Penguins Take One in Pitt, Beat Detroit 3-2

Sorry I didn’t make it in time to be a part of the game thread, but I’m generally too far on the edge of my seat to post during a game anyway. Much thanks for the shout out though.

A couple of thoughts.

MAF: I thought he played great. He bounced back after what I considered a lack-luster performance in Game 2. Is the save you are talking about the one where he laid out and hit the puck with his stick? If so, I’m not sure if he actually got a piece of that one, I think it was off the post. Though, it did look like he would have stopped it if it was inside the post.

Sydor: I generally like Letang, but Sydor stepped up and added the veteran presence we needed. Nice move by Michel Terrien.

Most importantly the Pens played Pens hockey like we wanted them too. It was fast paced, hard hitting, and lacking a plethora of penalty minutes. Hopefully the Pens can win game 4 and even up the series. Like you said Frank, the Pens can still win in six.

I’m a bit hoarse from my yelling yesterday, but it was well worth the effort, I say.

I have to mention – it was a lot easier and much more enjoyable to follow the open thread with the new system. It was my first participation since the switch and I have to say that I like it a whole lot.

Tough night to be a Detroit sports fan yesterday, what with the Wings going down, and then switching over to see the Pistons claw back from 17 down to cut it to one, before falling. But the Tigers won, and now the Royals are back in their customary last place hole. Gotta hold on to something….

Oh yeah, watched the replay of the Hall goal…couldn’t help noticing the Penguins skater get his foot tangled up with Osgood as he was on the side of the net….probably more of an interference than either of Game 2’s penalties. Not taking away from the goal, that sequence should be up among the best highlights of the year….

One more thing, based on a parapharse of something said about Detroit’s goal in the first couple of games, can’t remembere if I saw it here or not….but basically, the person was going on about how all of Detroit’s scores were garbage goal, not skillful.

Don’t agree with that at all, especially what with Samuelsson opening goal of the series, where he outskated the Pens D and scored on a wraparound, but to each his own opinion. That said, I hope they’d agree that both of Crosby’s tallies last night fits under the same category. Both were scored from being in the right place at the right time, rather than from any display of his prodigious skills.

Both Franzen’s and Hall’s goals were things of beauty….

I think it was in the comments section one the on-line versions of one of your newspaper.

It was just a comment that rankled, because it was just dumb. Didn’t mean to impugn anyone around here….

Besides, I thought Detroit’s second goal defelected in off the Pittsburgh’s D-man’s stick, so I’m certainly not claiming it to be anything special.

The thing about Hall’s goal, for me….well, last night I compared it to a few goals Brendan Shanahan scored for the Wings over his years in Detroit, and I always loved those, where he’d be behind the goal line, no angle whatsoever, but he’d shoot at an exposed part of the goalie and bank it in. Deliberate shots that most people wouldn’t take, because of low percentage that they’d actually go in. I thought Hall’s goal was similar, he saw Osgood moving, and took a chance, and it paid off. Smart move, good aim, thing of beauty in my book, even if it was for the other team….

I just recently joined the blog. I have mainly been involved in the Steelers blog up to this point, but I wanted to join in here, too.

I have to say I’m very glad that the Penguins stepped it up last night and finally got a goal, and a win. I hope that maybe they were a little overwhelmed the first two games, or else had a letdown from thrashing the Flyers in the last game, and they are back to playing great like they had all playoffs.

I read through the game thread, and I have say, FrankD, you and some of the other commenters have great senses of humor. A couple of comments had me laughing pretty hard. :)

No rushing it though – we have a cup to win first.

damned right.