Nightfall

Such an obvious penalty.

Please take off your red wing glasses.

Damn, no one in front. Ozzie has to have that one. I think it was unscreened.

You are right. I thought it was Leino. My bad.

Could be that too....we shall see.

Good call on Leino. He can't put his arm around the guy. Pretty damn obvious.

I thought Eddie O. was a homer or something.

Wow! Franzen! What a goal.

Cleary sold that call. I hate to say it, but he did. It was just a nudge.

Wow! Lazy effort there by the pens. 1-1 tie.

Its what happens when one team has their back against the wall and the other team plays without a care in the world.

And when you don't have a defender on that guy in the slot.

Just as you said that they had 2 in front.

Pens are the better team so far. They obviously are playing with desperation.

The Pens are pressing 3 people in deep and its paying off for them so far.

Two golden Pens chances. Followed by one Wings chance.

I have to agree here. Yes, as a wings fan, there were times I yelled for a penalty. As a hockey fan though, I could see penalties called against the wings that were never called. Invite some friends who root for the other team over to watch the game with you sometime. If you get fans from both sides in the same room, you will hear nothing but "where's the penalty" 20 times a period. The game has changed over where it was back in the mid 90s. I remember in 1995 when the Devils won the cup and it was nothing but a clutch and grab fest. I got fed up with the interference that I saw in the NHL about a year before the lockout. Today, we don't have any of that clutch and grab stuff. Today, the fans complain about the hooks and interference, but it was nowhere near the level as where it was back in the 90s. The refs have done a great job in the finals so far. Only the blatant stuff is getting called and I like it. The Wings fans like to complain about interference on various members of their team, but none of the Wings fans want to acknowledge the little bits of interference they are using on the Pens. The little stuff is not being called which means more 5 on 5 time. If they are going to call the game like that, then I approve. If they are going to tighten it up a bit and call the little things, I say thats great. Let the players know and each team will get 5-7 power plays instead of the 2-3 power plays they have had in the last two games. So long as they call the game fairly, something the refs have done very well. There is no conspiracy here Wings fans. If you honestly believe that, you are biased, dumb, or most likely both.

Speaking from someone who has seen an NHL game in places like Dallas, Columbus, and Chicago, I can tell you that Joe Louis is past its prime. Sure, its awesome to see a game in, but the arena sucks. Its the only sporting arena I can go to and have the privilege of waiting in line 15 minutes to use the restroom. Women have it much worse off. The American Airlines Center in Dallas is beautiful. Every seat has a good view, plenty of bathrooms, and there are many little shops and bars on each level. Does the arena factor into my decision to buy tickets there? It does in a way. I live in Grand Rapids which puts me 3 hours away from Detroit and 3.5 hours from Chicago. If given the opportunity to see a game, I would rather travel to Chicago and see a game because the arena isn't run down and the tickets were always plentiful and cheaper. I will have some decisions to make next season when Chicago sells more tickets. If Chicago wasn't a factor, I have an HDTV at home and part of me would rather stay at home and watch the game on that than travel to Detroit to see a game. If the arena was nicer, I would make more trips thats for sure.

Its not game 4 yet. Hossa does his big scoring in game 4, remember? I think its going to be a 3-2 game. Pens get some goals and pressure, but Fleury flops on one shot that proves to be the winner. I wish it was going to be a 3 goal difference with Detroit being in the drivers seat. I just don't see that happening though. If its a 3 goal difference, I see it going to the Pens for playing desperate and the Wings for sitting back and just going through the motions. The only way the Wings win this game is if they match the intensity. Games like that usually yield only a 1-2 goal difference in the end.

You are right, that post was written of ignorance. The Wings can win this one, but they are going to have to play their collective asses off for it. The Pens know if they lose this game then they will almost certainly lose the series. They will come out with all guns blazing for this game. Just like in other games when a team could go up 3-0, they really had to battle to win them. Seems like the team with their back against the wall plays with more desperation than the team that is up 2-0. Last year in the finals the Wings were outhustled and beat by the Pens in game 3, but it was Crosby and Hossa who took the team on their backs for that game. Will Crosby and Malkin do the same this year? Detroit has a great opportunity in front of them, but it depends on how they play.

I heard the same thing, but Sammy would be playing if he feels better. If he isn't though, then Drapes is in just as you said. Gotta wonder how sick he is, and if he has the flu or something. It would surprise me if he woke up feeling good enough to play after missing the skate earlier.

Can you link the article? I just scoured Mlive looking for it and I can't find it. The only one I can find is one from yesterday which says he is out.

They inforced it a lot this season. There were also instances where it wasn't enforced. Just like the rule says, there can be circumstances when they won't enforce a suspension. http://www.freep.com/article/20090531/COL22/90531047/?imw=Y Glad someone from Detroit agrees with me that there shouldn't be a suspension.

You do realize that we have superstars as well that are bypassed for penalties during games don't you? Otherwise, I agree. The rule is dumb, and if Campbell is going to evaluate every one of these, then it shouldn't be in black and white in the rulebook.

You are right. Detroit has also turned the puck over 43 times in the last 2 games. Thats just crazy in addition to the lack of focus. In order to win in Pittsburgh, the Wings are going to have to play their best games yet.