Wings vs. Penguins: Game 6, By The Period

So the Wings won Games 1 and 2 by the score of 3-1.

Then the Penguins came back to win Games 3 and 4 by the score of 4-2.

And then the Wings beat the Penguins' brains out in Game 5.

Waiting for Game 6 to start tomorrow is like waiting for Christmas morning to open your presents. Will you get what you wanted? Will you be disappointed? Or will you be content but looking forward to next year?

Period 1

Period one starts off with the Penguins pressuring, of course they cannot pummel Osgood with all the shots they want, but they do a fair job.

Crosby gets two shots on goal, one off the crossbar, but close is not enough.

Kronwall gets called for hooking and the Penguins put up a good power play but can't muster enough pressure to score.

In total the period is somewhat quiet in terms of shots on goal, ending ten to eight in favor of the Penguins, however with under two minutes to go, Nicklas Lidstrom scores on a pass by Pavel Datsyuk to send the Wings with a one goal lead into the 2nd period.

Period 2

Oh Malkin, he's tried.

The 2nd period is slower on shots for the Penguins, even though they keep the pressure up. Evgeni Malkin alone puts four pucks on net, but to no avail.

Franzen gets yet another goal midway through on a power play to give the Wings a 2-0 lead.

The crowd becomes restless and the Penguins bench seemingly collapses in morale, the end seems to be near and the Detroit defense is not letting much pass through to Osgood. The Penguins can only settle for faraway slap shots in hopes that a screen might set something up.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, there are two penalties called on the them and one on the Wings, and it seems Detroit is going to protect the net, while Fleury can only hope the Penguins offense lights up soon.

Period 3

Now this gets interesting. Coming into the 3rd period down 2-0, just twenty minutes away from a second consecutive loss in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins put everything on the line.

Three minutes in, gold is struck, but from an unlikely candidate, Kristopher Letang scores to give the Penguins bench hope and the crowd begins to roar, 2-1 Detroit leads.

The penguins soon get a power play but cannot capitalize, Osgood makes two amazing saves to keep his team in the lead.

Checks start flying and Malkin almost starts a fight with Kronwall. The Penguins keep composure however, to tie the game up, nine minutes to go, then eight, seven, six and then the Red Wings score on a breakaway by Dan Cleary.

3-1 Wings, oh and that must sting.

However this is going down to the wire, with just under three minutes left to play the Penguins score on Sergei Gonchar's slap shot on a screen, down by one goal again, can they do it like they did in Game 5 of last year?

A minute and three seconds left to play, there goes Fleury, and the best players are on the ice for Pittsburgh. There is a shot from Crosby, a shot from Malkin, and yet another great save from Osgood. The empty net is there but the Wings can't get a handle to end it, but the clock is running and time is quickly squeezing the life, the hopes, and dreams from Crosby and his teammates, you can see the fire in their eyes, and then it's over.

Wings win in six.

2009 Stanley Cup Champions, Detroit Red Wings

Conn Smythe goes to Henrik Zetterberg, a surprise to some that Osgood doesn't get the nod, but Zetterberg notches his second and rightfully so.

Zetterberg lead the Red Wings with 25 points, with an assist in Game 6, and was third in the playoffs overall in that category, as well as a +15, second best in the playoffs, behind only teammate Dan Cleary.

Can they threepeat?