NHL Stanley Cup Final: Penguins Beat Red Wings 4-3
The Penguins entered Friday's finals game full of confidence. Even with the records against them, despite the fact that only one team in the history of the NHL had won a Game 7 on the road in the Stanley Cup Final, These Pittsburgh kids came out with big hearts.
The Penguins wins 2-1 a heart breaking Game 7 against the defending champion Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena with the weight of history conspiring against them.
"We heard all these stupid stats about how a team hadn't done 0-2 since 1971 or something and all these other Game 7 stats," defenseman Brooks Orpik told NHL.com "But I thought we just did a good job of blocking all that out and staying confident the whole series." That confidence was the best thing the Penguins have.
After a scoreless and somewhat tame first period, Pittsburgh took the lead early in the second on the first of Max Talbot's two goals. Talbot was in perfect position to score over the turnover by Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart. Once he had the puck on his stick, he just ladled it between the leg pads of Detroit goalie Chris Osgood at 1:13. Almost nine minutes later, Talbot scored again. This time, he pounced on chip pass by teammate Chris Kunitz to lead a 2-on-1 against Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall. Talbot avoid the pass and fired a wrister from about 15 feet that zipped over Osgood's glove and nestled into the far corner.
With Crosby on the shelf after injuring his knee in a collision with Johan Franzen in the second, centers Evgeni Malkin, who was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and Jordan Staal played huge minutes.
