Tuesday, June 3, 2008

So you're tellin' me there's a chance...

Whoo hooo!!! I don't have to stop any more shots tonite!

Sorry Red Wings, but you can tear down the plastic, put the champagne away, stop polishing that Cup, and put it back in it's case. You can also put that “We want the cup” chant on hold…

We want the Cup too, jagoffs!

In one of the greatest hockey games I’ve ever seen, the Penguins managed to hold off the Wings in an unfriendly environment and deny them the Stanley Cup. This game kept you on the edge of your seat for nearly 110 minutes of gameplay as these two teams battled late into the night.

The game was back and forth all night, but one stabilizing factor was the ridiculous play of goalie Marc Andre Fleury. The Flower was nothing short of amazing last night, but there were other heroes as well.

Tyler Kennedy, 21 years old, and Jordan Staal, 19, were both flying around the ice in the overtime periods like men possessed. These young guys seem to never run out of gas. TK made up for taking a penalty in the 3rd period that led to the game-tying goal, with his outstanding hustle in the overtime periods.

Ryan Malone taking a mean slap shot to the face, skating off under his own will power, and returning shortly after shows this guy has guts. And Bugsy would eventually be on the ice for the game-winning goal.

Nobody makes me bleed my own blood...NOBODY!!!

Mad Max Talbot definitely needs a mention here for the effort he put forward last night, to mention that game tying goal he managed to poke in. (did anyone else see him bouncing around on the bench with Malkin before the start of the third OT, what was he taking an IV of red bull between periods?)

Sergei Gonchar sat out nearly the entire overtime, only to come back for the biggest shift of the night. Sarge assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Sykora.

Lastly Petr Sykora who, along with Malkin, has been ripped for being held scoreless throughout the Final got the last laugh as he buried a wrister past Osgood to send the Penguins fan base into a frenzy late into the night.

Man of the evening...

With their backs pushed against the wall the Penguins managed to withstand the best effort of the Wings and to push back enough to prolong the game and eventually win it.

After an exhausting game the Pens head home with some momentum (and 18,000 fans) behind them. One has got to wonder how much energy this older Red Wing team has left and what they will do to adjust their game plan tomorrow. As Snack mentioned, this is just the type of game that could turn the series around.

Ladies and Gentlemen we are going back to Pittsburgh, and back to the Mellon Arena for the last home game of the season (why not sell out one more). I can only imagine what the scene will look like inside (and outside) the Igloo on Wednesday night.

Be sure to get your rest tonight, because Wednesday night is going to be bananas!

Some links for dat ass

120 Minute Men

Detroit gave it their all last night, firing 58 shots at the Flower, but it wasn’t enough to get the job done. So where does that leave the Red Wings now?

The Penguins defense is just full of quotes this season, here’s another gem from Rob Scuderi, talking about getting whacked in the face with the stick in OT, “I was praying for blood.”

NHL.com breaks down the numbers from that marathon game last night.

Is a $50 Penguins jersey too good to be true? You bet it is. If your buying your jersey off some guy’s folding table or out of a cardboard box in some shady alley downtown, then chances are it’s a bootleg.

It’s not too often a player “calls their shot”, but it happened last night thanks to Petr Sykora. That takes balls my friend…

Cancel that celebratory parade scheduled for today Detroit, and pack your bags, cuz you're goin' back to the Burgh!

Until lata...

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