Red Wings

Truncated edition because I dragged my sorry *** to Hurley's to hoist a couple with the Habs Inside/Out Summiteers.

I know: it's a filthy job, but someone has to do it.

The game?

Very exciting ... and would have been more so if Georgers Laraque's back were still bothering him.

It's SRO in Canadiens' sick bay, but BGL has returned to lose a fight in Washington and take six minutes of first-period penalties against Detroit.

And it should have been more.

I mean, c'mon.

How is that hit on Kronwall, which damaged the MCL in his left knee, not a five and the toss?

The Canadiens took six minor penalties in the first period, handing two 5-on-3s to a team with a textbook power play.

As previously announced, you guys are on your own for the climactic game of a very long hockey season.

My dear friend, the beautiful barrister, is singing Tosca at La Scala tonight, and I'm on a 9 a.m. flight to Milan. Should make it just in time for the curtain to rise ... just as the curtain falls on hockey for 2008-'09.

In the immortal words of the Grateful Dead, what a long strange trip it's been.

I'd review the Canadiens' season, but would rather save my tears for Puccini.

As a special treat for Habs Inside/Out readers, the Living Legend of Sports Journalism is handling the live blog tonight:

Pre-game: That rocket's red glare song sounds familiar. I think they used to sing it at the Olympia.

1P 20:00: Come with me now to the anxious moments before Game 6 of the 1958 final ...

Just kidding. Red Fisher will be home watching the game ... like everyone except me.

Enjoy it and post lots of Comments.

Game 7 at the Joe on Friday.

Tyler Kennedy, of all people, scores the winner in a 2-1 thriller. 

Superb efforts by Jordan Staal, Marc-André Fleury, Rob Scuderi 

I went out to a bar when it was 5-0 after two.

Total domination by the Wings.

I just want this to end in six because I have something on Friday night.

And the Penguins are looking awfully darn good.

They took control in the second period, played textbook lead protection in the third and now it's best of three. 

In the third game in four nights, the young Penguins own the third period with a 10-3 shot advantage.

They keep the puck in the Detroit zone for 1:25 on a PP before Sergei Gonchar scores the winner.

Max Talbot, who played his usual energetic game, scored an empty-netter to make it 4-2. 

On 32 occasions, teams have taken 2-0 leads in the Stanley Cup finals.

They've won it all 31 times.

Pittsburgh has a HUGE mountain to climb.

And who the heck is Justin Abdelkader? 

 

Justin Abdelkader scores the insurance goal early in the third period, caping a 3-1 win.

Pretty decent game .... although Detroit was in complete control once they got the two-goal lead.

They'll be at it again tomorrow at 8 p.m. 

Our friend Steve Kerley, who kindly supplied scouting reports and asute analyses all through the season, weighs in look at the final weighs in with a look at the final.

I really don’t care who wins the Cup once the Habs are out but I would
imagine that most hockey fans are picking the Wings to win it all this
year.  I still feel it will be a close series and the Pens just might
win it due to the following factors:

This is how much the NHL cares about its players:

The league's showcase series begins with exhausting, injury-risking back-to-back games.

The Penguins and Red Wings begin the Stanley Cup final Saturday night at 8 in Detroit. Game 2 will be played on Sunday, time to be determined.

The series resumes in Pitsburgh on Tuesday and Thursday.

Game 5, if necessary, will be in Detroit on Saturday, June 6. A Game 6 would be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, June 9.

If a Game 7 is necessary, it will be played in Detroit on Friday, June 12.

All games are on the CBC. Games 1, 2 and 5 through 7, if necessary, are on NBC in the U.S., with Games 3 and 4 on Versus.

I have to do some research for my Gazette City column tonight.

So I'll miss what I fully expect to be the final game of the Western Conference finals.

I'll catch up on Comments when I get home. 

Can the Penguins dethrone Detroit?

Time to start thinking about it. 

Patrick Sharp ends a helluva hockey game ... with Cristobal Huet as the winning goaltender.

Props to those kids: the blow a 3-0 lead against the champs and then hang in and win. 

 

Mikael Samuelsson wins it a little over five minutes into overtime, completing a brilliant passing play with Valterri Pilppula and Jiri Hudler.

Hreat, great game.

And a bitter pill for the young Hawks, who got a HUGE effort from Nikolai Khabibulin. 

Were those the real Montreal Canadiens?

During his post-game remarks, Guy Carbonneau said there were four or five crucial games in the course of a regular season that define the character of a hockey team.

Canadiens are 1-for-1.

They were up against the toughest opponent they've seen through the first quarter of the season.

They beat the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings – and it wasn't a fluke.

The Stanley Cup champion had lost two games in regulation since the beginning of the season.

Make that three.

The Canadiens played textbook hockey for 40 minutes and hung on down the stretch to beat Detroit 3-1. Goals by Maxim Lapierre, Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins.

