If you didn't know (you probably didn't), it's the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Detroit Red Wings. After last night's 5-0 route of the Penguins by Detroit, Detroit leads the series 3-2, heading back to Pittsburgh for Game 6 on Tuesday night. Any momentum the Penguins had following their Game 4 win at home was completely obliterated as the Wings took over the game.
DETROIT
Impressive Detroit Players
1. Darren Helm - Helm seems like he's everywhere at once, constantly backchecking the Penguins forwards as well as throwing his body around like a wrecking ball on the forecheck. He's not overly flashy, but he has a nice combination of speed and physicality that makes him an ideal energy player. Turn on the game, and you're likely to hear his name within the first 10 seconds of viewing. I'm not even sure if he ever leaves the ice.
2. Pavel Datsyuk - Sat out Games 1-4, and, of course, once he's back for Game 5, the Wings take it 5-0. His two assists are nice, but the scoresheet donuts for Malkin and Crosby show the true importance of Datsyuk to this team.
3. Chris Osgood - Osgood has, realistically, not been particularly impressive. He was decent in Games 1 and 2, but luck was on his side, and he was exposed in Games 3 and 4. However, the Game 5 shutout was "vintage" Osgood; to put it simply, he only has to be good, not great, to win games. Most of the time, he doesn't even have to be good, which is helpful, considering he's...y'know...not that good. Don't underappreciate him, though. If the Wings take the Cup yet again, that will be Osgood's 4th Stanley Cup ring.
Detroit Player That Needs To Be Better
Marian Hossa - If anything, do it to save yourself the shame. Hossa left the Penguins at the end of last season because he thought Detroit had a better chance of winning the cup. In defense of his play, Hossa hasn't been able to catch too many breaks, but if he can get himself going then Detroit should be able to pull away with the series. It would probably help if spent less time plowing into Penguins backup goalie Mathieu Garon, and more time scoring. The man is a villain in Pittsburgh, and it's up to him to justify his decision.
Detroit Player Whose Name I Like
Justin Abdelkader
PENGUINS
Impressive Pittsburgh Players
1. Maxime Talbot - Talbot is a player in a similar mold to that of Helm. Fast and...rambunctious, Talbot is a key depth player. He is part of the heart of this Penguins team, and his 2 goals in Game 3 were key. He also gets the superstar treatment:
2. Sergei Gonchar - Gonchar deserves some credit for playing through his knee injury, and he's an important piece on the power point as well. Furthermore, he's avoided another one of these:
Jekyll and Hyde Pittsburgh Players
1. Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin - For Pittsburgh, it's all about home ice. Crosby and Malkin have combined for 8 points on home ice, while only 2 on the road (Malkin has both!). After Malkin's disappearance act last year, both players have showed up in a massive way for the playoffs. However, Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are two of the best defensive forwards in the league, if not the two best. Crosby and Malkin need to break free of them not at only at home, but on the road, regardless of whether they're getting the matchups they want or not.
Furthermore, at certain times in the series, it's been obvious that Detroit is inside their heads, whether it's Malkin going after Zetterberg at the end of Game 2 or Crosby's unneeded slash on Zetterberg (I couldn't find the video, so I just went with that one) during Game 5. In general, though Crosby has seemed frustrated, whether it's an extra slash or shove while fighting for a loose puck in the corner or having friendly chats with Kirk Maltby (video here). Both players have been stifled in Detroit, and they don't like it one bit.
2. Marc-Andre Fleury - Same for Fleury. Fleury's two best performances came at home. In contrast, he let up 5 goals before being pulled in Game 5. Last year, Fleury was the one constant in the Penguins Finals run; he showed up to play every night. He needs to do that again this year if the Pens have any hope of a comeback.
Things Dan Bylsma Needs To Do
Not let the team lose their composure like at the end of Games 2 and 5. Game 5 gradually deteriorated into a guessing game of which Pittsburgh player would take a run at or slash which Detroit player. Surprsingly, Chris Kunitz only received a roughing call after pulling Darren Helm out of a scrum and punching him, while Helm covering his head was obvious sign he wasn't in a fighting mood. Malkin got away without a suspension at the end of Game 2, despite an instigator penalty for a similar crime. All of Bylsma's regular season success is for naught if he can't pull this team together now.
OTHER STUFF
Tip of the hat to Detroit coach Mike Babcock for bringing the team this far again. Regardless of the talent level the Wings have, he brings it all together phenomenally.
Chris Kunitz, brought in from Anaheim for Ryan Whitney, has only 1 goal in 22 playoff games.
The Penguins have 3 players that played for the Islanders within the past 2 seasons: Ruslan Fedotenko, Bill Guerin, and Miroslav Satan. I don't know why this is relevant.
The White Stripes are pretty good. Check 'em out.
-brett
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