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Welcome to NHL.com’s live blog for the Stanley Cup Final Game 4. Your host, Dave Lozo of NHL.com, will keep you updated with everything off-the-cuff that you’ll need to know from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer.
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dlozo
May 31, 2008
2008 Stanley Cup Final Live-Blog: Period 3
Above we see Evgeni Malkin, squeezing his stick.
Let me give you my flawed logic behind not liking the hooking/diving or cross checking/diving penalties. To me, it’s one or the other. And here’s why.
Let’s say you’re a cop and you are called to a home where neighbors have reported a domestic disturbance. You get there, and clearly the husband and wife aren’t getting along.
Out of nowhere, the husband slugs the wife in the face. She doesn’t fall. But after a half-second, she locks eyes with you, the cop, then falls back to the floor and starts screaming.
Obviously, you are arresting the husband for assault. But are you really going to arrest the woman for fraud?
That’s the way I look at it. Diving should be for when there was no infraction against the diver. Otherwise, I think it’s OK to get the ref’s attention.
Note: The NHL does not condone domestic violence, nor does it give a crap what I think about the hooking/diving or cross checking/diving situation.
The third period will be getting started in just a few minutes. See you then.
10:08
-And the third period is under way. Also, for you Pittsburgh fans, just thought I’d let you know that the Pirates are beating the Cardinals 14-3 in the bottom of the eighth. So there’s no need to flip to that game.10:12 - Orpik flattens McCarty in front with a loose puck in the crease. But seconds later, Jiri Hudler picks up the puck in front, and beats Fleury over his catching glove on the backhand. It’s all started by a great play by Brad Stuart at the blue line to keep the puck in. Not a terrible goal, but Fleury needs to stop that. He dropped down when Hudler had no angle.
10:13
-I don’t want to get too dramatic, but there is 16 minutes left in the Pens’ season right now. If they go down 3-1, this series is all but over. But keep watching! Ratings, people!10:15 - Power play Wings. A bad play by Fleury. He makes the save, it deflects in the air in front of him, and he whacks it out of mid-air and into the mesh for a delay of game penalty. A mental mistake for sure.
10:17
-The Pens kill it off. About 14 minutes to go, and it’s 2-1 Wings.10:19 - Malkin gets taken down going to the net. As a matter of fact, he slides into the net and dislodges it. No penalty. For the record, Malkin has now put himself into the net more times than he has put the puck into the net in this series. Warmups not included.
10:22
-Olczyk is going at it with McGuire, who feels Crosby’s 15 minutes of ice time aren’t enough. McGuire’s solution is to play him on the PK, something Crosby hasn’t done much of this year. Olczyk disagrees because of the lack of PK experience thing, despite McGuire’s killer point that Crosby is like a Ferrari and you can’t leave them in the garage. You rarely see the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off argument in a situation like this. Besides, we all know Ferraris are fantastic penalty killers, unlike those lazy Porsches who are always cherry-picking.10:25 - Big moment for the Pens. A power play is forthcoming thanks to a Kirk Maltby hook.
10:26
-Bigger moment for the Pens. They get a 5-on-3 thanks to Andreas Lilja interference. It’s 1:20 of bonus time.10:28 - Crosby just misses stashing it in on the side of the net. Great back check by Zetterberg. We have a whistle with :26 to go on the 5-on-3, and the Pens have called timeout with the faceoff just outside of the Wings’ end.
10:30
-And the Wings kill them all off. Pens fans let out a roar after a Malkin shot was stopped because the red light flashed, but it was a big tease. Seven minutes left, 2-1 Wings.10:35 - A long shot by Adam Hall through a screen nearly gets past Osgood, but he makes the save. A shaky save, but those count. Just six minutes left.
10:37
-Remember when Cuba Gooding Jr. won an Oscar? How did it get to the point where he’s wearing Michael Jordan’s underwear in commercials?10:39 -The Red Wings are so disciplined. Expect a clogged neutral zone and lots of dump-ins the rest of the way.
10:40
-And as I say that, Zetterberg leads a 3-on-2 rush that forces Fleury to make two saves.10:40 - Icing on the Wings. 3:16 left. Time out, Detroit.
10:43
-There is no room for the Pens. It’s going to take a great effort or a lucky bounce to get this game. Icing again on Detroit with 2:20 left.10:44 - We’re down to the last 1:30. Fleury still in the crease.
10:45
-One minute left. Net is empty.10:46 - Oh man! After being unable to get the puck in zone and controlled for 80 seconds, the Pens nearly score on a mad scramble in front in the final 10 seconds. But the Wingsclog the front, and hold on for the win.