Johan Franzen undressed Ryan O'Byrne – who'd been great – to spoil Carey Price's shutout bid. 

Price made 15 saves in the third period, 32 on the game for his 10th win of the season.

Great team effort.

No passengers on the bus. 

Ryan O'Byrne
Tomorrow is another day.

The world didn't end for Canadiens defenceman Ryan O'Byrne, whose own-goal Monday sent the Habs into overtime and a shootout against the New York Islanders, a game Montreal ultimately lost 4-3.

O'Byrne wasn't talking this morning after a quick practice before the Canadiens flew to Detroit for Wednesday's game against the Red Wings. But he had the support of his teammates and his coach, Guy Carbonneau, who all agreed that these things happen and you move on.

Carey Price will be in goal against Detroit, and Jaro Halak is expected to see action either Friday in Washington or back home Saturday vs. Buffalo.

Guillaume Latendresse practised today and will be re-evaluated tomorrow to see whether his shoulder is good to go against the Wings. Georges Laraque won't make the trip, having experienced a "setback," in Guy Carbonneau's word, with a balky groin. He'll remain in Montreal for treatment.

Max Pacioretty called his father this morning to tell him he'd be playing on a line with Robert Lang and Alex Kovalev.

Pacioretty père hung up the phone, jumped in his car and drove seven hours from Connecticut to Montreal, where Max-Pac had left him two tickets for the game.

Was it worth it?

A goal against the Stanley Cup champs. Another goal in the shootout.

First star of the game.

The kid is 19 years old.

Wow!

Audio:

• Max Pacioretty on what's becoming a dream camp.

• Robert Lang on rounding into shape.

• Guy Carbonneau on roster decisions, Max-Pac, Carey Price, etc. ... in French and English

Final Pittsburgh flurry notwithstanding, for Canadiens fans the last game of the 2007-'08 hockey season was déja vu all over again.

From nhl.com

The best team in hockey won the Stanley Cup.

The gutsiest team in hockey made it close.

And Pittsburgh, battling back from a 3-1 deficit late in the third period, came within inches of sending Game 6 into OT.

So a series that started slowly turned into a classic. And the skill of both teams produced some beautiful hockey.

Henrik Zetterberg – the best two-way player in hockey – won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The whole series was a triumph for smart, clean, thinking-person's hockey. 

More from nhl.com

At least for Game 6 tomorrow night, the Penguins have an edge.

Actually, two edges.

From nhl.com:

From nhl.com:

THE SKINNY

Jordan Staal wins a face-off against Dallas Drake in a pre-season game played at Joe Louis Arena on September 21, 2007. Wings win West | Pens win East

Both
these teams managed to finish at or near the top of the NHL standings
in 2007-08 despite injuries to key players. Detroit hit some bumps in
the road during the second half of the season without captain Nicklas Lidstrom and offensive defenseman Brian Rafalski, while Pittsburgh played a large chunk of its season without captain Sidney Crosby and No. 1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury due to ankle injuries.

Several weeks into the playoff journey, two hockey-crazed cities will
duke it out through the two weeks to determine who will be the 2008
Stanley Cup champion. As a hockey fan, you truly couldn't ask for much
more than this.

Truth be told, this series pits Goliath vs. Goliath. Both teams possess superstar forwards, as Crosby is joined by Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa. On the opposite side of the ice, the Red Wings counter with phenomenal two-way forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk,
who combined for 189 points during the regular season and are finalists
for the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward.

Both teams have also dominated their opponents in the postseason. The
Penguins stormed through the first three rounds, going undefeated at
Mellon Arena en route to a 12-2 record. They took a 3-0 series lead on
the Philadelphia Flyers
in the Eastern Conference Finals, lost Game 4 and then eliminated any
doubt with a 6-0 drubbing of their in-state rivals on home ice in Game
5 to advance to the final round.

Detroit also took a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals before dropping Games 4 and 5 to the Dallas Stars
-- their first two losses after a franchise-record nine-game winning
streak. But just like Pittsburgh, the Wings enjoyed a convincing win in
the clincher, coasting past the Stars 4-1 in Game 6 at Dallas' American
Airlines Center.

CRYSTAL BALL

Detroit will win if -- The
Red Wings skate with the Penguins. Unlike previous rounds, the
Penguins' skill level won't be miles ahead of their opponent. Detroit
must enter the series believing it can go toe-to-toe with Pittsburgh
and get the proper matchups against Crosby and Malkin, who will do
everything they can to keep goalie Chris Osgood busy. Detroit could help itself by finding a way to win at Mellon Arena -- something Ottawa, the New York Rangers
and Philadelphia were unable to accomplish in the first three rounds of
the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While the Red Wings have home-ice advantage
in this series, they'd certainly do themselves a service by picking up
a win or two in the Steel City.

