Posted by Pierre LeBrun
PITTSBURGH -- Holy hockey, Batman! That was the best period of hockey by far in the Stanley Cup finals. This baby has ramped up big time.
This is the kind of hockey you remember when you tell people about having covered the finals. Memorable moments.
The Wings came out of the gates flying early in the second period and got a strange goal just 46 seconds in. Brad Stuart's point shot found the back of the net because goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was screened not once, but twice, by Sergei Gonchar and Bill Guerin. Not sure why Guerin was standing right in front of his goalie and blinding him.
But then came three unanswered beauties by the home side, the kind the jaded souls in press row get excited about.
We told you this morning that Jordan Staal needed to have a big game. Well, his short-handed goal at 8:45 won't soon be forgotten. The big lad from Thunder Bay, Ontario, skated around Brian Rafalski, boxed him out, cut in on Chris Osgood alone and slipped it in. It's the kind of strong hockey move you'll see more of from Staal as he matures. He has scary upside, especially once he figures out he can make those kinds of power moves on a consistent basis. Whoa.
The place was still buzzing less than two minutes later when the Penguins had a two-on-one break with perhaps the most lethal combination in the NHL you could imagine in that situation: Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. No. 71's first pass attempt was blocked, but he got it back and deftly found No. 87 at the side of the net.
Goal. Roof shaking.
Not enough fun yet? OK, how about a three-on-one break with Crosby delivering the kind of one-touch pass only a few players in the world can pull off, a beauty across to Tyler Kennedy, and it's 4-2 Penguins. Yikes. Can anyone say seven games?
Scotty, I'm out of breath. Over to you.
Scott Burnside: Pierre, couldn't agree more. That was dynamic hockey, and I daresay the Wings looked more than a little lost, especially after Staal's goal, which was his first in eight games.
It's going to be interesting to see whether the momentum the Penguins generated in the second period -- including a last-second breakaway from Malkin, who has been dynamite again tonight -- will carry into the third period.
The Wings are a dangerous, talented team, and they certainly have the potential to bounce back. But this series sure looked as if it turned in that second period. Let's see.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
