Pens-Rangers Game 5: Who's the Hoss?

Just over a minute later, someone told Scott Gomez that he used to be a decent hockey player in New Jersey, and it all came back to him. Gomez threaded a sweet pass through traffic, onto the stick of Nigel Dawes. Dawes buried it, and all of a sudden the Penguins lead had vanished. 2-2.

The rest of the third period was back and forth hockey, and it seemed whichever goaltender made the first mistake would ultimately cost his team the game.

Queen Henry made some unreal saves down the stretch. He robbed the Sykora-Malkin-Malone line at least four times in one shift.

Neither team could put the puck in the net, then your fifth grade English teacher makes an appearance holding a sign that reads: "IRONY's A BITCH."

Chris Drury (who had been cut by a Malone high stick in the 2nd period, and no penalty was called) gets his stick up into the face of Malone, breaking the skin. The referee's immediately blow the whistle, and call the four minute double minor penalty.

If I were Chris Drury, through all the injuries, unlucky bounces when I thought I had a goal, and no-calls that I fell victim to in this series, I would seriously investigate multiple conspiracy theories against myself during my free time this off season. Then I would consider jumping off of a bridge.

The Pens couldn't score before the end of the period, so we would go into overtime with the Penguins still enjoying the man advantage.

All of Penguins nation (or at least the four people I was watching the game with) were praying that the Penguins didn't score on this power play. The last thing we needed was to listen to the New York media/fan base complain that the refs were homers, and they fixed the game because Crosby is hott.

Brad Watson was the man in charge on the ice tonight, and he has officiated some of the most lopsided Penguin games in recent history; with his favoritism being toward the opponent in each instance. Numerous "Watson sucks" chants filled the Mellon Arena this season, so tonight was an honest mistake. A horrible, horrible mistake, but honest nonetheless. Watson hates Pittsburgh more than Don Cherry.

The Penguins answer our prayers, and don't score during the power play. For the next four minutes, the Rangers looked like the Mighty Ducks playing against the Hawks before Gordon Bombay took over behind the bench.

Tom Renney's gameplan for overtime entailed not gaining possession of the puck throughout the entire overtime period, and hoping than Lundqvist made all the saves.

Well, it didn't work. Sidney Crosby took the puck in his own zone, gained the offensive zone, and dished it off to Pascal Dupuis on the left wing. Dupuis fumbled the pass between his feet, before the puck eventually squirted out into some open space before it was found by... the Hoss.

Hossa let a wicked wrister go, Lundqvist never saw the puck, game over, series over, Pens win.

The Penguins advance to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will take on the Philthadelphia Flyers.

Notes

This was the first time in team history that the Penguins won all of their first five home playoff games.

The Rangers fell to 0-4 all time against the Penguins in the playoffs.

Ruutu was getting inside Jagr's head all game long... it's about time.

Henrik Lundqvist was the Rangers in every game this series besides Game 4 when Jagr decided to play some hockey. Hopefully the Rangers don't turn into the Devils and disregard playing offense because they have a solid goaltender. The Atlantic Division is boring enough with the Devils already.

Lemieux > Balboa.

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