Ann 22008 NHL Stanley Cup Finals: Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 5 REVIEW
June 4th 2008 00:53
Desperate Penguins defeat slack Red Wings 4-3 in third OT.
I don't know what happened to the Red Wings last night. The red machine was nowhere to be seen. It was replaced, instead, by a flat, disinterested team which was simply going through the motions. The first period was their worst performance in the playoffs and it's no surprise that the Penguins found themselves with a commanding 2-0 lead at the end of that period. The Wings were playing so badly that they were booed off the ice after that disastrous period.
The second period was more of the same with the Red Wings playing a bit (just a bit) better than the first. They managed to reduce the score at 2-1 when Darren Helm fired a shot that deflected on Brooks Orpik's leg, fooling Fleury in the process. Then, all of the sudden, the Wings cranked it up in the third. It was like a different team had stepped on the ice after the second intermission. They were back to their puck-possession style, rarely giving it away and endlessly frustrating the Penguins. They equalized the mark six minutes into the period thanks to a powerplay goal by Pavel Datsyuk (who picked a good time to finally score in this series). Three minutes later, Brian Rafalski gave the lead to the home team and the crowd was back into it, repeatedly chanting “We want the Cup!” They didn't count on the Penguins to crash the party.
With less than thirty seconds left on the clock, Maxime Talbot put the game at 3-3 after the Pens sacrificed their goalie for a sixth skater. And my brother (who was waiting for the game to finish, he hates hockey) was pissed at me when I told him that it wasn't over yet. Even worse, I told him, it wasn't going to be over until a team scored. And so, overtime began.
Both teams were careful during the overtimes. However, the referees didn't seem to want the game to go on forever as they dished four penalties over the course of the three overtimes – two goaltender interference (which were borderline calls at best), one hooking (which really didn't make sense since the refs had stopped calling those halfway through the second period), and one double-minor penalty for hi-sticking. That last penalty would be the ring of death for the Red Wings as the Penguins scored on the ensuing powerplay to claim the win and take this series back to Pittsburgh for a sixth game.
I was really disappointed by the Red Wings performance last night. They had all the reasons to play a great game after winning the previous contest at the Igloo. Instead, they gave back to the Penguins the confidence that they had lost after the defeat, and now the Pens are probably anticipating the sixth match with glee. Osgood is slowly but surely playing himself out of the running for the Conn Smythe Trophy after being shakey in front of his net last night. His performance worsens with every game and he seems to have a weakness when the other team's forwards position themselves behind his net. On the other side, Fleury was once again impeccable and is the sole reason why the Penguins are still here.
On a side note, Babcock was wearing his lucky McGill tie. The tie was 3-0 before last night. Maybe Guy Carbonneau should have called him to say that ties' winning streaks stop at three.
I don't know what happened to the Red Wings last night. The red machine was nowhere to be seen. It was replaced, instead, by a flat, disinterested team which was simply going through the motions. The first period was their worst performance in the playoffs and it's no surprise that the Penguins found themselves with a commanding 2-0 lead at the end of that period. The Wings were playing so badly that they were booed off the ice after that disastrous period.
The second period was more of the same with the Red Wings playing a bit (just a bit) better than the first. They managed to reduce the score at 2-1 when Darren Helm fired a shot that deflected on Brooks Orpik's leg, fooling Fleury in the process. Then, all of the sudden, the Wings cranked it up in the third. It was like a different team had stepped on the ice after the second intermission. They were back to their puck-possession style, rarely giving it away and endlessly frustrating the Penguins. They equalized the mark six minutes into the period thanks to a powerplay goal by Pavel Datsyuk (who picked a good time to finally score in this series). Three minutes later, Brian Rafalski gave the lead to the home team and the crowd was back into it, repeatedly chanting “We want the Cup!” They didn't count on the Penguins to crash the party.
With less than thirty seconds left on the clock, Maxime Talbot put the game at 3-3 after the Pens sacrificed their goalie for a sixth skater. And my brother (who was waiting for the game to finish, he hates hockey) was pissed at me when I told him that it wasn't over yet. Even worse, I told him, it wasn't going to be over until a team scored. And so, overtime began.
I was really disappointed by the Red Wings performance last night. They had all the reasons to play a great game after winning the previous contest at the Igloo. Instead, they gave back to the Penguins the confidence that they had lost after the defeat, and now the Pens are probably anticipating the sixth match with glee. Osgood is slowly but surely playing himself out of the running for the Conn Smythe Trophy after being shakey in front of his net last night. His performance worsens with every game and he seems to have a weakness when the other team's forwards position themselves behind his net. On the other side, Fleury was once again impeccable and is the sole reason why the Penguins are still here.
On a side note, Babcock was wearing his lucky McGill tie. The tie was 3-0 before last night. Maybe Guy Carbonneau should have called him to say that ties' winning streaks stop at three.
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