Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 Preview: Penguins Hots Red Wings
Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League
May 31, 01:06 PM | Hype this story!
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| Series Preview — Schedule — FF Predictions — Media Predictions | ||||||||||||||
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8:00 @ Mellon Arena |
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| Inside The Game |
| We have ourselves a series after the Penguins dug deep with a gutsy
Game Three performance Wednesday night. But possibly equally as
important as the win was the potential loss the Red Wings suffered, not
on the scorecard, but in their lineup. Power forward and goaltender agitator extraordinaire, Tomas Holmstrom, left the game with roughly six minutes left and did not return. While conflicting reports have him with no injury, with a groin injury, and with a knee injury, NHL.com simple says he is a game-time decision for tonight, which is a clear signal that something is bothering him. Holmstrom may not have been the most dangerous Red Wing this series, but anytime a player of his caliber is injured, it certainly is a boost for the opposition. Tonight, the Penguins will face another pseudo must-win situation. If they lose, they’re not out of it, but it will be a monumental task to win twice in Detroit. But, if they win, all they’ll need is one victory on the road. "For us, basically, [Game 4] is a do-or-die game," winger Petr Sykora said to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We know that if we can come up with a win, there is a lot of pressure on them, going into Game 5 [Monday at Joe Louis Arena]. "Basically, the whole Stanley Cup playoffs is going to [come down to] the game [tonight]. We’ve worked so hard to get to this position. This is a big chance for us, to tie it up, 2-2. You never know what’s going to happen then." The focus for the Penguins will be on more of the same. More scoring, more defense, more physicality, and more dominance. If they can build on a successful Game Three and put together a 60-minute effort, they’ll be in great shape. Just like Wednesday night, the Penguins must control the tempo of the game and get the first goal. If that happens, chances for success are great. But what might make their chances for success even greater is the veteran wearing #10 for the Penguins. Gary Roberts yesterday stated the obvious when he noted that, though he isn’t announcing retirement, this likely is his last run for the Stanley Cup. "Deep down, I know this is probably the last time for me," Roberts said, according to the Post-Gazette. What does that mean? Well, with Roberts’ leadership abilities and the respect he has earned from his teammates, it would be hard to imagine the Penguins going down without a major fight. The Pittsburgh Steelers won one for Jerome Bettis a few years back, and this Penguins team is looking to win one (more) for Roberts. "We know we’re up against a great club. The first two games, it didn’t look like we were going to make it a series, obviously. We’ve made it a series, and now it’s up to us to continue with momentum." To do so, the Penguins must follow these three keys: 3. Continue to punish the aging Red Wings. While not "old," the Red Wings are older and quicker to wear out. 2. Stay out of the penalty box. At some point, the Red Wings’ power play will kick into gear. 1. Score the first goal. Before the series, I said the first goal might win every game, and that is holding true. |
| Playoff Team Statistics | ||||||||
| GF/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | Home | Away | L 10 | Streak | |
| Penguins | 3.18 | 2.06 | 22.4 | 87.8 | 9-0 | 4-3 | 6-4 | 1 win |
| Red Wings | 3.37 | 1.79 | 19.0 | 87.8 | 8-1 | 5-4 | 7-3 | 1 loss |
| Series Leaders | |||||
| Stat | Penguins | Stat | Red Wings | ||
| Goals | 2 | Crosby | Goals | 3 | Samuelsson |
| Assists | 2 | Hossa | Assists | 3 | Stuart |
| Points | 2 | Crosby / Hossa | Points | 4 | Stuart |
| PIMs | 14 | Roberts / Talbot | PIMs | 6 | Franzen / Holmstrom |
| GAA | 3.33 | Fleury | GAA | 1.00 | Osgood |
| Sv% | .913 | Fleury | Sv% | .954 | Osgood |
| Series Results | |||
| In Detroit | In Pittsburgh | ||
| Game 1 | Detroit wins 4-0 | ||
| Game 2 | Detroit wins 3-0 | ||
| Game 3 | Pittsburgh wins 3-2 | ||
| Game 4 | |||
| Game 5 | |||
| Game 6 | |||
| Game 7 | |||
| Injuries | |||
| Penguins | Injury | Red Wings | Injury |
| Eaton, IR | Torn ACL | Holmstrom, DTD Franzen, DTD Kopecky, IR |
Lower Body Injury Concussion Sprained MCL/Torn ACL |
| Note: Info up-to-date as of 12:00 pm, Saturday, May 31, 2008. | |||
Comments
Dabich
May 31, 03:54 PM
I was wishing Roberts would stick around for a couple more years. Looks that isn’t to be. That’s sad.
Looking forward to the game tonight, just the same.
Head Coach Michel Therrien
May 31, 05:44 PM
De game tonight will be bigger dan de joke dat is de Detroit media an our own Ron Cook.
I can tell you dat der is an eleckticity running throo de player dat I ‘ave not seen before. De know dat dis game is a turning point of de serie’.
De are prepare an’ ready to pay de price tonight.
Tonight you will see de meaning of sacrifice, discipline, an’ focus.
De Mellon will be louder dan it has ever been before tonight an’ we plan on delivering a victory to our fan.
Focus. Discipline. Sacrifice.
Michel
Dabich
May 31, 08:33 PM
Go git ‘em boys!
Dabich
Jun 1, 09:36 AM
Sunday morning. How disappointed I am. I know they have to lose another one, but the series is over. If I had to target one thing that was our downfall last night, it would be the powerplay.
BUT...
There’s always next season :)
Ashley Gallant
Jun 1, 09:48 AM
Dabich – it certainly does look like it’s over (sorry HCMT). It will take a miracle for the Pens to win the next 3 games. Even though it’s disappointing, this group of guys has learned a great deal in the last week and it will only make them better in the future. Last year they had their butts kicked in the first round, and now they’re in the Finals. I know it’s a cliché, but sometimes you got to lose it all before you can win it all.
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