Detroit will also be counting on All-Star netminder Chris Osgood – who replaced Dominik Hasek
as the go-to guy in the middle of Round 1 – to continue his solid play.
The 35-year-old allowed just nine goals in four games against Colorado.

Pittsburgh will win if -- Jordan Staal
continues to play an offensive role, which would take some pressure off
the shoulders of Crosby and Malkin. While Staal only scored 12 goals
during the regular season, the 19-year-old center has picked up his
offensive game considerably in the playoffs with six goals in 14 games.

Also, Marc-Andre Fleury
-- who has a 1.70 goals-against average this postseason -- must be as
reliable as he's been through the first three rounds. Fleury made a
couple of huge saves against the Flyers early in Game 5 before the
Penguins pulled away. Pittsburgh has clearly fed off the momentum its
goaltender has provided. Fleury has three shutouts this postseason.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game 1: - May 24 @ Detroit 8 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS Game 2: May 26 @ Detroit 8 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS Game 3: May 28 @ Pittsburgh 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS Game 4: May 31 @ Pittsburgh 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS *Game 5: June 2 @ Detroit 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS *Game 6: June 4 @ Pittsburgh 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS *Game 7: June 7 @ Detroit 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS * if necessary

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FAST FACTS

Lidstrom * Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, who has played at least 15 playoff games in seven different playoff seasons, surpassed Steve Yzerman's franchise playoff record of 196 postseason games this season. * Detroit goalie Chris Osgood, who was 9-0 before losing Game 4 to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals, allowed more than two goals just twice during that winning streak. * Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski, who played in the Stanley Cup Final three times with the New Jersey Devils, has been a minus player in just two of eight playoff seasons. Crosby * Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, who leads the team with 11 power-play points, is just third in average ice time among Penguins' forwards with 19:44 per game. * Penguins left wing Ryan Malone, who averaged 1.79 hits per game during the regular season, is averaging 4.43 hits per game in the Playoffs and is tied for the team lead with 62 in 14 postseason games. * Pittsburgh, which before this season had not won a playoff round since 2001, has allowed an average of just 1.86 goals against in this year's Playoffs.

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X FACTORS Franzen Johan Franzen – Whether "The Mule" will be able to play remains to be seen, as concussion-like symptoms have forced him to miss the past five games. Should the 6-foot-3, 220-pound forward be cleared, he must make his presence felt in front of Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Franzen had 12 goals in 11 games before being forced to sit. Staal Jordan Staal – With so many players to choose from -- goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Hal Gill -- Pittsburgh's best defensive forward still stands out. He leads the Pens' forwards in shorthanded minutes and centers the third line, which has proven to be a checking unit that can score. Staal alone has scored three goals in the past two games.

After 110 minutes of hockey, Petr Sykora sends the series back to Pittsburgh for Game 6.

Man of the Match: Marc-André Fleury, a Patrick Royesque 58 saves as Detroit had about a dozen chances to win the Cup.

 Some numbers from nhl.com for stats geeks to pore over while aiting for the puck to drop tonight:

Pertinent numbers from Detroit's 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday night.

0 - Points by Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin
in the first four games of the series. Overall, he's had just two
points in his last eight games after getting 17 in his first 10. His
team-high five shots in Game 4 were one more than he managed in the
first three games combined.

1 - Games lost by Pittsburgh
in the playoffs when scoring first. The Penguins had been 11-0 when
scoring the first goal during the postseason.

1:26 -
Amount of time on Pittsburgh's two-man advantage in the third period.
It was the first 5-on-3 power play in the series. The Penguins couldn't
score.

2 - Seconds after Pascal Dupuis' penalty expired that Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom scored the Red Wings' first goal. Officially, the Wings were 0-for-3 on the power play and are 2-for-22 in the series.

3 - Penalties drawn by Pittsburgh's Adam Hall, who generated half of the Penguins' six power plays despite getting only 10:28 of ice time.

5
- One-goal victories for Detroit in the playoffs. The Wings are 5-3 in
one-goal games; Pittsburgh lost for the first time in four games that
were decided by a single goal.

6 - Goals scored in the
third period by the Red Wings in the first four games of the Stanley
Cup Final, compared to just one for the Penguins. Pittsburgh had
outscored its opponents 20-7 in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

7 - Hits credited to Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart, the most by any player on either side and 20 percent of the Wings' team total of 35, two more than Pittsburgh.

