The seven key factors in an evenly matched Cup final

	Eric Staal (left) will be the key for Carolina and could tip the finals their way. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
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With time to kill before the Stanley Cup finals get underway on Monday night -- I suppose we're lucky that Sesame Street Live is setting up shop at Raleigh's RBC Center for only three days -- let's look at the early talking points for the Carolina-Edmonton matchup.

1. Rest or rust: The New Jersey Devils whipped the New York Rangers in four straight in the first round, and it looked like the unbeaten streak the Devils finished the season on was a portent of their potential to make some noise in the playoffs. That steamrollering gave them a week to rest, but it also derailed the momentum the Devils had built up. New Jersey lost the first game of the second round 6-0, to Carolina, and never regained its mojo.

The Mighty Ducks completed a four-game sweep of the Avalanche in the second round, outscoring them 16-4 in the process, which led to an eight-day layoff before the start of their third-round series against the Oilers. Although they were in every game, the Ducks failed to execute with the precision that allowed them to dominate the Avs. They fell to the Oilers in five.

See a trend there? That has to worry Edmonton, a team that had a nice little head of steam. Can the Oilers pick up where they left off after nine days without high-level competition, especially against a team that is coming off a tense seven-game series?

If the topsy-turvy Western Conference demonstrated anything this year, it's the value of Mo. Carolina has it. Edmonton doesn't.

Advantage: 'Canes.

2. Mirror, mirror: Compare the rosters of the two clubs up front and you don't see much difference. Rod Brind'Amour and Mark Recchi and Ryan Smyth and Michael Peca are the gritty, battle-tested veterans. Justin Williams and Sergei Samsonov are the fleet-footed, game-breaking wingers. Andrew Ladd and Raffi Torres are the bone-crushing corner men. Fernando Pisani and Matt Cullen are the depth forwards with a knack for scoring timely goals. Doug Weight and Ales Hemsky are the slick setup artists. Keep going down the lineups and it seems as though these teams mirror each other.

The only real advantage may be in the No. 1 center spot. Not to undersell the already criminally overlooked Shawn Horcoff, but Carolina's Eric Staal is the leading scorer of the playoffs and the forward on either team most capable of dominating a game. Both teams play fast and hard-nosed with an effective forecheck and rely heavily on three lines to balance out the scoring. There's not much to choose from here.

Based on Staal alone, give a slight edge to the 'Canes.