Fantastic game six last night. And for all of the talk about Detroit’s defense driving their offense, Pittsburgh did a tremendous job, at least for the first two periods, of letting their defense be a catalyst for their offense.
Mike Heika said the game deserved to be on NBC. I think NBC should show the last [...]

I’m not sure tonight’s game six is going to be the Detroit cakewalk everyone seems to think it will be.
The big factor working in Pittsburgh’s favor? Getting away from those Joe Louis boards, which they never seemed to adjust to or to be prepared for.
The big difference in Detroit’s game five rout was how [...]

So what did Pittsburgh do right in their win over Detroit?
Quite a few things.
Their powerplay was finally effective against the Wings.
They managed to get pucks deep in the Red Wing zone.
They kept the Zetterberg/Lindstrom match-up out on the ice for longer shifts, plus lots of ice time in general.
I think getting the Crosby match-up forced [...]

Brent Sutter is starting to look like another successful graduate of the Mats Sundin Rapid Decision-Making Program. He’s still not sure he wants to coach the Devils next season.
The longer Sutter waits, the less effective he’ll be as a coach if he decides to return. Would you play hard for someone who was that [...]

So this year’s Stanley Cup finals will be a rematch of last year’s. The Blackhawks magical run through the post-season finally ended last night.
It’s interesting how close the Detroit-Chicago series actually was. Chicago had a decent chance to win games two and five. Another season or so of experience and the Blackhawks might have won [...]

I’m shocked Washington’s Sergei Fedorov would leave the NHL for the KHL.
Sure, his best days are behind him, but he was a pretty important part of the Capitals playoff run, serving as a calming influence on the ice. I really thought Washington would try and keep him and Fedorov would try and stay. After all, [...]

What can you say about “Evgeni Malkin’s performance last night? There were stretches where he looked downright Ovechkin-esque, doing everything but playing goal. And shoving Sidney Crosby. He’ll get there, though.
I thought Malkin’s potential seemed to have plateaued, but after last night’s game, I’m curious just how much he’s capable of.
Over in the Western Conference, [...]

Over in Chicago, Dan McNeil is already writing the 2008-09 Blackhawks’ eulogy. I guess he doesn’t want to be seen as jumping on the bandwagon if they lose to Detroit.
Len Ziehm is a bit more optimistic, writing some ways the ‘Hawks might mount a comeback.
Also, speaking of Chicago, former Blackhawk goalie Glenn Hall isn’t a [...]

The Blackhawks are now down two games in the Western Conference finals, but they really look better each game, even though they’ve yet to notch a win.
Last night, Chicago lost on a brutal Brian Campbell turnover, but the Wings haven’t quite looked like themselves in the series. It’s never a great sign when Dan Cleary [...]

Ha! The Penguins are really selling the seven defenseman concept. Philippe Boucher, the Penguins seventh defenseman scored last night’s game-winning goal.
This is par for the course for the Hurricanes, though. They’ve lost game one of every playoff game this season.
Tonight is game two of Detroit-Chicago. The Blackhawks aren’t hitting the panic button yet, which is [...]