Faceoff Factor

A Game That Can Only Be Described as "Epic"

Ben Schmidt | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jun 3, 01:47 PM | Hype this story!

This was a game that can define a team. Do they go quietly into the offseason, or do they fight, claw, bleed and sweat their way to another game? For these Penguins, there was not even a question.

Everybody wants to write and talk about this game, because it was one of those games that everyone will be talking about for years to come. So I hope everyone will forgive me for indulging with my own commentary, even if it might repeat a bit of what others have said.

There are just so many amazing stories in this game, so many things that go into making this a true epic:

- The Penguins take an early 2-0 lead, only to see it slip away and become a a 3-2 Red Wings lead. Despite that, they don’t give up, and tie the game, then go on to win in triple overtime. This was the fifth longest game in Stanley Cup Final history.

- Ryan Malone takes a puck to the face in the second period, breaking his nose for the second time this series, and returns to play in the third period, and even dives again to try to block a shot. He ends up screening Red Wings Goalie Chris Osgood for the game winning goal.

- Purely on a “feeling”, Coach Therrien puts Max Talbot in as the extra attacker with less than a minute left in regulation. Talbot rewards that hunch with the game-tying goal, with only 36 seconds left on the clock.

- After Sergei Gonchar leaves the game in the second period with an injury, the five remaining defensemen pick up their games, despite the extra workload, even as they have to continue to add his minutes to their own going into triple overtime. None more so than the oft-maligned Ryan Whitney, who probably played the best defensive game of his life. He ended up playing over 50 minutes.

- Gonchar’s story doesn’t end there, as he comes back to the game in the third overtime period to take his place on the powerplay. He gets the second assist on the game-winning goal.

- Petr Sykora tells everyone that he’ll be the one to score in overtime. And then he does just that.

- The number one hero of the game, however, has to go to Marc-Andre Fleury, who simply refused to lose that game. He made 55 saves on 58 shots, several of the spectacular variety. In one game he compiled a highlight reel that most other goalies would be proud to have as a career compilation.

At this point, even if the Penguins don’t pull off the series win, this game made it worth it all. The Penguins have proven that they deserved to be in the Stanley Cup Final, and have proven that they can play with a team like the Red Wings. And maybe, just maybe, if they can keep it up? Well, I, for one, am still daring to hope.

As a final note, I’ll say that while we all know that Fleury is going to get a nice long-term contract this summer, I’d like to see Talbot receive a long-term extension this summer as well. He’s given everything to this team, he’s shown that he’s a clutch performer and a playoff warrior. He’s not a high-profile scorer, but when he does score, they are almost alway big goals. He’s the kind of player that I want to see wearing an ‘A’ next to the Penguin on his chest someday in the future, and I think the Pens owe it to him and to themselves to make sure he’s around long enough for that to happen.