Pens waste opportunites, Wings one win from Stanley Cup

By: Byron Parker

The Detroit Red Wings bounced back from their Game 3 loss the other night with a win in Pittsburgh, snapping the Penguins 17 game home win streak. Nicklas Lindstrom scored for the Wings in the first period several minutes after the Pens struck with their first goal by Marian Hossa. After a long and physical second period, the score remained tied at 1-1. But Jiri Hudler came through for the Wings in the third period by shooting a backhand behind the Pens goalie, Marc-Andre Fluery. It looked like it could've been an easy stop, but Hudler found a way to get it to the back of the net and that is what happened to be the
difference in the game. If he made took the same shot with Fluery staying aware, there is a small chance that he would get the same results.

Chris Osgood bounced back by holding the Pens to 1 goal with 22 saves. He has arguably been one of the best players for the Wings throughout the postseason. He is now 13-3 in these playoffs and he is highly deserving of the Hart Trophy. Many Detroit fans have ripped Osgood for over the years, but this is a guy who has led the Wings to a Stanley Cup already and he arguably has HOF numbers. Osgood leads the Wings franchise in many of the goalie categories, and he has proven why he is one of the best in these playoffs. He's had his flaws, but when it comes to making stops in big moments, he does it. If you saw the 5 on 3 advantage that the Pens had last night, Osgood was able to stay focused and make the stops that were needed in order for the Wings to gain their men back. It was hard to believe that the offensive threat(s) that the Pens pose weren't able to come through at that time, considering that they had the advantage for almost two minutes.

The defense also deserves a ton of credit for that penalty kill. The way they were able to block off shots and clear the puck out on occasions to kill the penalty time was tremendous. Henrik Zetterberg was particularly the one who played outstanding on that penalty kill by competing the whole time. On the other side, the Pens didn't execute well at all; at least at that particular time.

The Pens didn't play all that bad throughout that game. There were a lot of missed opportunities, great shots and exceptional defense in that game. They just happened to run into Osgood when he was at his best (which seems to have been throughout this whole post season). The only time where you could point out a crucial moment for the Pens was on that 5 on 3. It was tough for them and they had their biggest opportunity during that advantage. They took some good shots and they took some bad shots, but most were bad shots. After that advantage was complete, the Pens wouldn't find a better time to score because it looked as though the Wings put their heads together and stopped committing unnecessary penalties, and also tried to keep the puck out of their zone for the most part of that third period.

The keys for the Pens to get it together is for their stars to get it together. Sure, Sidney Crosby had a good game in Game 3, but he was on the ice for the most part of that spoiled, 5 on 3 advantage. We've seen Crosby on the power play and it isn't a secret that he is dangerous in that situation. But when you have a 5 on 3 advantage, you can't allow three guys to crowd their sticks in the lane to hold you scoreless in that situation. He was really a non-factor in Game 4. Still, Crosby has contributed a hell of a lot more than Evgeni Malkin who has been more than a non-factor; he's been non-existent. He still remains scoreless and heartless. Malkin was a Hart Trophy finalist coming into this series, but that hasn't motivated him one bit in this series. It's
like watching Ray Allen when lost his touch in the some of the games of the NBA Playoffs, or watching Rick Ankiel when he lost his control in 2000 during the NLDS. The outcome will probably end up similar to Ray Allen because we won't see Malkin come back several seasons later in a goalie's uniform. Malkin won't remain in this mode, but he will need to show some kind of life in Game 5 in order to give the Pens a chance to win this. It's hard to call him a choke, but that may be exactly what he is doing.

With probably their best opportunity of the game (5 on 3), and possibly of the series being spoiled, and one of their best players who doesn't seem to have his head on straight, the Pens find themselves in a deep 3-1 whole to a veteran-poised team who have the home-ice advantage going into Game 5. A series that many were wishing to go in the Pens favor, or at least a little deeper than five games, may be wrapped all up at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Monday night. It will take 3 consecutive wins for the Pens to knock off the Wings, and history shows that the chances of that happening are the same as gas prices hitting $3.00 a gallon--very low.