Big Lead Sports Bar

6/03/2008

CALLED SHOT

For those of you who couldn't stay up to watch it, Petr Sykora scored the game-winner at 9:57 of the third OT on Monday night, sending the Stanley Cup Finals back to Pittsburgh with the Penguins closing the gap to three games to two. The goal was on a power play and was set up by an ailing Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin.
Sykora allegedly "called" his scoring of the game-winning goal in OT number two, as reported at the time by NBC's Pierre Mcguire. The series was actually 35 seconds away from ending when Max Talbot scored the tying goal in regulation while playing with an empty net. The Pens were outshot 58-32 on the night, so Marc-Andre Fleury was the obvious #1 star with his incredible 55 saves.

Pittsburgh, Detroit, and hockey fans everywhere will be in a collective fog on Tuesday, so we'll pick up the discussion with much more coverage of this late-nighter once the sun rises. The game ended as the fifth-longest Stanley Cup contest in NHL history at 109:57. It was tiring just to watch let alone play, so I'm sure the Pens will be catching their share of Zs between now and Game Six.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I watched it all and was up for work by 5:30am. What a game...this is one to remember.

LeeTunnel said...

I happen to be in the Detroit airport and people here are shell shocked. People all over the place are talking about it on their cell phones, astonished that the Red Wings lost. Just overheard the woman at the table next to me on the phone say, "did you watch the whole game.........they lost....." The news anchors are leading the broadcast with "34 seconds away."

What an amazing game. Maxime Talbot, looking like Kevin Stevens banging one home from the doorstep with an empty net 200 feet away. Petr Sykora with a PERFECT wrister to win it. Marc Andre-Freaking Fleury. Hard to find an adjective to describe how incredible his night was.

I had to be up at 4 to catch this flight this morning and couldn't fall asleep for at least an hour after FSN coverage concluded.

I believe.

Koz said...

Bang!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Ryan Malone = Warrior. Didn't think he'd be back at all let alone after the intermission.

Fluery = Insane. I thought the game was over at least 10 times in the OT periods.

Sykora = Legendary. His "Called Shot" will live forever in Penguins lore.

Talbot = Clutch. Hardest working guy on the team (except for maybe #87) made the NHL and NBC crews wheel the champagne bottles and championship t-shirts out of the Detroit locker room on short notice.

Leaving out a bunch of guys. What an incredible night. This feels bigger than the Nedved goal in '96 and certainly makes me feel better about having watched that damn Keith Primeau game back in '00.

Arena will be a mad house for Game 6.

LET'S GO PENS!!!

Reggie Dunlop said...

stop the press!

even if MAF lets in nine goals tomorrow, we still can't be disappointed. the series should be over. he was unreal last nite.

what a nite. cue up a victory 'california soul', and throw in a 'babes with jetpacks flying up the dude's nose' to boot

HotDog_Zanzabar said...

If you would have told me that the game winner would be Sykora from Malkin and Gonchar, I would tell you to lay down the crack pipe.

Game 6 will be interesting. Hopefully age will be more valuable than experience recovering from this one.

Vince said...

I think these last couple of games have proven that the Pens need to do all they can to try and keep Hossa, he has been a machine here, he easily could have had 6 goals between the last two games.

World of Isaac said...

angry wings fan here...

still pissed and tired a full 12 hours later