Stanley Cup Champs!!!

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That picture is perfect. Stanley Cup Champions. GO PENS!!!

Game 7

So this is it. One game for the Stanley Cup. It all comes down to this. Pretty much everyone is writing the Pens off, after all, look at history. You know it all already, we don't need to repeat it. All of it is just too much for the Pens to handle. It's impossible. Why even play the game? We think not. For those of us who have watched the Pens the entire season, we know what this team is capable of: anything. The Pens have played their best with their backs against the wall and against all odds. Tonight is just that. Like anyone wants to watch the Wings beat the Pens again. This time it's the Pens turn to turn the tables on them. Win the Cup on their ice. Let them see what that feels like.

It's time for them to embrace the underdog role and run with it. The Wings have all the pressure of being considered the better team, being on home ice, blah blah blah. The Pens just get to come in and possibly make history. And revenge on the Wings. The Steelers have always thrived with the underdog role and so can the Pens. It's time to have that chip on their shoulder Hines Ward style.

If the Pens play their game, they can definitely bring the Cup back to Pittsburgh. Start aggressive and don't let up. Take it to the Wings and Osgood. Get the first goal and things are going great. Maybe Sidney Crosby will get his record seventh first goal of the playoffs. We expect Sidney Crosby to be a man possessed tonight. He's played well, but he hasn't been the force he was the rest of the playoffs. That fire will be in his eyes, he'll pass it on to the rest of the team. He's going to do whatever he possibly can to get the Pens the Cup. He's not going to let the Pens go down without a damn good fight.

Hold on to your hats because this promises to be quite the game. Nothing held back. This is the last time the team will ask and the last time we'll ask you...

Ya hungry?

Go Pens!

One more game

(Getty)

Pens win 2-1 to force a game 7 back in Detroit for the Stanley Cup. One more game. Friday can't come soon enough.

Wow, what a game. We're sure we weren't the only ones with our hearts pounding, sitting on the edge of our seats. This game was obviously huge for both teams, but especially the Pens. Marc-Andre Fleury needed to play a spectacular game and he did. His defense also helped him out by blocking a lot of shots and Rob Scuderi even decided to play goalie with just seconds on the clock with Detroit knocking on the door. And no, he didn't use his hand to cover the puck.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held scoreless, which means the Pens needed secondary scoring. And they got it. The third line last night was great, even scoring both of the Pens' goals. Jordan Staal scored first early on in the second period, while Tyler Kennedy scored the game-winner a little over five minutes into the third period. Kennedy also had an assist on the Staal goal for a great night.

One more game. A winner takes all game 7 for the Stanley Cup. Wow. Who would have thought after all the Pens went through? It's time to raise the Cup on their ice this time. If they play anything like they did last night, dominate most of the time, they have a great chance of doing just that.

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 2, Red Wings 1

Penguins coverage at the Post-Gazette

- Fleury was the first star of the game and deservedly so. What a game after such a disappointment in game 5. We didn't think that was all his fault at all, but getting five goals scored against you isn't exactly a good time. That save with less than two minutes left in the period on Cleary on a breakaway was huge. Who knows what would have happened had this game been tied.

- The Pens came out with the win and that's all that matters but what frustration when it comes to all the chances! After the first period we were in disbelief that none of those chances went in. They were dominating all the way around but had nothing to show for it at the end of one. Obviously it didn't get them down because sooner rather than later they got that first goal. They're going to need to play just like that in Detroit if they want to win the Stanley Cup on Friday night.

- The third line was spectacular. They were doing everything last night. Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal more than deserved what they got. Staal was great both offensively and defensively and TK was working hard. A third line like that is exactly what the Pens need, especially when you're top two aren't able to cash-in.

- Rob Scuderi is absolutely insane. What a beast. He was blocking shots, playing goalie, and just playing an all around awesome defensive game. He was a plus 2 with four blocked shots and a couple of saves in the crease. He cleared at least two pucks from the crease earlier in the game off of rebounds and then his three or four saves in the last seconds of the game were just insane. He was obviously giving 110% out there and that makes us feel good going into game 7.

