Faceoff Factor

Guts And Glory – A Look Inside Game 5

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jun 3, 10:45 AM | Hype this story!

With a 2-0 lead entering the second period, the Pittsburgh Penguins had confidence on their side, and they knew they had the Detroit Red Wings thinking a bit.

The problem, however, was that the Penguins didn’t put the game away when they had a chance.

Three Red Wings goals later and the Penguins were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with an empty net behind them.

Max Talbot came up huge with garbage goal with just over 30 seconds remaining, and Petr Sykora put the game away in the third overtime period with his power play goal.

And the rest is history.

So here are some of the game’s storylines that may have flown under the radar a bit.

“Bones” Malone

Ryan Malone is a tough hockey player, and he wears the battle scars to prove it. But last night, “Bugsy” – or “Bones” as he may start being called – took a Hal Gill slap shot to the face and left the ice in a hurry.

As if that isn’t painful enough on its own, Malone already was dealing with a broken nose suffered in Game One of the series.

That didn’t stop him from returning to the game and playing his typical “in-your-face” style of hockey.

Sarge Gets Drilled

Just seconds before Malone left the ice in a bloody state, Sergei Gonchar was escorted off the ice by Penguins trainer Chris Stewart after colliding with the boards awkwardly.

Like Malone, he returned to the game, though not for long. After testing his back, he realized it wasn’t ready to go, and the veteran defender stayed on the bench through the remainder of the third period and the first two overtime periods.

It wasn’t until the Penguins earned a four-minute power play in the third overtime period that Gonchar returned to the ice, and within seconds, he made his presence felt.

“During the first two overtimes I was getting treatment and started to feel better and better,” “Gonchar said to the Canadian Press:“http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEdycGSbzQBG5K8nPtbrMhcU1p1w in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. “So I decided to give it a try. It worked out well.”

His status for Game Six tomorrow night is uncertain, though he remains optimistic that his back will be ready.

“I hope so,” he said. “I will have to try and skate. We’ve made progress so far and hopefully that will continue and I will be able to play in Game 6.”

Sykora The Psychic

Midway through the second overtime, Petr Sykora tapped the glass at the end of the Penguins’ bench and told NBC analyst Pierre McGuire that he was going to end the game.

Several minutes later, that prediction almost came true, as Sykora found himself in the penalty box for hooking. But with a superb penalty kill effort by the Penguins, and a third overtime penalty by the Red Wings, Sykora was able to fulfill his prophecy by scoring the game winner.

Flower Power

Throughout his Junior career and the early parts of his professional career, Marc-Andre Fleury struggled to shake the label that he couldn’t handle the pressure of big-time games.

That notion clearly is long gone, as the 23-year-old goalie turned aside 55 of 58 shots and earned the number one star of the game last night.

“That’s going to be huge for him, “ coach Michel Therrien said in a post-game press conference. “He was outstanding tonight. He was outstanding in overtime, and both goalies obviously played really well. But no doubt Fleury, probably his most important win in his career.”

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

It’s no secret Gary Roberts is among the most popular players currently on the Penguins’ roster. His fan-favorite status could possibly put him among the most popular Penguins of all time.

But his popularity and respect isn’t just with the fans.

According to various sources, the 42-year-old veteran addressed his teammates before last night’s game.

Clearly his words had a lasting effect on those wearing the black and gold, as the Penguins came away with a win that could go down in history as one of the most gutsy performances of the Stanley Cup Finals – assuming the Penguins find a way to win two more.

Baby Penguin In The Mix

Defenseman Alex Goligoski got a taste of NHL action earlier in the season, but likely figured he’d spent the rest of the year in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton “Baby” Penguins, who are down 2-0 in the Calder Cup Finals.

But, with Kris Letang attending Luc Bourdon’s funeral, Therien and GM Ray Shero didn’t want to take any chances, so they gave a call to the AHL’s second leading post-season scorer.

The plan was in place for extreme circumstances in which a defender got hurt in practice and Letang’s flight did not arrive on time.

As it turns out, neither happened, and Letang was on the ice for the pre-game skate, though he, nor Goligoski, dressed for the game.

It’s better to be safe than sorry.