In a Stanley Cup Finals where the home team has won all six games, Game 7 should be absolutely electric as the Pittsburgh Penguins head back to Detroit to face the defending champion Red Wings.
In a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, the young Penguins, led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, will have to win on the road to avoid witnessing another Red Wings’ championship celebration.
Game 6 saw a hectic finish as Penguins’ goalie Marc Andre Fleury withstood a barrage of Red Wings’ shots to preserve the victory. He outperformed Red Wings’ goalie Chris Osgood by the slimmest of margins in a 2-1 victory that helped Pittsburgh erase the memory of the 5-0 trouncing it received in Game 5.
In the 2008 Finals, the Penguins were forced to endure a Detroit celebration on their home ice; the image forever burned into their brains.
Crosby was so upset that he recorded a commercial in the offseason addressing the subject, vowing to not allow it to happen again. The Penguins would like to repay the favor this year and celebrate in Detroit, ridding themselves of the bad taste in their mouths.
Pittsburgh led throughout Game 6, but barely hung on for the victory. Goals made by guys not named Malkin or Crosby were key as they prevailed with neither of their stars – No. 1 and 2 in scoring for the entire postseason, respectively – scoring for the second game in a row. Detroit’s ability to neutralize Pittsburgh’s dynamic duo in Game 6 left the offensive burden on guys like Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy.
The Red Wings are looking to win their fifth Stanley Cup since 1997. History is on the Red Wings side as the last six home teams have won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The last road team to win a Game 7 was the Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Blackhawks 3-2 in 1971.
Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg has scored 24 points this postseason, and Osgood has held Pittsburgh to only two goals in all of the games in Detroit. The Red Wings know that their home ice advantage is a big key to keeping the Cup in the Motor City.
Fleury needs to have the game of his life Friday. He should play with reckless abandon because everything is on the line.
The Red Wings know Crosby and Malkin will not be held scoreless for the third consecutive game. Plus, Pittsburgh has revenge on its mind.
My bold prediction is the Penguins will break through on the road and win Game 7, the first in their Stanley Cup history. Although Pittsburgh has struggled away from home in this series, one has to believe that ‘Sid the Kid’ and Malkin will play like the young superstars they are.
The Red Wings are similar to the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs because they get it done every season. But as the Spurs and Red Wings have aged, they have become increasingly vulnerable. The Penguins, who also want to taste glory, can dethrone Detroit.
The Red Wings have history on their side, but Pittsburgh is set to change history and win the city’s second major sports title in the last six months.
Crosby wins Stanley Cup Finals Most Valuable Player as the Penguins pull through adversity and win Game 7, 3-2.
NBC will broadcast Game 7, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.