RED WINGS lead series 3-1 Sat May 24: Red Wings 4, Penguins 0 Game Highlights |  Photo Gallery Mon May 26: Red Wings 3, Penguins 0 Game Highlights |  Photo Gallery Wed May 28: Penguins 3, Red Wings 2 Game Highlights |  Photo Gallery Sat May 31: Red Wings 2, Penguins 1 Game Highlights |  Photo Gallery   Mon June 2: Penguins @ Red Wings 8:00pm ET - NBC, CBC, RDS *Wed June 4: Red Wings @ Penguins 8:00pm ET - NBC, CBC, RDS *Sat June 7: Penguins @ Red Wings 8:00pm ET - NBC, CBC, RDS * if necessary

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8 - Consecutive Game 4s lost
at home by the Penguins. Pittsburgh's last Game 4 win at Mellon Arena
came when the Penguins beat Philadelphia in 1997 to stave off
elimination in a first-round series.

10 - Goals by Pittsburgh's Marian Hossa, who took the team lead when he scored a power-play goal in the first period.

11 - Power-play goals allowed by the Red Wings in this year's playoffs, including one each in Games 3 and 4 of the Final.

12
- Number of Pittsburgh players who blocked at least one shot. In all,
the Penguins blocked 21 shot attempts by the Red Wings, with Ryan Whitney, Brooks Orpik and Sergei Gonchar blocking three apiece.

15 - Faceoffs won by Sidney Crosby,
in 24 tries. His performance in the faceoff circle was a big reason the
Penguins won 32 faceoffs to just 22 for the Red Wings, the first time
they've topped 50 percent in this series.

17 -
Pittsburgh's winning streak at Mellon Arena before Saturday's loss to
the Red Wings. The Penguins hadn't lost at home since Feb. 24, when San
Jose won 2-1 in a shootout. They hadn't lost in regulation since
Boston's 2-1 win on Feb. 13.

18 - Times in 20 playoff
games that the Red Wings have out-shot their opponents, including all
four games of the Stanley Cup Final. They are 14-4 in those games.

19 - Marc-Andre Fleury's
winning streak at home, which ended with Saturday night's 2-1 loss to
Detroit. He hadn't lost since Nov. 21, when New Jersey won 2-1.

24 - Points in the playoffs by Crosby, the most of any player in this year's playoffs, after his assist on Marian Hossa's first-period goal. His 18 assists are also tops among all players.

28:23 - Ice time for Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, the most of any player on either team and well above his playoff-leading average of 25:50. Sergei Gonchar led the Penguins for the fourth consecutive game with 26:16.

30
- Shots on goal by the Red Wings, the fewest they've had in this
series. They reached the 30-shot mark for the 17th time in 20 playoff
games this year.

46.2 - Faceoff winning percentage of Detroit's Kris Draper, who was 6-for-13. He came into the game leading all players in the playoffs with a 64.3 percentage on draws.

65
- Shots at goal by the Red Wings, who had 30 on goal, 21 blocked and 14
that missed the net. Pittsburgh had 23 shots on goal, but only 42 at Chris Osgood - 10 were blocked and nine missed the target.

The game ends with Crosby jawing at Henrik Zetterberg.

For all the good it will do him.

Jiri Hudler scored the winner in a tense 2-1 game. The Red Wings have a 3-1 lead going home, and there's every chance this series will end Monday night at the Joe.

Turning point: Detroit killed off a 5-on-3 disadvantage in the third period. Pittsburgh managed but one shot.

The Penguins had 23 in the game to 30 for the Red Wings, who have had a shot edge in all four games. 

Number one star was the great Z, whose defensive play was superb ... and frustrating for Sid the Kid.

Who would have picked Adam Hall to score the winner?

It was that kind of game: unpredictable. Sidney Crosby scored twice and played his heart out as Pittsburgh clawed its way back into the Stanley Cup final. 

Detroit did not go quietly. Trailing all  night, the Red Wings got goals from Johan Franzen and Mikael Samuelsson to keep it close. 

Marc-André Fleury stood on his head – especially in the third period, when Detroit outshot the Penguins 16-5.

So, maybe this will turn into a classic final after all. 

It's not a must-win for Pittsburgh.

Game 2 is, however, a must-not-play-like-crap for the Penguins, who were pathetic over the last 40 minutes of Game 1.

Nicklas Lidstrom was not a dominant force for Detroit in the opener. Henrik Zetterberg scored the Wings' fourth goal, but the top line didn't carry the offensive load.

And still they romped.

The key was puck possession. Through the second and third periods, the Wings constantly had the biscuit – which means the Penguins didn't.

When you're losing faceoffs and chasing the puck all night, fatigue becomes a factor. And regardless of young legs and star power, you don't want to be tired against a team like Detroit.

The first goal of the series was a classic example. Coming off a shift by the Valtteri Filppula line during thwich the puck didn't leave the Pittsburgh zone, Mikael Samuelsson was able to accelerate and cash a wraparound against Penguins who were totally gassed (an unfortunate metaphor, with connotations of the Nazis conquering Antarctica).

All by way of saying the Penguins will have to be a lot better tonight. A second stomping and they're toast.

Check back later for live blogging.