By winning Game 6 in Pittsburgh by a 3-2 score. I would say the keys to this game were the fluke goal Detroit scored to go up 3-1 in the 3rd and the Pens again failing on a 5-on-3 power play in the 1st period. Also there were too many long stretches in this game where the Pens just looked flat, flat out spent frankly. They just burned so much energy pulling out that Game 5 win they just didn’t have much left. Still, they were able to get the power play & empty net goal in the last 90 seconds to get back with in one goal and got a couple pucks on the net in the final seconds. Not quite enough, though.
It seemed fairly clear throughout the series that the Red Wings were the better team. I don’t know that I have ever seen a better team on both blue lines. The Devils of the mid 90s were just as good at standing people up on their blue line. But I don’t know how many plays the Wings kept alive offensively by simply not letting the Pens clear the zone. I can think of several goals they got in this series based just on that. And they were so difficult to set up a forecheck against; they got to the puck before the checker could get there it was sent back up and out. Also key was the fact that through six games Chris Osgood never once turned into Chris Osbad. I was waiting for it but it just never happened, right down to the play as time expired in Game 6.
Nothing to be ashamed of from the Pittsburgh Penguins in this series. It was a great run, they just hit a buzzsaw in the form of a winged wheel. The Pens played even hockey with them starting in Game 3 but could never overcome the early 2-0 deficit. The Pens have a lot of really good and really young players so this nucleus figures to be around for years to come, so hopefully other opportunities to win it will present themselves. Detroit was clearly the older team but it has a great mix of younger guys and guys in their prime, so I don’t think they are going anywhere soon either. These two may battle a time or two more in the next few seasons. Hopefully the Pens can get them next time!
