Boston Bruins, winner of the second Stanley Cup in a row

Thomas (left) and Seidenberg (right) - clydeorama - Flickr

Without a doubt, the Boston Bruins will win the 2012 Stanley Cup, becoming the first team after the Detroit Red Wings in 1998 to win two Stanley Cups in a row. With the veteran goalie Tim Thomas and defenseman Zdeno Chara, opposing teams will have difficulty scoring. While their defense is exceptional, their offense will have to improve on finishing their chances, if the Bruins are to win.

The Bruins goalie Thomas was a big factor in the Bruins win of the Stanley Cup last year, and likewise he will be this year. Paired with Chara, it will be tough for opposing teams to score. But we shouldn’t forgot other defenseman Dennis Seidenberg who will also be a big factor. "Zdeno is as good as you'll get as a defenseman, but when it comes to playoff time, Seids isn't that far behind him, if at all," Bruins coach Claude Julien said to ESPN.com.

The offense had great difficulty scoring in the fourth game against the Washington Capitals. With an impressive 45-21 shot advantage over the Capitals, only one of the 45 shots went in, while the Capitals scored two goals out of their 21 shots. "We had so many chances, we just didn't bury them, I think that's the story of today's game. Like I said, we could've had five goals on our line, but we didn't. That's how it is," said David Krejci to Chicagotribune.com.

Center Tyler Seguin had some good opportunities to score in game five against the Capitals, but had difficulty finishing them. But then he turned that around in game six. The game was tied after the third period, but just 3:17 in OT he burst forward, received a pass from Milan Lucic and won the game. He and the others in offense have to keep on doing that. "We need to see a young player like that gain some confidence if we're going to become a better team down the stretch," Julien said to ESPN.com.

This year the Bruins will have a tough time, on account that all teams are after them, considering they won last year. The difference is, this year they have the experience of winning the Cup. "The confidence you get from having won will be important. You can never underestimate the value of the experience. ... Having said all that, it's real tough to repeat so it's going to be a challenge," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said to Huffingtonpost.com.