Red Wings 3, Penguins 1

It's "Go Time". Geno served notice at the end of the third period when he took exception to Zetterberg's two-handed punch to Talbot.

I know the end result is the same as last year after two games, but this Pens team is ready to take the next step. They haven't backed down from Detroit one bit, and while the Wings have held serve, that's all they've done. No one has won the series in two games. A win on Tuesday totally changes the series.

Both Sid and Geno picked up their games, especially in the third period. They weren't able to beat Osgood, but if they can play with that kind of desperation for 60 minutes, you have to like their chances.

If I'm HCDB, I'm praising the team for their effort and tenacity. I'm telling them that the Wings can't stay lucky forever. I'm telling them that they had more solid scoring chances than the Wings did in each game, and that if that trend continues, they'll be going back to Detroit with the series tied 2-2.

First period:

The first period was black and white - the Wings had the first seven shots and the Pens had the last 11. The game itself was just about that clear cut. The only difference is the Pens earned the power play and scored on a scrum in a dumb luck fashion. You had to think that was a good sign - last night the Wings were the beneficiaries of the dumb luck goals.

There were a few differences early on from last night - namely there wasn't the big hitting and the faceoffs weren't as lopsided.

Second period:

The Pens dominated Period 2 in Game 1. They didn't have that kind of success tonight.

The Wings tied the score on another icing call when the Pens were fatigued.

They took a 2-1 lead just after the power play when Hossa pretty clearly hooked / broke the stick of Dupuis, keeping the puck in the zone. The Wings got the puck to the net, where Holmstrom used a little bit of contact as an excuse to fall on Fleury and Filpulla roofed a backhander from an amazing angle. Nice goal, but cheap plays that led to it.

Osgood was beat later in the period by Guerin (on a nice pass from Crosby), but Bill couldn't beat the far post.

Late in the second, the Pens started to turn up the heat, applying consistent pressure and earning multiple scoring chances. It was encouraging to see.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting pretty tired of the "subtle interference" (as Edzo calls it) of the Wings. It's complete crap - the NHL needs to find a way to remove it if they can. Of course, if just anyone could deploy that strategy and be successful, they would...

Sid opened the third by hitting a post... it was the second far post that the Pens hit.

Fleury allowed a softie to a new nominee for the "Frickin" Hall of Fame, Justin Frickin Abdelkader. That ran the score to 3-1.

Before you knew it, there were just two minutes left and the Pens were in need of a miracle. Despite bringing good pressure for most of the third, the Wings were able to hold onto the lead.

There was no miracle, but there was Chris Osgood flopping like a fish after an ill-advised tap from Talbot. Zetterberg gave Talbot a two-handed punch to the head area, and that's when Geno went postal on Zetterberg.

Next up: Tuesday night will be rocking in Pittsburgh. A win changes the entire complexion of the series.