- We have to say it. The announcers, especially Pierre McGuire, are horrible. It was a Detroit love fest all night, especially Chris Osgood. OMG, he's so amazing! Yeah, okay. But the worst of the night in our opinion was the talk of Rob Scuderi covering the puck with his hand in the final seconds. OMG because we haven't seen that before in this series! WTF?! Give Zetterberg a pass and criticize Scuds up and down for it. And the best part was that he didn't even touch it with his hand! Even after they showed it from above and it was obvious he never touched it, they were still like "oh, I don't know!" Are you blind? Ridiculous. NBC definitely sucks.

- The crowd seemed nice and loud last night all game. Exactly what the Pens needed. The Fleury chant before the game was extra awesome in our opinion. We're sure Fleury felt a little taller hearing that. Nice to see the entire city of Pittsburgh isn't on the Fleury bashing bandwagon.

- We also have to give credit to Brooks Orpik for a nice game with six blocked shots and obviously a ton of hits. Petr Sykora also deserves mention for getting in there and blocking a shot early. He might not have played much or had a huge impact on the game, but it's nice to see he's willing to do whatever he can for the team.

Friday really can't get here soon enough.

Go Pens!

Game 6

We are so late with this post but they lost last time we missed a game day post so we're going to err on the side of caution and give in to our superstitions. After all, we have our lucky shirt on.

This is it. Lose and it's over. We have to win tonight to force a winner take all game 7. The Pens can do it. They have to protect their home ice and not let the Wings raise the Cup on their ice for the second year in a row.

Let's go boys. This is it.

Go Pens!

Pens lose Game 5

That title might be a little misleading. Not only did they lose game 5, they were crushed 5-0. What a disaster. We never want to see a game like that again. The penalties were horrendous. So was the defense. Obviously the offense wasn't much better. But as far as we're concerned it's over and the Pens need to win game 6 at home to force a winner take all game 7 back in Detroit.

The Pens will come out strong in game 6 and we truly believe there will be a game 7. Every single person on the ice last night needs to play better. That was a team loss and game 6 will be a team win. If they can't muster up enough to come out strong and play 60 minutes in game 6, they don't deserve the Cup and they can watch the Wings hoist it on their ice for the second year in a row. Do you really think they're going to let that happen again? No.

There's no point in even breaking down this game. We all know what happened. There's nothing else to say. It's time to win game 6. Too bad it's so long until Tuesday. Hang in there and believe.

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins Game 5:

Normally we're not in the mood to watch something like this after a loss, especially one like game 5 with no highlights whatsoever, but this is a good episode and you'll enjoy it.

Go Pens!

Pens win game 4, tie series 2-2

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Jordan's face says it all. The Pens beat the Red Wings 4-2 in game 4 to tie the series up at 2-2. The Pens played a good game last night and wore the Red Wings down, coming back from another 2-1 deficit at home. The Pens saw another great game from Marc-Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin, but also from a couple recently quiet players (at least on the score sheet) in Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy.

The Pens have all the momentum going into game 5 back in Detroit and need to use that to get a win and take a 3-2 lead over the Wings before heading back home for game 6. And this team can do it.

There's a lot we liked about this game. We'll try to get it all out. Better late than never.

- Sidney Crosby really broke out in this game. He's been playing well all series, but definitely not like he has dominated the rest of the playoffs. He finally got on the scoreboard with a goal from a nice two on one with none other than the other head on the two headed monster, Geno himself. Geno did two good things on this play. One, he was playing good defense and had a takeaway. Two, what a pass. A defender sprawled out on the ice to try to stop that pass and did succeed at first, but the puck came back to Geno who was ready for it and slid that puck to Crosby to put past an out of place Osgood. Awesome.

- We don't think Crosby was expecting what happened in the above picture. Kris Letang just came over and tackled him to the ice. We've seen the replay over and over and Crosby just looks stunned. What made the whole thing priceless was Geno coming over and standing over Crosby yelling. What a sight.

- Not long after that, Crosby was involved in another goal with Chris Kunitz and Tyler Kennedy. We've been thinking all series that TK deserved to cash in because he has been working hard. He's just tons of energy, working hard along the boards and not afraid to take on anyone. Where he gets all that energy we have no idea. But in game 4, it really paid off. Kennedy got a turnover near center ice that he dished to Kunitz who then passed it to Crosby, who then passed it to Kennedy who was standing alone next to the net for a nice goal. How beautiful was that?! That was just insane. Osgood was the one stunned this time.

