New York, NY (WFAN)  -- Very interesting. Two potential sweeps in the Conference Finals, and both teams getting swept are pretty good teams. However, both have had one major area exposed in this series. Defense.

The Flyers lost their best puck moving and best skating defensemen in the series, and actually one was before it even started. When your #3 D is your #1 D against the #1 seed in the conference, you're done. Goalie Martin Biron has been good enough to win for the most part but the Penguins are kvelling right now in their most unsung area, their defense.

They have been almost lights out in this series defensively. To start with, a good offense usually helps teams be good defensively because they keep control of the puck and they keep it in the offensive zone. However, Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill have been as good as any defense pair in the playoffs, and Gill looks like Chris Pronger right about now. Can you recall more than 10 grade A chances the Flyers have had? The penalty kill has been great getting into lanes, taking away passing options and limiting time to make plays. Their neutral zone play has been very good because their D's are standing up at the line, a by product of all four lines and their commitment to defense.

Bottom line for the Penguins is that they have scored timely goals, and last night, the Penguins did what they did to the Rangers at MSG in game three. They won a game where they hadn't won all season in a game they had to win to take command of the series. That's a team with character. They are 11-1 in the post season and they haven't looked at any point, except when down 3-0 to the Rangers in game one, like they were playing a team that can beat them.

The Stars have looked lost. They have played 180 minutes in this series and led for exactly none of it. Coming off a series with San Jose where four games went to OT and the last one went 4OT, the Stars have shown the effects of a long physical and emotional series in the playoffs. They have competitive, but they haven't had an answer for the depth of the Red Wings, and haven't been able to penetrate the Wings defense very much. Chris Osgood, now tied with Terry Sawchuk for the Red Wings all time playoff wins lead (both have 47), is still unbeaten, and has had to be good but not great. He's made the saves he is supposed to, and stole a few he might not have had and therein lies the key to playoff goaltending.

Minus the playoff hero Johan Franzen, who is out with "concussion like symptoms" (if you have flu like symptoms you still have the flu, right?), Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk have been dominant. Tomas Holstrom is the net presence the Rangers hope Sean Avery will eventually become, and under radar veterans of all three Cups, Kris Draper, Darren McCarty, and Kirk Maltby have played key roles physically and emotionally. Dan Cleary, left for dead by most NHL teams, was revived in Hockeytown and to me is the unsung hero for Detroit. Defenseman Brett Lebda could also fall into the unsung hero slot.

When you have two teams down 0-3 in the conference finals, it's obvious the 3-0 teams are just better or the 0-3 teams are injury ravaged and there is some merit to both statements in looking at the Flyers and Stars. However, you must notice also how good both Detroit and the Penguins are, and how they have shut the door in so many ways on their adversaries.

Should be a great finals.

COACHING NEWS: In case you missed it, there are five coaching vacancies in the NHL. Colorado, Toronto, Florida, Atlanta, San Jose. There are many names being tossed about and they include the recently dismissed Joel Quennville, Bob Hartley, Pat Quinn, and Paul Maurice. Toss Pat Burns and you get five guys for five teams. However, some other interesting names being bandied about are Scott Gordon (Providence Bruins) and Mark Morris (Manchester Monarchs) who have done great work in the American Hockey League.

DUBINSKY HAT TRICK: Brandon Dubinsky, playing for Team USA in the World Championships in Halifax, notched a hat trick in USA's 9-1 win over Norway. Zach Parise is also having a very good tourney for USA.