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No clincher by the Detroit Red Wings in Pittsburgh, not this time in Game 6. Marc-Andre Fleury wouldn't let it happen as a wildly unpredictable Stanley Cup finals is now going the distance.
Third-line teammates Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy gave the Penguins a two-goal lead, and Fleury held off the defending champion Red Wings repeatedly during a frantic third period as Pittsburgh beat Detroit 2-1 on Tuesday night to tie the finals at three games.
Game 7 is Friday night in Joe Louis Arena, where Detroit is 3-0 in the series but, as the oldest of NHL playoff adages goes, anything can happen when a single game determines who raises a silver trophy.
Fleury, yanked during Detroit's 5-0 blowout in Game 5 after giving up four goals in the second period, regrouped to make 25 saves and hold off the Red Wings, who are trying for their fifth Stanley Cup since 1997 but, if they win it, will do so without a win in Pittsburgh.
"He was unbelievable for us," captain Sidney Crosby said.
The Red Wings won the Cup by taking Game 6 in Pittsburgh 3-2 last year but were denied a second successive clincher there, and on the 25th anniversary of one of the biggest days in Penguins' history: the drafting of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux in 1984.
No silver trophy, not on this silver anniversary.
"They won more races and more battles, had more play, were on top of us more and kept us to the outside," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
Crosby taped an NHL commercial last summer in which he watched the Red Wings celebrate wildly, then vows that it won't happen again. In nearly identical circumstances, it didn't as the Penguins forced the first Stanley Cup finals Game 7 in their 42-year history.
"We weren't thinking about last year at all," Crosby said. "But now we've got an amazing opportunity."
Staal broke a scoreless tie that followed a Pittsburgh-dominated first period by scoring in the first minute of the second period and Kennedy made it 2-0 early in the third.
After that, it was all Detroit as Kris Draper scored and the Red Wings, desperately trying to avoid a Game 7, kept pressing for the tying goal but couldn't get it despite getting their only two power plays of the game.
"They had desperation," Detroit's Darren Helm said. "They played hard from the start. It took us until the third period to get going."
Staal, whose key short-handed goal carried the Penguins to a 4-2 victory in Game 4, broke in with Kennedy on a 2-on-1 break after Pittsburgh gained possession in the neutral zone. Staal's initial shot deflected off goalie Chris Osgood's chest, but Staal gathered the rebound near the right post and pushed it in only 51 seconds into the second.
Detroit, outshot 15-4 at the start, finally began generating some offensive momentum only to have Kennedy, who like Staal has scored in each of Pittsburgh's last two home games, made it 2-0 at 5:35.
Ruslan Fedotenko and Maxime Talbot pressured to keep the puck in the Detroit zone, allowing Kennedy to gather it behind the net and carry it in front. Osgood stopped his initial shot but Kennedy pushed in the rebound.
"He made a goal out of nothing," coach Dan Bylsma said.
A two-goal lead with Pittsburgh playing with discipline and determination looked big, but the Red Wings sliced it to 2-1 when an undefended Draper -- one of four players who has been on all four of Detroit's Stanley Cup winners since 1997 -- grabbed Jonathan Ericsson's rebound in the left circle and put it past Fleury 2 1/2 minutes after Kennedy scored.
The Red Wings' best chance to score on their two unsuccessful power plays came when Fleury left the puck in the crease, but defenseman Rob Scuderi alertly whacked it away. Fleury also made a big save on a Dan Cleary breakaway with 1:41 remaining, and the game ended with a flurry in which the trailing team couldn't score -- just as Game 6 did last year when the Penguins nearly scored in the final second.
One play -- and one missed opportunity -- illustrated the difference between last year's Game 6 and this one. Late in the second, Henrik Zetterberg faked going to his backhand and instead put a forehand under defenseman Hal Gill that struck the left post and lay in the crease.
Last year, on a similar shot by Zetterberg, Fleury sat on the puck and accidentally pushed it into the net for the game-winner in Detroit's 3-2 victory. This time, Fleury calmly covered up the puck.
