The Pittsburgh Penguins had no business winning Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, as they were completely outplayed but saved by hard work and the best goaltending performance of the postseason. The Penguins will now try to extend this series to a seventh game when they host the Detroit Red Wings at Mellon Arena on Wednesday night. BetOnline.com has the Detroit Red Wings –130 odds favorites against the Pittsburgh Penguins +110 with the total set at 5 goals.
The Red Wings simply ran into a goalie that would not let his team lose in Game 5's 4-3 triple-overtime loss, as they outshot the Penguins 58-32 in the contest. Henrik Zetterberg was a monster with a pair of assists and a game-high seven shots on goal, while Brian Rafalski added a goal and an assist for the Red Wings, who need better goaltending from Chris Osgood. The 14-year veteran made 28 saves and did not have as much action to face as his young counterpart, but he seemed to be unsure and hesitant in his crease all night.
Even if the Penguins lose this series, Marc-Andre Fleury's 55-save performance may go down as the best individual showing of the playoffs. Fleury seemed to be able to see everything, and he carried the tired Penguins through the first two overtime periods before they seemed to get their legs under them. Petr Sykora finally ended the game with a power-play marker halfway into the third extra session, while Maxime Talbot tied it up at 3-3 with 35 seconds left in the third, when he came on the ice as an extra attacker. Sidney Crosby added a pair of assists for the gutsy Penguins.
The Red Wings are -130 favorites to win the Cup on the road, but the Penguins can take a lot from their inspirational performance in Game 5. The Red Wings were by far the better team, but the Penguins showed poise beyond their years, and never gave up on their goalie, who stood on his head. With this team spirit at a high, take the Penguins to send this series back to Detroit for a do-or-die Game 7 with a win on Wednesday.
Stanley Cup Finals Game 5
Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins – 8:00 PM ET
Stanley Cup Finals Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins
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