Penguins force Game 7 with Detroit Red Wings
Penguins force Game 7 with Detroit Red Wings
It's just as Lord Stanley would want it. Pittsburgh's 2-1 win over the Red Wings in Tuesday's Game 6 means the NHL season will come down to one final skate in Detroit on Friday. If the Wings can hold Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in check again, Detroit should land their second straight and 12th Stanley Cup overall. And if Marc-Andre Fleury has a repeat of Game 6, it's No. 3 for the Pens.
You know the classic sports cliché “in order to win in the playoffs, your best players need to be your best players?” When it comes to the NHL postseason, and the Stanley Cup final in particular, that’s one of those throwaway phrases that actually rings true.
Thing is, there’s always an exception to the rule. The Pittsburgh Penguins (-122) proved it in a big way in their huge 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 of the Cup final on Tuesday night, forcing a Game 7 between the teams on Friday night (8 PM ET) at Joe Louis Arena.
Unheralded checking line winger Tyler Kennedy’s third-period marker stood up as the winner in Game 6, while linemate Jordan Staal scored the other goal for the Penguins. As for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? The Red Wings held them completely off the scoresheet, but they couldn’t capitalize for bettors.
The Pittsburgh payday represented the first time in these playoffs it was able to cash without a point from either Crosby or Malkin. Sid the Kid finished -1 with only one shot in just under 18 minutes of ice time, while Gino (two shots) was even in a little over 20 minutes of play.
Kris Draper found the back of the net in third period to make matters interesting for Detroit, which was opened as sizable -170 home chalk on the moneyline for Game 7. Pittsburgh was priced as a +150 underdog when betting action got underway late on Tuesday night, while oddsmakers set the total at 5½ goals.
Goaltending was a huge factor in Game 6, especially for the Pens. Marc-Andre Fleury bounced back from getting pulled in the Wings’ 5-0 drubbing of the Penguins as -158 faves in Game 5. Fleury stood on his head in the third period, when Detroit outshot Pittsburgh 14-7; he was particularly stellar late in the frame when the Red Wings had a pair of power plays.
Bettors handicapping the Penguins’ performance in Hockeytown so far in the series should go beyond the obvious. Yes, Detroit has outscored Pittsburgh 11-2 in the three games played at Joe Louis Arena, but the Pens certainly played well enough to cash at least one of the first two games of the series. If not for the exceptional play of Wings netminder Chris Osgood during key stretches of both Game 1 and Game 2, we’d likely be talking about Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh right now.
The Penguins do have one win in Detroit this season, but it came in a 7-6 shootout triumph (+175) way back on November 11. Including that game, the Wings have outpointed the Pens 17-9 through four contests in Detroit. Not the best harbinger of things to come for Pittsburgh backers, but it’s a chance nonetheless.
I’d be stunned if the opening total of 5½ stood for very long on the betting odds board at any of the available outlets. All of the last three Stanley Cup final Game 7s played under the number. Carolina and Edmonton hit the under in the Hurricanes’ (-168) 3-1 victory over the Oilers back in 2006, while Tampa Bay and Calgary did the same thing in Game 7 of the Cup final in the last season before the lockout. The same goes for Game 7 of the 2003 final between New Jersey and Anaheim.
Expect sportsbooks to be offering a 5-goal total by the time the puck drops on Friday night. Bettors will push the number that way, and history tells us the game will be played cautiously by both teams. The teams are also 2-6 O/U in their last eight meetings in Detroit.
The Penguins did well to get this far. Of the 24 teams in NHL history that hosted Game 6 of the Cup final down 3-2, only 10 of them forced Game 7. You’ll remember Pittsburgh was one of the casualties in this exact scenario last year, when Detroit closed out the Pens at Mellon Arena to win its fourth Cup since 1997. Of the 10 teams that made Game 7, only two went on to lift Lord Stanley. The last club to cash Game 7 on the road? The Montreal Canadiens back in 1971.
It's just as Lord Stanley would want it. Pittsburgh's 2-1 win over the Red Wings in Tuesday's Game 6 means the NHL season will come down to one final skate in Detroit on Friday. If the Wings can hold Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in check again, Detroit should land their second straight and 12th Stanley Cup overall. And if Marc-Andre Fleury has a repeat of Game 6, it's No. 3 for the Pens.
You know the classic sports cliché “in order to win in the playoffs, your best players need to be your best players?” When it comes to the NHL postseason, and the Stanley Cup final in particular, that’s one of those throwaway phrases that actually rings true.
Thing is, there’s always an exception to the rule. The Pittsburgh Penguins (-122) proved it in a big way in their huge 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 of the Cup final on Tuesday night, forcing a Game 7 between the teams on Friday night (8 PM ET) at Joe Louis Arena.
Unheralded checking line winger Tyler Kennedy’s third-period marker stood up as the winner in Game 6, while linemate Jordan Staal scored the other goal for the Penguins. As for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? The Red Wings held them completely off the scoresheet, but they couldn’t capitalize for bettors.
The Pittsburgh payday represented the first time in these playoffs it was able to cash without a point from either Crosby or Malkin. Sid the Kid finished -1 with only one shot in just under 18 minutes of ice time, while Gino (two shots) was even in a little over 20 minutes of play.
Kris Draper found the back of the net in third period to make matters interesting for Detroit, which was opened as sizable -170 home chalk on the moneyline for Game 7. Pittsburgh was priced as a +150 underdog when betting action got underway late on Tuesday night, while oddsmakers set the total at 5½ goals.
Goaltending was a huge factor in Game 6, especially for the Pens. Marc-Andre Fleury bounced back from getting pulled in the Wings’ 5-0 drubbing of the Penguins as -158 faves in Game 5. Fleury stood on his head in the third period, when Detroit outshot Pittsburgh 14-7; he was particularly stellar late in the frame when the Red Wings had a pair of power plays.
Bettors handicapping the Penguins’ performance in Hockeytown so far in the series should go beyond the obvious. Yes, Detroit has outscored Pittsburgh 11-2 in the three games played at Joe Louis Arena, but the Pens certainly played well enough to cash at least one of the first two games of the series. If not for the exceptional play of Wings netminder Chris Osgood during key stretches of both Game 1 and Game 2, we’d likely be talking about Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh right now.
The Penguins do have one win in Detroit this season, but it came in a 7-6 shootout triumph (+175) way back on November 11. Including that game, the Wings have outpointed the Pens 17-9 through four contests in Detroit. Not the best harbinger of things to come for Pittsburgh backers, but it’s a chance nonetheless.
I’d be stunned if the opening total of 5½ stood for very long on the betting odds board at any of the available outlets. All of the last three Stanley Cup final Game 7s played under the number. Carolina and Edmonton hit the under in the Hurricanes’ (-168) 3-1 victory over the Oilers back in 2006, while Tampa Bay and Calgary did the same thing in Game 7 of the Cup final in the last season before the lockout. The same goes for Game 7 of the 2003 final between New Jersey and Anaheim.
Expect sportsbooks to be offering a 5-goal total by the time the puck drops on Friday night. Bettors will push the number that way, and history tells us the game will be played cautiously by both teams. The teams are also 2-6 O/U in their last eight meetings in Detroit.
The Penguins did well to get this far. Of the 24 teams in NHL history that hosted Game 6 of the Cup final down 3-2, only 10 of them forced Game 7. You’ll remember Pittsburgh was one of the casualties in this exact scenario last year, when Detroit closed out the Pens at Mellon Arena to win its fourth Cup since 1997. Of the 10 teams that made Game 7, only two went on to lift Lord Stanley. The last club to cash Game 7 on the road? The Montreal Canadiens back in 1971.
