I hate using the word "luck" in sports. I don't think teams win because of luck, or lose because they got unlucky. But I'll say this: the Pittsburgh Penguins better not change their socks or shave their bears for Game 6 on Wednesday night.
But one guy who was good, and wasn't just lucky, was Marc-Andre Fleury. He stopped 55 of 58 shots (.948 percentage), including all 24 shots in overtime. It was one of the best playoff performances by a goalie I've ever seen. Anything less, and Detroit would have walked away with the game (and the Cup) in regulation.
The Penguins shot out to a 2-0 lead, but then Detroit turned on the gas, absolutely dominating the 3rd period. The Penguins didn't even manage a shot in the 3rd until about 8:30 into the period. Brian Raflaski put Detroit ahead 3-2 with 10:37 left, and it all seemed over.
Pittsburgh only managed to get 4 shots on net in the 3rd, but that was all they needed. 35 seconds before the Stanley Cup was to be brought onto the ice, Max Talbot, in the midst of a desperate maelstrom of attacking Penguins, smacked home the game tying goal, and we went to overtime.
50 minutes of bonus hockey later, and Petr Sykora scores the winning goal on the power play. Now the series goes back to Pennsylvania.
But Detroit still has a monumental edge. Even with a career performance by Fleury, the Penguins narrowly escaped elimination. Last night's 3rd period was an example of the utter domination Detroit is capable of. Evgeni Malkin is still turning the puck over. Henrik Zetterberg is still beating Sidney Crosby. The series got a little more interesting, but it will be over soon.
And this morning I bet $20 that Detroit would win. I even offered 2:1 odds, but she didn't want odds. So now it's personal.
-The Commodore
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