GAME DAY: SCP '09, TUESDAY JUNE 2, STANLEY CUP FINAL--DETROIT AT PITTSBURGH, 800 PM ET

McLean is really letting into Bettman. Gary gives me the impression of a guy losing an argument and grasping for any fact to uphold his whole argument on...it's just sad.

I was just lied to for 10 mins.

time for a speedy third period

Pitt with a huge PP oppty...

gonchar gets the pp goal

Guerin with the nice screen...

Can Pitt hold on for the win?

Yup.

Pens win 4-2.

We have a series.

Yes, Gonchy got the winner.

Yes, Mad Max sealed the deal.

But the Pens had a Very Important Visitor to their dressing room before the 3rd period...who gave them the inspiration to beat the Wings tonight.



And, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a SERIES!

Game on. Fun, let's see if they can tie the series on Thursday.

BTW, Ericsson is one of the best young defenders in the game. I'm stunned at how far he's come. He's diddling awesome. Amazing shot, great in his own zone.

Did you guys catch that slap pass to Hossa in the slot. Should've been a goal, thing of beauty.

DTR suggested that he might be the heir apparent to Lidstrom when he retires and I laughed.

I ain't laughing anymore.

Watching how their scouting manages to pick out these kids, I can't help but get excited knowing that Ottawa now has one of their former top scouts working for us.

(God, that was awkward wording...)

shabbs wrote:Pens win 4-2.

We have a series.

Tell me again tomorrow. Still no Datsyuk and Samuelsson should have sat out in favor of Draper. I bet Draper is back in tomorrow, maybe Datsyuk as well.

Zetterberg without having to shadow Crosby: 4 shots, 1 goal, 1 assist, +2.
Crosby: 1 assist, -1.

The refereeing was not even. They let everything go, then call Cleary for holding. Technically, by the letter of the law, it was holding. However he was passing a slower guy and pushing him out of the way, as opposed to trying to slow someone down. With all the stuff that was not called, why call that particular one? I did not see (yet) the interference call on Ericsson, but with everything that the Pens got away with in the final 10 minutes or so, I certainly hope that Ericsson got a pound of flesh from the guy he interefered with. And Pittsburgh was just holding on in the 2nd -- they are lucky they only got the one penalty.

But I don't want to use that as an excuse; Detroit will have to be both, more disciplined (not that 3 penalties is a lot) and better on the PK. How do you edge the Pens in face off for the overall game, but lose three draws in a row when killing a penalty?

Osgoode was weak on the goal between his legs. Keep the stick on the ice and that shot goes in the corner. Yeah, yeah, Cherry pointed out that it was deflected a bit by the defenseman, but if you keep that big paddle on the ice the puck stays out.

Do we have a series? Not yet, IMO. Detroit still outplayed them for large stretches, Crosby is still not performing like he needs to (for Pens to win this it's going at least 6, and Malkin won't carry the load for that long). With Draper in and, possibly, Datsyuk as well, tomorrow will be a different game.

We have "a series" in the sense that it's not 3-0 Wings with them on the verge of a sweep. It may be short lived if the Wings win tomorrow and go up 3-1... but for now... it's a series.

shabbs wrote:We have "a series" in the sense that it's not 3-0 Wings with them on the verge of a sweep. It may be short lived if the Wings win tomorrow and go up 3-1... but for now... it's a series.

Well, yeah, sure. The fat lady will sit down and have a sammich, but only because she's getting hungry.

HA HA! She'll have a lamb shank me thinks...



Mmmmmmmmmm lamb....

Did you see Cherry pointed out that they were playing with six skaters for about 20 seconds? How can four men, charged to notice such things, completely miss that? Oh, they catch the puck fired over the glass, they call it hooking when you tap someone with your stick "parallel to the ice" (can someone explain to me what that's even relevant? Chara and St. Louis will never get called for that one). But when there's a four-man cycle with two more at the points, they miss it?

Shortly after that Detroit gets the holding call and Pens tie it up. But it could easily have been a PP for the Wings and a 3-1 lead.