Stanley Cup Finals Game 3
Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
When it looked like Detroit was going to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, the Penguins storm back and force at least a game 5 in this best-of-seven series. However, the scoring wasn’t done by the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.
Talbot Scores Twice
The Penguins got the scoring started early with a goal from Maxime Talbot. About 5 minutes into the first period, the Red Wings were unable to clear the zone as Kris Letang kept the puck from crossing the blue line. Malkin picked up the puck against the boards, and made a nice pass to Talbot, who one-timed it past Osgood.
This goal was huge for the Penguins. Osgood had been stopping shots like this all series long, but the Penguins were persistent and it eventually paid off. Talbot would later get his second goal late in the third period on an empty net.
Zetterberg Ties It Up, Franzen Gets the Go-Ahead
It would only be a couple of minutes before the Red Wings would retaliate. After Ville Leino drove hard to the net, Henrik Zetterberg picked up the rebound, and put it past Fleury for his first goal of the series, and 10th of the playoffs. The crowd fell silent as any momentum the Penguins had was crushed by Zetterberg’s goal.
After an interference call on Brooks Orpik, the Red Wings would strike again. Zetterberg made a pass to Johan Franzen in the slot, and Franzen got it past Fleury to put the Wings up by 1. For the second straight game, the Penguins go down 2-1 after scoring the first goal.
Letang Strikes On the Power-Play
Later in the first, there was some miscommunication between the Penguins as they had six players on the ice for about 20 seconds. Neither the referees nor the Red Wings noticed and the Penguins would catch a much-needed break.
The Penguins would later go on the power-play. Letang took a shot from the top of the circle that beat Osgood through the five-hole and tied the game at 2. Osgood may have been screened by defenseman Nicklas Kronwall. However, this is a shot that Osgood needs to stop in order for his team to have a chance to win the game.
Gonchar Gives Penguins the Lead
The Red Wings out shot the Penguins 14-4 in the second period. However, Fleury came up big stopping every single one of those shots. Both teams went scoreless in the second period.
About mid-way through the third period, the Penguins went on the power-play again after an interference call on Jonathan Ericsson. On the power-play, Sergei Gonchar received a pass from Malkin and took a shot at the point that got past Osgood. It appeared that Osgood never even saw the shot.
While the Red Wings out shot the Penguins 29-21 for the game. The Penguins shut down the Red Wings in the third period only allowing three shots on Fleury.
Blocked Shots, Power-Play Are Keys For Pittsburgh
The Penguins were so successful in game 3 mainly due to their ability to block shots and execute on the power-play. The Penguins had 18 blocked shots compared to five for the Red Wings. It’s hard to score if people are constantly getting in the way of your shots.
In addition to the blocked shots, the Red Wings penalty killing has been horrendous during this series. They have allowed three power-play goals on six opportunities. For the entire playoffs, they have allowed 18 on 63 chances. If they want to win the cup again, they will have to clamp down on the penalty kill, or stay out of the box.
Game 3 was a must-win for the Penguins and game 4 is more or less the same. The Red Wings can take a commanding 3-1 lead back to Detroit. However, a win for the Penguins would make the series a best-of-three and up for grabs for either team.
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