will have his boys ready.

The Blue Jackets brought in a number of key players since last year with postseason experience. Raffi Torres (22 playoff games), Mike Commodore (49 games) and Fedor Tyutin (24 games) are among those new to the roster with playoff games under their belt, as are R.J. Umberger and Antoine Vermette.

Umberger was acquired from the Flyers by way of a trade after having a coming out party in the 2007-98 playoffs. In 17 games, Umberger posted 10 goals and five assists in helping Philadelphia reach the Eastern Conference finals. He was third on Blue Jackets this year with 46 points, and was one of three 20- goal scorers with 26.

Vermette, meanwhile, is a sign that Columbus thought it could compete this year. He was acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline for goaltender Pascal Leclaire and a 2009 second-round pick and he responded with seven goals and six assists in 17 games in strengthening the Jackets' second line.

Vermette has skated in 38 postseason games, but has just four goals and eight points.

Still, the Blue Jackets' two biggest stars will be under the bright lights of the postseason for the first time.

Rick Nash notched 40 goals and 39 assists to lead Columbus in scoring for a fifth straight year, adding five short-handed goals to go along with his new career highs in assists and points.

Some would argue that the Blue Jackets don't find themselves in this position if not for rookie netminder Steve Mason, who established himself as a serious contender for both the Calder Memorial and Vezina Trophy after going 33-20-7 this year with a league-best 10 shutouts and the NHL's second-lowest GAA at 2.29.

Mason, who didn't join the club until November 4 from the minors, is aiming to become the fourth netminder in league history to take his team to the Stanley Cup Finals as a rookie, joining Cam Ward (Carolina, 2006), Patrick Roy (Montreal, 1986) and Ken Dryden (Montreal, 1971).

Tyutin (34 points), Commodore (24 points) and Jan Hejda (21 points, plus-23) anchor a defense that was tied for ninth at 2.72 goals allowed per game. Defender Rostislav Klesla will also enjoy his first trip to the postseason as the only member on the roster left from Columbus' inaugural team that debuted on October 7, 2000.

Kristian Huselius (21 goals, 35 assists) should be ready for the series opener after missing four games due to concussion-like symptoms. That should help an offense that was 21st in goals per game (2.68) and dead last on the power play at 12.7 percent.

MATCHUP

Columbus held its own versus Detroit this year, splitting the six matchups against its division rival while winning a March 7 road test by an 8-2 count. However, the Red Wings did post a pair of shutouts in the series this year.

Nash led the Blue Jackets with six goals against the Red Wings this year, while Tyutin and Umberger each donated a pair of goals and two assists.

For Detroit, Datsyuk posted a goal and seven assists versus the Blue Jackets this year, while Zetterberg had three goals and three assists. Hossa notched five goals in the series as well.

Between the pipes, Mason was 3-2-0 with a 2.38 GAA versus the Red Wings this year, while Osgood got the bulk of the work for Detroit against the Blue Jackets and went 2-2-1 with a 3.37 GAA and one shutout. Conklin recorded a shutout in his lone start of the season series.

Experience will dictate this series, and while Hitchcock is second among active head coaches in playoff wins with 66, the Blue Jackets' roster has just 401 games of playoff experience to the Red Wings' 1,793.

Also, Detroit head coach Mike Babcock is third all-time among coaches with 50- or-more playoff games with a .642 save percentage.

It is worth noting that a No. 7 seed defeated a No. 2 club every season from 1997-2006, but hasn't done so in each of the last two seasons.

However, the Blue Jackets are likely going to get taken to school in their playoff debut and learn a few harsh lessons along the way.

My Sportsbook predicted outcome: Red Wings in 5