- Someone else on TK's line would get on the score sheet as well. Jordan Staal has played well as of late both defensively and with his line mates grinding away and keeping the puck in the offensive zone, but he hadn't scored. The Wings had two power plays back to back and Jordan Staal had a chance for a breakaway. With a smaller defender on him, he was able to keep him at bay and get a shot off and beat Osgood. What a play. That turned the entire game around. Not only was it short handed but it tied the game and set the Penguins off on a three goal scoring streak in less than six minutes. What a time for him to step up.

- Speaking of Jordan, are we the only ones who feel his confidence isn't always up there in terms of his play offensively? His defense is sound and he seems comfortable with that, as well as grinding it out along the boards, but when it comes to taking a shot it seems like he has no idea what to do with it. After his shortie it seemed like he was more confident. He took at least a couple more shots and looked like he knew what to do with the puck then. He has the talent, he just needs to use it. As well as believe in himself.

- Marc-Andre Fleury played great, rightfully earning him the number one star. He looks like he's getting into form and if  he can take one in Detroit in game 5...the sky's the limit. And maybe then the media and fans will let up on him. We never thought he deserved the criticism to begin with.

- Detroit looks tired. The Pens have really taken it to them overall, especially physically. The Pens also made the Wings frustrated, something that's just not supposed to happen to the Wings. These Wings aren't the big, bad force they were last year. Don't get us wrong, they are good and this won't be easy for the Pens, but they can and have worn them down. If you look at the Wings goals, they aren't too impressive. A couple soft ones, a couple bad bounces, not much of any real quality. The Pens can take this if they don't let up.

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 4, Red Wings 2

Post-Gazette

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins Game 4:

Go Pens!

Game 4

First off, sorry for the lack of posts. Our health isn't exactly spectacular lately. But how about that SI cover? We love SI but that just sucks. This series isn't over. Maybe the SI cover jinx will help out the Pens. We're just glad we didn't get that cover today, although the article is still in there. Eh.

Tonight is a critical game 4 and a chance for the Pens to tie this series up going back to Detroit and making this series a best of three. They can also make this not about last year anymore. All anyone wants to talk about is how the Pens are in the same situation as last year despite the glaring differences. They win game 4 tonight and this is a whole new series. They need to come out tonight like this is game 7 and take this. Being down 3-1 is a whole different world than being tied 2-2. It's crazy to think the difference between the two. Tie this up and you have the momentum going into Detroit, lose and you're down 3-1 and basically all but counted out.

We know that it's always said that there can't possibly be any more motivation in the Stanley Cup Final that winning the cup. Okay. But it's time to play with that Hines Ward mentality. Find something and have that chip on your shoulder. No one believes in you, you're the underdog, whatever. He's always found something to be mad about, something that drives him, and it's worked pretty well we think. After all, he owns many Steelers records now. One other thing they can take from Hines Ward, hit them before they hit you. The Wings looked awfully tired in the third period of game 3 and the Pens need to wear them down. They have every opportunity to win game 4, now it's time to do it.

Ya hungry?

Go Pens!

Pens make it a series

(AP)

How can you not win with Mike Tomlin in the house?

Whew! What a game. We don't think our hearts ever stopped pounding the entire time. Talk about being on the edge of your seat. This was basically a must-win for the Pens, and in the third period they came out victorious. You will now hear until game-time on Thursday that the last five Stanley Cup winners lost game 3 and that this is the exact position the Pens and Wings were in last year. The Pens win game 3 and we all know what happened in game 4. That was last year, this is now. You can't argue that the Pens are a much better team and have shown they can play with the Wings, whereas last year, well...not so much. This was not the best game the Pens could have played by any means, but two defensemen and Max Talbot stepped up big and sealed the win for the Pens.

It's now all about game 4. Win game 4 and the Pens are going back to Detroit with all the momentum and it's a best of three. Sounds pretty good, right? Of course the Pens can do it. But if you listen to the doubters, this is last year and the Wings are too scary. You can bet your money that the Pens aren't listening though. This may just be their year. Besides, no one ever said it was going to be easy. Hang on because we've got ourselves a series.

