PHOTO BY SCOTT VANKOUGHNETT
Pittsburgh, PA — Marian Hossa could be on the ice in Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup presentation tonight in game six of the finals.
Only this time as a member of the winning team.
Hossa, and his Detroit Red Wing teammates, are looking to end the Penguins season for the second straight year on the road and capture their fifth cup in twelve years.
Detroit’s Captain Niklas Lidstrom knows it would be something special to win that ring for his thumb.
“Winning four Stanley Cups is something I’m very proud of,” he said. “Having a chance to win another one, it’s a good feeling. But we know as a team that we’re not there yet. We know we need another win to get to where we want to be.”
The Penguins come back to Melon arena on the verge of crushing their fans hopes and dreams for the second time in as many seasons.
Much has been made about home ice in this series, with both teams winning their respective games on their own ice.
Detroit may have the upper hand now however, after defeating the Penguins 5-0 at the Joe Louis arena on Saturday night.
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby feels that his team is going to bounce back like they have all season.
“We weren’t happy with that effort [in game five], but we’ve moved on,” he said. “I think we realize that we were in 10th place in the middle of the season and they told us we had to win a game to force Game 7, we would have taken it in the Stanley Cup Finals. We’re keeping things in perspective here knowing what we have to do.”
Penguins’ grinder Max Talbot remembers the heartache from last season, and does not want a repeat performance this time around.
“You know what happened last year and you don’t want it to happen again,” said Talbot. “You can use it a bit as fuel, but if you look at it on the other side, we’re two wins away from the Stanley Cup. You can’t let that opportunity pass you by again.”
Game time is 8 pm on CBC…and you can follow along HERE with Scott’s live blog
Pre-Game Fun-Facts
LIDSTROM MOVING UP ON ALL-TIME PLAYOFF GAMES LIST
Red Wing defenseman Nickolas Lidstrom played in his 233rd career Stanley Cup Playoff game in Game 5, tying Scott Stevens for fifth place on the all-time list. Lidstrom would tie Claude Lemieux (234) for fourth place with an appearance in Game 6. Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios is the all-time leader with 266 career playoff appearances.
Most Career Playoff Games (entering Game 6)
1. Chris Chelios, Detroit 266
2. Patrick Roy 247
3. Mark Messier 236
4. Claude Lemieux 234
5. Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit 233
Scott Stevens 233
OSGOOD FOURTH ALL-TIME IN CAREER PLAYOFF SHUTOUTS
Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood stopped all 22 shots in Game 5 to post his second shutout of the 2009 playoffs, third in a Stanley Cup Final game and 15th of his playoff career. Osgood moved past Dominik Hasek and Jacques Plante (14 each) into fourth place on the all-time list.
Most Career Playoff Shutouts
1. Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy 23
3. Curtis Joseph 16
4. Chris Osgood 15
5. Dominik Hasek, Jacques Plante 14
2009 PLAYOFF TRENDS ENTERING GAME 6
Record when scoring first: Pittsburgh 8-4, Detroit 10-1
Record when opponent scores first: Pittsburgh 6-4, Detroit 5-5
Record when leading after the first period: Pittsburgh 6-3, Detroit 7-0
Record when leading after the second period: Pittsburgh 9-0, Detroit 12-0
Record when outshooting opponent: Pittsburgh 10-6, Detroit 11-6
Record when outshot: Pittsburgh 4-2, Detroit 4-0
Topics: Detroit Captain, Detroit Red Wings, Game 6, Game Six, Marian Hossa, Max Talbot, Niklas Lidstrom, Penguins Captain, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pre-Game, Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup finals
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