GreatBallsOfFire

Gimme a break. You conveniently left out the quote where he said Zetterburg made a good play on his stick. Sid is a fighter and there's no reason he needs to bow down at the alter of the mighty Henrik Zetterburg who has all of 1 assist and 1 garbage goal in this series so far. Maybe after the series he can give credit to where credit is due, like maybe Samuelsson or Lidstrom, but until then he's going to focus on his team which is where his focus should be. Crosby has been giving interviews since he was 10 years old and almost never says the wrong thing, never, not once. He is remarkably composed for someone so young and THAT is why he is the face of the league. He has been labeled a whiner by other jealous fans in the league because of incidents like in Philadelphia his rookie year when Darian Hatcher knocked his two front teeth out with an illegal two-hand crosscheck to his face and no penalty was called, and Crosby had the nerve to complain to the officials or media afterwards. He will dominate this league in the years to come.

..and Pens fans were saying exactly the same thing going into game 4. Home ice is way overated. Pens can win in Detroit if they outhustle them like they did in game 3, but to win 3 in a row against them now will be extremely difficult. Why would ANY Detroit fan be worried at this point? You're up 3-1.

You can speculate all you want, but thats all it is - pure speculation. My guess is the Pens would've given any of those teams a hardfought series just like they are doing with Detroit who are one flubbed 5 on 3 powerplay from possibly having this series tied at 2-a-piece. If the teams you listed were so great why did they not give Detroit a better fight in their series? Why did both Colorodo and Dallas not win game 3 like the Pens did when it was a MUST WIN down 2-0 in the series? Maybe cuz they weren't as good as the Pens.

Malkin has had an incredible season and first 3 rounds of the playoffs. He absolutely deserved to be nominated for the Hart. If you'd have watched him play those 90+ games you would realize this as well. Detroit has done a terrific job of shutting him down (or perhaps he's injured) in this series though because he's been nothing like he was previously. Even Pens fans are turning on him talking about trading him for next year which is ludicrous. Zetterburg and Datsyuk haven't exactly lit this series on fire either, so the same could be said about them, while you're 2nd and 3rd liners like Samuelsson have stepped up with huge goals they had not scored previously. They have made a huge difference in this series. Sometimes your opponent just has your number and you match up poorly against them overall. This is likely the case with Malkin. Please also remember as you said that he is just a 21 year old kid and that also may be a reason for his lack of focus. Think back to when you were 21 and ask yourself if you could do what Malkin has done this year and the answer is most likely no. He has been incredible and to throw him under the bus now is pitifully sad and immature from the Pens fans that are doing so.

Huge win for Detroit last night. They deserve a lot of credit for again forcing the Pens into playing their style of game and hanging on to win it in a close fought game. The Pens could not answer the bell when needed and are now really up against it down 3-1, but it ain't over just yet. Obviously the 5 on 3 was a golden opportunity wasted, but its good to see at least a couple Wings fans here admit it was a legitimate call and I hope that Wings fans also can finally admit the obstruction that occured previously was legitimate as well. Last night there were by my count at least 4 indisputable obstruction calls against the Wings that the refs made and they were exactly the type that Therrien was complaining about in games 1 & 2 which were going uncalled. I'm not saying they were the deciding factor in those first 2 games, but they existed nonetheless, and Therrien was forced to put pressure on the refs to pay better attention to it whether he wanted to or not. He may have come across as whining, but its the SCF and the coach has to stick up for his team if he thinks the playing field is tilted to one side more than the other. Last nights game proved yet again that the Wings do in fact employ subtle obstruction play to compliment their stellar team skill play and that is a big reason they are 1 win from raising the Cup. Even though the Pens lost I'm glad they did so on a level playing field last night and the game was all the more entertaining as a result.

Gee, that means a whole lot coming from someone who just joined this site at the end of April.

