Stars in seven

In what will likely be viewed as picking with my heart rather than with my head -- or a Herculean case of wishful thinking -- I'm throwing my support behind the Dallas Stars as they do battle with the NHL's eight-legged monster, the Detroit Red Wings.

My reasoning? With all due respect to the Nashville Predators, Detroit really hasn't been tested in any of its series so far this playoffs. Dallas, on the other hand, has had to fight tooth-and-nail, knocking out higher-seeded teams along the way.

It won't come easy, but I'm saying it'll be the Stars in seven games. Furthermore, Mike Ribeiro will get the clinching goal for Dallas.