ESPN 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog

Posted by E.J. Hradek

PITTSBURGH -- Here are some quick notes from the Penguins' 4-2 Game 3 victory over the Red Wings at Mellon Arena on Tuesday night.

• At the 9:06 mark of the third period, talented freshman Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson made a rookie mistake (we haven't seen too many out of him) when he took an unnecessary interference penalty, blocking out Penguins left winger Matt Cooke. Pittsburgh took full advantage of the opportunity. The Pens' power-play unit kept the puck in the Wings' zone for 1:23 before defenseman Sergei Gonchar ripped a blast over the glove of a screened Chris Osgood. The goal proved to be the difference in Game 3. The Pittsburgh power play really came through in Game 3, converting two of its three chances.

• Down 2-1 with about 6:30 left in the first period, the Penguins dodged a bullet when all four officials failed to recognize the home team had six skaters on the ice for approximately 21 seconds (that number courtesy of Wings coach Mike Babcock). From the press box, the problem appeared to be caused by either Maxime Talbot or Miroslav Satan, who both joined center Evgeni Malkin and left winger Ruslan Fedotenko on the ice during an on-the-fly change.

After the game, Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma confirmed that he called for Satan on that shift, but Talbot didn't get the message. On the Pens' bench, veteran winger Bill Guerin quickly realized the problem. As he began to shout for one of his teammates to come back to the bench, Bylsma asked for quiet, hoping not to alert the refs. The Penguins, using the extra skater, pushed the attack in the Wings' zone. After 11 seconds, the Detroit bench finally noticed the illegal man-power situation.

Several Wings banged their sticks on the boards to get the officials' attention. Their cries fell on deaf ears. At the end of the Penguins bench, winger Chris Kunitz yelled out, "EATS!" He was trying to get the attention of defenseman Mark Eaton, who, positioned at the left point, was the closest man to the bench.

Hearing either his teammate or the irate Wings, Eaton retreated to his bench. That clearly saved the club from getting a penalty, and, as it turned out, it proved to be a turning point. Less than a minute later, Detroit forward Dan Cleary was whistled for holding and the Pens tied the score at 2.

• Being at home definitely had its advantages for the Penguins, who had the last change. Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma did everything he could to keep top pivot Sidney Crosby away from Wings center Henrik Zetterberg. On the other bench, Detroit coach Mike Babcock instructed his centers to make quick changes when they saw No. 87 on the ice. At the 6:19 mark of the first period, the quick switch worked to the Wings' advantage when Zetterberg scored after jumping on the ice to replace fourth-liner Justin Abdelkader. The game of cat and mouse continued throughout the evening.

• On a couple of occasions, Bylsma tried to load up a big line with Crosby and fellow offensive whiz Malkin. That dynamic duo jumped out for the second shift of the game. They enjoyed another shift together before the midway point of the opening period. Bylsma got Crosby and Malkin out together in the dying minutes of the middle period and one more time early in the third. Personally, I would have tried to get Crosby and Malkin on the ice together in more situations. Still, that didn't hurt the Penguins, who rallied to earn their first win of the series.

• Pittsburgh stopper Marc-Andre Fleury got a little love from his goalposts early in the second period. Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall sprang forward Mikael Samuelsson on a break down the right side. Samuelsson unleashed a blast from the top of the right-wing circle that sailed over Fleury's blocker and clanged off the post behind him. At the other end, Osgood benefited from his posts in the final period when Talbot hit the pipe with four minutes left in regulation time. A few minutes later, Talbot got his goal, firing the biscuit into an empty basket.

• Young Wings center Darren Helm used quickness and terrific stick skills to draw a holding penalty on Satan at the 15:35 mark of the second period. Helm was able to fend off bigger Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik along the corner boards behind Fleury. The battle continued for approximately 20 seconds as Helm slid back and forth along the boards. Eventually, he moved out of the corner along the wall. At that point, Satan tried his luck. That's when he was nailed for the hold. Pittsburgh was able to kill the penalty and keep the score tied at 2.