Another good game, but the Wings now can win the Cup back home in Detroit on Monday. I’ll see you then. To quote Billy Madison, “Peace! I’m outta here!”
dlozo
May 31, 2008
2008 Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Live-Blog: Period 2
Getty Images in its infinite wisdom decided to close up shop tonight until 10 in order to do some maintenance. Good thing the Stanley Cup Final isn’t going on or anything.
Back to the wall for a photo, I’ve gone with this. Why? Because the guy’s holding a pitchfork, and we need all the help we can get in order get Doc Emrick to say “pitchfork.”
Period 2 is approaching. I’ll be back then.
9:16
-The puck has been dropped, and the second period is under way.9:20 - A pretty uneventful first three minutes. As someone whose been watching this and typing up stuff every two minutes or so, it’s pretty odd to see so little action.
9:21 — And as I say that, Osgood makes a nice save on a redirection by Crosby. Not sure if Crosby even wanted to redirect that puck, as it got on him pretty quick. Still, a nice save.
9:22
-Staal is going to the box for interference. He put a little pick on a Wings player as the puck went back to the point.9:25 - And the Pens do a nice job killing off the penalty. We’ve got 14 minutes to go in the period, still 1-1.
9:30
-Finally some action. Pascal Dupuis gets two great chances, but Osgood comes up with at least one good save, as my TV pixelated and froze with Osgood’s glove waving in the air. Maybe he got it, maybe he didn’t. All I know is my TV is doing the exact same thing the TVs did in Independence Day when the aliens first arrived. Either Cablevision sucks, or it’s time to welcome our new overlords.9:31 - Hey, a commercial for the new Incredible Hulk movie. It’s about time Hollywood put out a one to update the old one that came out five years ago. That one looks so outdated today.
9:34
-A wrap around my Malone off a turnover misses its mark. Things aren’t stagnant, but this is easily the tamest (or most tame, I’m not looking it up) period of the Final thus far.9:36 - I know beards are a tradition, but Brooks Orpik looks like a homeless man.
9:38
-The crowd salutes Gary Roberts after a big hit on McCarty, a hit that allowed the Wings to break out on a 3-on-2. Sometimes a big hit isn’t for the best.9:39 - Osgood makes three saves in close, the first of which is on Crosby’s backhander. Ozzie looks sharp this period.
9:41
-An uncomfortable feeling for a goalie is when he reaches behind himself with his catching glove because he thinks the puck is going through the wickets. That’s what Fleury just did, but the puck never got past him. Still 1-1.9:43 - Talbot kills me. He’s mic’d up, and they showed him flubbing a shot. When he got to the bench, he said, “Did you guys all laugh at that?”
9:44
-Power play Penguins. And it’s Rafalski going to the box again. Man, he is just struggling in these two games. And it’s the same sort of penalty every time. He gets out of position, then reaches out and grabs the player. Four minutes left.9:47 - Eddie Olczyk just asked Pierre McGuire if he thought Malkin was squeezing his stick. That’s funny. Yes, I’m 12. Teams are back at full strength.
9:48
-Last minute to play in the period, one minute.9:50 - And that, my friends, is the end of the second period. A good chance for Zetterberg, but his shot was partially blocked by Datsyuk. That’s not a typo. We remain tied at 1-1.
dlozo
May 31, 2008
2008 Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Live Blog: Period 1
Really, Don? Really?
I’m sort of like alcohol. You drop me into any situation, and I’m going to make it better. Take for instance, the NHL. I can safely say that I have already made the league better. Don’t believe me?
If you can get past the always hilarious “no one watches the NHL” jokes in this article, you’ll see the ratings for this series have been fantastic. Ratings for Games 1 and 2 on Versus were near-records, while the ratings for Wednesday’s Game 3 on NBC were 87 percent better than the ratings for last year’s Game 3 between Ottawa and Anaheim. Heck, more people in Detroit watched Game 3 of this series than they did a pivotal Game 5 in the Pistons-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals.
And clearly, I have to take full credit for this. Sure, “conventional wisdom” gives credit to Sidney Crosby being in the Final, or two exciting teams being in the Final. But you can’t ignore facts. Last year, I live-blogged exactly zero percent of Stanley Cup Final Game 3s, while this year, I live-blogged exactly 100 percent of Stanley Cup Final Game 3s. It’s science, people.
But before I compose my letter to Gary Bettman requesting a 100 percent raise in salary, I’m going to live-blog Game 4. I figure it can only help my cause if we get record ratings tonight, too. We’ll be back for the start of the game shortly after 8 p.m.