Fact is, this is a brand new series if the Pens win Saturday night as hard as that may be for many arrogant Wings fans to admit. I know the Wings players realize this and they will most likely bring their best game yet of the series to try and prevent that from happening. You cannot deny that we have momentum coming off a hard fought win after two embarrassing shutouts. Thats why its a 7 game series. Momentum can change everything. The Pens did not get lucky or catch the Wings on a bad night, they outplayed them and DESERVED to win. They now understand what it takes to win a Cup Final Game and are very capable of doing it yet again to tie this series up. The obstruction argument is being a bit overplayed, but it still exists nonetheless, not that I expect fans here to admit that. Ozzie the staypuff marshmallow diver however is a different story...he may need to go back to beginers skating class with the chairs to help him stay on his feet a little better.

um, ok...sure bud. My point is that of course Detroit has no reason to cry over non-calls because they are getting the majority of them. It will be interesting to see how they fair when things get tilted towards the Pens a bit maybe and our PP is able to really capitalize. I didn't neccessarily like Therrien's complaining either, but everyone knows thats the coach's job to work the officials if their team is getting shorthanded more often than not. Babcock will be doing the same if the roles are reversed in the future I'll guarantee that. I give credit that Detroit is damn good at the obstruction style of play they employ. Unless you're really watching for it you don't notice because it is so subtle and they are coached so expertly at doing it without receiving penalties. I still think you would've won games 1 and 2 regardless, but it certainly didn't hurt your cause to have the refs on your side as well. The Pens didn't realize that they just have to hustle twice as hard as a result and play through it which they did in game 3. Now that they realize what they're up against maybe the rest of the series will have a different story. I also credit Detroit for overcoming the no-goal call in game 1 which indeed was bogus and that's what good teams do. You've managed to hold Malkin in check for 3 games now which is very impressive, but that just means he's probably going to have a big breakout game very soon...hopefully on Saturday night.

Maybe you missed the fact that the Wings had 5 powerplays to the Pens 3 in the game, or was that not enough of an advantage for you? In fact for the series Detroit now has a 19-11 advantage in powerplays and you guys want to whine about the officiating?

Analysts have been stating over and over that the Pens lack of faceoff success would play a crucial part for the first three rounds of the playoffs. So far it hasn't meant a damn thing really, but if Wings fans want to fall into the same trap so be it. The Pens play great as a team also, just as Detroit does which is why this series has such great potential. Malkin will have his share of opportunities all said and done. You may contain him for games 1 and 2 but by game 3 or 4 he will produce, or vice versa. He is a beast and imposes his will on his opponents when he determines, not the other way around. If he wants the puck bad enough he will find it. Hal Gill has served his purpose well since being added to the team. Many Pens fans were NOT happy at all when he was picked up but have been pleasantly surprised by his decent play so far. If he continues at the same level in the finals the Pens will benefit, but he certainly is getting more praise than he is worth. Detroit has the edge defensively no matter which way you slice it, and to argue otherwise is pointless. Luckily the Pens have enough lines to roll that are capable of filling the net when your best pairings are not on the ice. As usual this series may come down to special teams. Both teams have killer PP's and when the opportunity presents itself both sides will have to capitalize. Philadelphia for all their crying could not score on the PP when they needed and it basically killed them. I don't expect the same incometence from Detroit, but if they can be kept to a minimum the Pens will find success. The potential for SH goals looms large as well which the Pens cannot afford. Whether or not Franzen plays or is 100% could obviously play a huge role in this series also. Detroit needs him in there to take some pressure off their big guys if they falter. Players for Wings fans to watch out for that have lesser roles on the Pens but are critical to their success this year and may possibly turn the tide for the Pens are: Kris Letang - very solid puck moving rookie defenseman who is a bit on the small side but is not afraid to take or give a check when the situation is called for. Jarko Ruutu - supreme agitator who can draw/take penalties and chip in the odd goal when you least expect Maxime Talbot - huge energy guy that is a leader both on and off the ice for the team I have a very healthy respect for Detroit as a team heading into game 1 as do most Pens fans on the whole I think. They are have a lethal combination of offense and defense that will take the Pens best effort to overcome, but they are not without their weaknesses. Osgood is solid, but not sensational. He can be broken. Nor can your #1 line be on the ice the entire game - when they sit down to rest is when the Pens must jump on the attack. Few Pens fans see this series lasting shorter than 6 games, but judging from this look behind enemy lines the opposing side seems to see things differently. No matter the reason, it can only benefit the Pens to be viewed as the underdog, so we will gladly take the disrespect with a smile and wait until the puck is dropped to find out the truth.