Something Had To Give

Going into last night's Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals, some impressive stats were on a collision course.

First, Detroit had won Games One and Two of every series they'd played in so far this year, and Pittsburgh had one-upped them by having won Games One, Two and Three in each of their first three series! Obviously one of those streaks had to end last night, and it was the Penguins who came up short.

Similarly, neither team had trailed yet in a series this playoff year. The most precarious situation either of them had faced was Detroit's 2-2 status after four games against Nashville in the opening round (the Wings then won Games Five and Six). Again, it was a given that one of these two heavyweights was going to trail a series for the first time once the final seconds ticked off the clock on Game One, and that fell to Pittsburgh.

I recorded the game and watched it this morning - not knowing anything about the result - and I'd say that the first half of it was very entertaining. Both goaltenders were incredible over that stretch, and it looked like it could quite easily go into overtime, tied 0-0. Once Detroit took over in the back half of the second period, though - mainly in terms of shots on goal, but also getting that all-important first goal - I lost some of my enthusiasm for the game. (I will admit that, after seeing the Penguins manhandle the Rangers in Round Two, it was somewhat satisfying to see it done to them!) It just seemed that the play became too one-sided from that point on, with Pittsburgh having fewer and fewer good scoring opportunities. The writing was on the wall early in the third, and the Pens did nothing to erase it.

The Red Wings definitely looked the better team on the night, and the 4-0 final score reflected that.