"It's a great feeling [to win]," Fleury said.
Third-line teammates Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy gave the Penguins a two-goal lead, and Fleury held off the defending champion Red Wings repeatedly during a frantic third period as Pittsburgh beat Detroit 2-1 on Tuesday night to tie the finals at three games.
Game 7 is Friday night in Joe Louis Arena, where Detroit is 3-0 in the series but, as the oldest of NHL playoff adages goes, anything can happen when a single game determines who raises a silver trophy.
Fleury, yanked during Detroit's 5-0 blowout in Game 5 after giving up four goals in the second period, regrouped to make 25 saves and hold off the Red Wings, who are trying for their fifth Stanley Cup since 1997 but, if they win it, will do so without a win in Pittsburgh.
"He was unbelievable for us," captain Sidney Crosby said.
The Red Wings won the Cup by taking Game 6 in Pittsburgh 3-2 last year but were denied a second successive clincher there, and on the 25th anniversary of one of the biggest days in Penguins' history: the drafting of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux in 1984.
No silver trophy, not on this silver anniversary.
"They won more races and more battles, had more play, were on top of us more and kept us to the outside," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
Crosby taped an NHL commercial last summer in which he watched the Red Wings celebrate wildly, then vows that it won't happen again. In nearly identical circumstances, it didn't as the Penguins forced the first Stanley Cup finals Game 7 in their 42-year history.
"We weren't thinking about last year at all," Crosby said. "But now we've got an amazing opportunity."
Staal broke a scoreless tie that followed a Pittsburgh-dominated first period by scoring in the first minute of the second period and Kennedy made it 2-0 early in the third.
After that, it was all Detroit as Kris Draper scored and the Red Wings, desperately trying to avoid a Game 7, kept pressing for the tying goal but couldn't get it despite getting their only two power plays of the game.
"They had desperation," Detroit's Darren Helm said. "They played hard from the start. It took us until the third period to get going."
Staal, whose key short-handed goal carried the Penguins to a 4-2 victory in Game 4, broke in with Kennedy on a 2-on-1 break after Pittsburgh gained possession in the neutral zone. Staal's initial shot deflected off goalie Chris Osgood's chest, but Staal gathered the rebound near the right post and pushed it in only 51 seconds into the second.
Detroit, outshot 15-4 at the start, finally began generating some offensive momentum only to have Kennedy, who like Staal has scored in each of Pittsburgh's last two home games, made it 2-0 at 5:35.
Ruslan Fedotenko and Maxime Talbot pressured to keep the puck in the Detroit zone, allowing Kennedy to gather it behind the net and carry it in front. Osgood stopped his initial shot but Kennedy pushed in the rebound.
"He made a goal out of nothing," coach Dan Bylsma said.
A two-goal lead with Pittsburgh playing with discipline and determination looked big, but the Red Wings sliced it to 2-1 when an undefended Draper -- one of four players who has been on all four of Detroit's Stanley Cup winners since 1997 -- grabbed Jonathan Ericsson's rebound in the left circle and put it past Fleury 2 1/2 minutes after Kennedy scored.
The Red Wings' best chance to score on their two unsuccessful power plays came when Fleury left the puck in the crease, but defenseman Rob Scuderi alertly whacked it away. Fleury also made a big save on a Dan Cleary breakaway with 1:41 remaining, and the game ended with a flurry in which the trailing team couldn't score -- just as Game 6 did last year when the Penguins nearly scored in the final second.
One play -- and one missed opportunity -- illustrated the difference between last year's Game 6 and this one. Late in the second, Henrik Zetterberg faked going to his backhand and instead put a forehand under defenseman Hal Gill that struck the left post and lay in the crease.
Last year, on a similar shot by Zetterberg, Fleury sat on the puck and accidentally pushed it into the net for the game-winner in Detroit's 3-2 victory. This time, Fleury calmly covered up the puck.
"It's a great feeling [to win]," Fleury said.
