Penguins-Hurricanes Game Three: Hurricane Geno Makes Landfall in Raleigh

(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

There were many people, myself surprisingly included, who felt that Cam Ward would at least push the Penguins to a five, or possibly six-game series.

Those people have not been proven wrong yet, but they are on the brink of embarrassment.

There were also many people who felt the RBC Center would provide the Canes with the spark they needed to even up the series before heading back to Pittsburgh for Game Five.

The Pittsburgh Penguins posted five goals on Ward for the second consecutive game and took a commanding three games to none lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If you doubted Evgeni Malkin before now, all of your hesitance to crown him as an NHL superstar has been put to rest thanks to his performances in Games Two and Three of this series.

Geno once again took the game by the balls and proved the critics who said he disappears after the conclusion of the regular season wrong by toasting Ward for two goals and adding an assist in the Pens' 6-2 romping of the Canes on their home ice.

Matt Cullen, no relation to John Cullen, gave the Canes some false hope when he banged home the first goal of the game just four minutes into regulation.

The Pens responded by rattling off three goals before the end of the first period.

The second period saw both goaltenders stand their ground in an effort to give their respective team a chance to win.

Sergei Samsonov pulled the Canes to within one goal in the opening minutes of the third, but the Pens once again responded with three goals to seal the deal.

Jussi Joke-inen aided the Penguins in their winning effort by winning a faceoff and directing the puck into the open net, giving Craig Adams credit for his second goal of the post season.

A team has rallied from a three game deficit to win the series only twice in the history of the NHL playoffs.

The last time it happened was when the New York Islanders did it in 1975.

The Islanders opponent during that particularly rally... the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Don't get too comfortable, because this series is far from over, however, if you think there is any team in the NHL that can beat the Pittsburgh Penguins four times in a row right now, you are lost.

Let's Go Pens.

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