Faceoff Factor

Live To Fight Another Day

Jesse Marshall | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jun 3, 02:01 PM | Hype this story!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but everything the Penguins accomplished last night will mean absolutely nothing if they drop game 4 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

It’s imperative that the Penguins reverse the tale from last year and take this series back to Detroit tied at 2.

That said; let’s take a moment to savor victory.

- If there’s any one Penguin that was prepared for a “one shift at a time” war last night, it was Chris Kunitz. Kunitz registered 11 hits and had some decent looks at the net throughout game 2. A player like Kunitz is invaluable even if he isn’t hitting the back of the net. His ability to create space and wreak havoc in the boards is a necessity on any team, especially one mired in a battle such as this.

- Two years in a row, Sergei Gonchar has emerged as a hero for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a pivotal game against the Red Wings. Last year it was game 5 in Detroit when he took the ice in the third overtime after injuring his back in the third period. His efforts lead to a Petr Sykora overtime winner. Again, last night, with the game on the line, the Sarge made sure the puck found the back of the net. One of the most intriguing aspects of this year’s Cup final is Gonchar’s quest for glory as he has embarked on his third attempt to win the big dance. All three of Sergei Gonchar’s Stanley Cup meetings have been against the Detroit Red Wings.

- The Detroit Red Wings are doing everything they can to neutralize the Penguins home ice advantage. Upwards of 7 red sweaters stayed on the ice for neutral zone faceoff’s last night and changed at the last possible second in response to who Pittsburgh was putting on the ice. The Penguins response was to keep as many players around the bench as possible in order to keep the Red Wings guessing.

- Brooks Orpik’s tenacity was a double-edge sword last night. With the Penguins up 1-0 and taking the play to the Red Wings early in the first, Orpik wandered away from his defensive position to make a frivolous hit near the Penguins bench. The result was a Henrik Zetterberg goal as Sergei Gonchar struggled to contain to Red Wings near the Pittsburgh goal. Later in the first, Orpik took an unnecessary cross-checking penalty on Dan Cleary. Clearly helped the referee’s decision by taking another Detroit Dive, but the fact of the matter is that Orpik needs to be more disciplined in that situation. The ensuing power-play lead to a goal for the Red Wings.

- Evgeni Malkin has been more physical in this series than I can ever recall seeing in his NHL career. He’s engaging players along the boards and, from top to bottom, playing a very complete game. I was concerned that Malkin would disappear after raging on Henrik Zetterberg at the end of Game 2, but he came back stronger than ever and has proved that he can be the “X” factor of this series.

- Despite the NHL’s promise to call Game 3 tighter than the previous two, the officiating was as suspect last night as it has been from the start of the series. The one positive to come out of last night’s match was Ericksson’s interference penalty in the third period. Detroit has been making a living off of subtle interference plays throughout the playoffs and it’s finally come to the forefront. Ericksson’s arms came out and impeded Cooke from getting around him to get to the puck in a clean fashion.

- Detroit’s ‘five up – five down’ style of play can be beat. The Penguins have proved it. They wore the Red Wings down and were able to take it to them for long stretches of play last night. Make no mistake about it; the Penguins have to keep their work boots on to even this series. This is the essence of hockey; crawling back on shift at a time to even things up. It won’t be pretty, but that’s what’s great about it. The Penguins have to continue to get the puck deep and get behind the Detroit defense. They’ve had a plethora of chances, and can continue to do so with the right attitude.

It ain’t over till it’s over, everyone. One shift at a time. The Penguins can even this series on Thursday.