Note: The National Hockey League and all of its teams do not advocate the consumption of alcohol by those not of legal drinking age, nor does it promote the idea of binge drinking or the idea of alcohol making everything better.
7:58
-Bad news for the Red Wings. Tomas Holmstrom is out of the lineup tonight. Darren McCarty replaces him. If you don’t know, now you know.8:02 - Is it just me, or is the “C” on Nicklas Lidstrom’s jersey huge? It looks like something you’d see painted at half court on a basketball floor.
8:10
-Let me throw this out there: What failed sports general manager who became a TV analyst makes you laugh harder when they give their opinion on those sports? Steve Phillips on Baseball Tonight or Mike Milbury on NHL on NBC?8:20 - Enough shenanigans. It’s game time. Also, I might’ve been wrong about Lidstrom. Maybe that “C” isn’t so big after all. And my TV is freaking out thanks to the bad weather here in New Jersey, so if anyone hears a “pitchfork” from Doc Emrick, be sure to let me know. The pitchfork drought is currently at 180 minutes.
8:22
-Brian Rafalski gets the game’s first great chance, as a big blast is stopped by Marc-Andre Fleury. Just because of that, Rafalski is automatically having a better game than he did in Game 3.8:23 - Bad penalty by Dallas Drake. He absolutely drills Ryan Whitney with a cross check behind the Pens’ net. Power play Pittsburgh.
8:24
-And the Pens waste zero time, capitalizing on the power play. Marian Hossa picks up a loose puck near the side of the net, acts like he’s going behind the net, then stashes the puck inside the post from behind the goal line. A sweet goal by Hossa. And just three minutes in, it’s 1-0 Pens.8:27 - Man, the Pens are flying. Hossa carries the puck down the right wing, looks like he has no angle, then lets a backhand go that beats Osgood, but hits the post.
8:28
-My TV is utterly freaking out. The Wings are going on the power play after warming to the task. Pascal Dupuis is in the box.8:30 - Ryan Malone just stripped Mikael Samuelsson at center ice. A great play by Malone to hassle the puck carrier and get the clear.
8:31
-Good news for the Pens, they killed the penalty. Bad news for the Pens, Lidstrom and his perhaps big “C” rip a shot through a screen and beat Fleury to the stick side. Not a power play goal, but it might as well have been, as the penalty had just expired. 1-1 game.8:34 - TV timeout. I just got a text from a friend, asking if Lidstrom was “a Swede or a Canuck.” I think all hockey players from other countries should look like that country’s stereotype. For instance, all Russian players should look like the crew of the Red October. All Canadians should look like Rick Moranis in Strange Brew. And all Swedes should look like members of the Swedish Bikini Team. Who can argue with that?
8:37 — And another power play for the Pens. Adam Hall makes a nice move on Rafalski, who reaches out with his hand and catches Hall in the face.
8:41
-That was a suspect play. Nothing came of it, but with pressure on in the neutral zone, Sergei Gonchar played the puck back to Fleury. He fumbled it away to Pavel Datsyuk, but no scoring chance resulted. Still, I don’t care how much pressure you’re under, playing the puck back to Edward Scissorhands should be a last resort. Oh, penalty is killed. 8:30 to go in the first.8:44 -Call me crazy, but that song in the Heineken ad is the catchiest thing I’ve seen since I used to date Paris Hilton. I love it. The song. Not Paris Hilton. We’re so over.
8:47
-Tyler Kennedy nearly sprung Jordan Staal on a breakaway, but the pass was too far ahead. However, with the puck in the Wings’ end, Detroit takes a penalty. Quick commercial, so I don’t know who took the penalty, but the Pens are going to be a man up.8:49 - Crosby’s stick breaks on a one-timer. He was less than pleased.
8:50 — Niklas Kronwall gets a semi-decent short-handed chance, ripping a shot that goes wide, but kicks off the boards and almost banks in off Fleury. Maybe those (Thornton) Mellon Arena boards are a little more lively than we give them credit for.
8:53
-As the power play expires, Osgood makes a save. After that, all hell breaks loose in front of the net. Bodies flying, words exchanged. That results in a 4-on-4. We have 3:01 to go.8:55 -The guilty parties in that scrum were Brett Lebda for cross checking and Max Talbot for diving. There’s nothing I hate more than the coincidental penalties when diving is the other one. Drives me nuts. Also, Johan Franzen and Brooks Orpik mix it up and get matching minors. Still 4 on 4.
8:57 — And that’s the period. We’re all tied at 1-1 on a PP goal by Hossa and a sorta-PP goal by Lidstrom. A pretty even period otherwise.