Pittsburgh 0 - Detroit 3 (Det leads series 2-1)

It’s fun to watch a young team like Pittsburgh get moving downhill.  Crosby, Malkin and Hossa were superb and it lifted the Penguins, especially in the game’s first half.  On the other side of the ice, you have to admire Detroit riding out the wave and closing the gap as the game moved along.  Johan Franzen is going to be an interesting fantasy pick next season considering his goalscoring pace over the past 30 or so games.

Pittsburgh learned that a physical, reckless forecheck can disrupt Detroit’s possession style.  They also learned that, if you can get to him, Chris Osgood isn’t going to win a lot of games by himself.  The third period, however, should remove the notion that Pittsburgh is going to be able to keep the Wings rattled.  A pair of mistakes - Malkin’s penalty and an ill-conceived Crosby shot - gave Detroit priceless opportunities to tie the game late, and that has to change if this is going to be anything other than a 1 game wake-up call for their more experienced opponents.

I stand by my prediction, I think Detroit finds a way to get the split in Pittsburgh and heads home with a chance to close out the series, but at least the Penguins have given me something to think about.