Penguins force a Game 7

PITTSBURGH (AP) - No clincher by the Detroit Red Wings in
Pittsburgh, not this time in Game 6. Marc-Andre Fleury wouldn't let
it happen as a wildly unpredictable Stanley Cup finals is now going
the distance.
Third-line teammates Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy gave the
Penguins a two-goal lead, and Marc-Andre Fleury held off the
defending champion Red Wings repeatedly during a frantic third
period as Pittsburgh beat Detroit 2-1 on Tuesday night to tie the
finals at three games.
Game 7 is Friday night in Joe Louis Arena, where Detroit is 3-0
in the series but, as the oldest of NHL playoff adages goes,
anything can happen when a single game determines who raises a
silver trophy.
Fleury, yanked during Detroit's 5-0 blowout in Game 5 after
giving up four goals in the second period, regrouped to make 25
saves and hold off the Red Wings, who are trying for their fifth
Stanley Cup since 1997 but, if they win it, will do so without a
win in Pittsburgh.
"He was unbelievable for us," captain Sidney Crosby said.
The Red Wings won the Cup by taking Game 6 in Pittsburgh 3-2
last year but were denied a second successive clincher there, and
on the 25th anniversary of one of the biggest days in Penguins'
history: the drafting of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux in 1984.
No silver trophy, not on this silver anniversary.
"They won more races and more battles, had more play, were on
top of us more and kept us to the outside," Detroit coach Mike
Babcock said.
Crosby taped an NHL commercial last summer in which he watched
the Red Wings celebrate wildly, then vows that it won't happen
again. In nearly identical circumstances, it didn't as the Penguins
forced the first Stanley Cup finals Game 7 in their 42-year
history.
"We weren't thinking about last year at all," Crosby said.
"But now we've got an amazing opportunity."
Staal broke a scoreless tie that followed a Pittsburgh-dominated
first period by scoring in the first minute of the second period
and Kennedy made it 2-0 early in the third.
After that, it was all Detroit as Kris Draper scored and the Red
Wings, desperately trying to avoid a Game 7, kept pressing for the
tying goal but couldn't get it despite getting their only two power
plays of the game.
"They had desperation," Detroit's Darren Helm said. "They
played hard from the start. It took us until the third period to
get going."
Staal, whose key short-handed goal carried the Penguins to a 4-2
victory in Game 4, broke in with Kennedy on a 2-on-1 break after
Pittsburgh gained possession in the neutral zone. Staal's initial
shot deflected off goalie Chris Osgood's chest, but Staal gathered
the rebound near the right post and pushed it in only 51 seconds
into the second.
Detroit, outshot 15-4 at the start, finally began generating
some offensive momentum only to have Kennedy, who like Staal has
scored in each of Pittsburgh's last two home games, made it 2-0 at
5:35.
Ruslan Fedotenko and Max Talbot pressured to keep the puck in
the Detroit zone, allowing Kennedy to gather it behind the net and
carry it in front. Osgood stopped his initial shot but Kennedy
pushed in the rebound.
"He made a goal out of nothing," coach Dan Bylsma said.
A two-goal lead with Pittsburgh playing with discipline and
determination looked big, but the Red Wings sliced it to 2-1 when
an undefended Draper - one of four players who has been on all four
of Detroit's Stanley Cup winners since 1997 - grabbed Jonathan
Ericsson's rebound in the left circle and put it past Fleury 2½
minutes after Kennedy scored.
The Red Wings' best chance to score on their two unsuccessful
power plays came when Fleury left the puck in the crease, but
defenseman Rob Scuderi alertly whacked it away. Fleury also made a
big save on a Dan Cleary breakaway with 1:41 remaining, and the
game ended with a flurry in which the trailing team couldn't score
- just as Game 6 did last year when the Penguins nearly scored in
the final second.
One play - and one missed opportunity - illustrated the
difference between last year's Game 6 and this one. Late in the
second, Henrik Zetterberg faked going to his backhand and instead
put a forehand under defenseman Hal Gill that struck the left post
and lay in the crease.
Last year, on a similar shot by Zetterberg, Fleury sat on the
puck and accidentally pushed it into the net for the game-winner in
Detroit's 3-2 victory. This time, Fleury calmly covered up the
puck.
"It's a great feeling (to win)," Fleury said.