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 4, Red Wings 2

Pens at the Post-Gazette

Thoughts up later.

Go Pens!

Pens down 2-0

(AP)

So the Pens are down two games to none in the Stanley Cup Final. Everyone is blaming Marc-Andre Fleury. Forget the rest of the team, it's all MAF's fault. We might as well give up now because Chris Osgood just can't be beat. We've got two of the best players in the NHL and they just can't score against Chris Osgood, the best goalie to ever play the game. So let's give up, blame Fleury, and hand the cup to Osgood and the Wings. You with us?

Seriously, let's calm the heck down here and at least play the next two games in this series. Are we really the only ones who are flashing back to Washington? The goalie was good and on the Pens' best chances, they just couldn't get that favorable bounce. The Caps took the first two games at home and everyone was worried. What happened after that? The Pens won three in a row and were right back in the series. The Wings are a different monster than the Caps were, but if there is any team that can come back from a 2-0 deficit, it's the Pens. Right? It's not time to stand around like idiots and freak out. It's time to get behind the Pens and believe.

First off, let's admit that the Pens have looked like the better team pretty often in these first two losses. The Pens have definitely had the better scoring chances and just can't get them to go. And before everyone starts saying how awesome Chris Osgood is, we have other things to say. How many posts have the Pens hit? What about Crosby's nice chance last night where Osgood was obviously beat but it hit his skate. Osgood himself thought he was beat. And how about Crosby's other chance where Henrik Zetterberg thought it would be a good idea to once again get his ass in the crease and do something illegal. You couldn't see the puck on that play, but anyone with a brain can plainly see what he did. He knew where that puck was and he used his hand to cover it. Twice in two games. Probably should have been two penalty shots. Bullshit. It's time to call a penalty now and then.

Now let's get to number two, the refs. This is the last thing we ever wanted to discuss because it always gets labeled as whining. And in a lot of cases, it is whining. But we have to take a stand on this series. The lack of penalties being called in this series is nothing short of atrocious. Hossa's slash on Pascal Dupuis just before the Wings scored? Hello! How about Jordan Staal's bloody face on two occasions? Or the infamous Zetterberg puck cover ups. Not to mention the other grabbing, holding, elbowing etc. in this series. This isn't even hockey anymore. It's a joke. The Pens might just have to start lowering themselves to the Wings standards in order to get a win. That and a few favorable bounces. And few less favorable bounces for the Wings.

Other things about game 2:

- Dupuis was put in the lineup last night instead of seven defensemen. We kind of liked the idea at first because Dupuis is a good penalty killer and has a lot of speed. We don't know if we can really say he played well or not. We're kind of eh on this subject.

- We could talk about the penalties some more but, nah.

- We mentioned it above but the Pens have had plenty of chances. Enough chances to beat the Wings. Those go in and we're in a totally different situation. Hopefully being at home will give the Pens the chances they need. And deserve.

- Marc-Andre Fleury was not his best, that was obvious, but the only goal we really had a problem with was the last one by Mr. Applicator (applicator of what? Sorry, we couldn't resist) which he should have had. The D could have been better as well.

- Speaking of goalies, we said above how we feel about Osgood. Some talent obviously, but also very lucky. He's definitely not unbeatable. But last night's dive after Talbot poked him with his stick was awesome. Who the heck does that?! It's the end of the game first of all, what did he think he was going to get out of that? And then the idiot proceeds to toss the puck in his own net. Obviously the whistle had blown and that was not a goal, but aren't goalies superstitious about pucks going into their net? Karma is a bitch. Maybe between Talbot's hit and Osgood throwing a puck into his own net, the Pens will have some good luck at home.

- Sidney Crosby obviously isn't playing quite up to his ability but you can thank Zetterberg and his shitty tactics for that one. Even so, he's played really well and had some great chances last night. We give him a lot of credit for his attitude in talking to the media after games. It's got to get really old talking to the media after every game, practice, skate, whatever day after day. And then when you lose even after you've played well and you're a little frustrated...well, we'd probably be pretty bitchy. He believes in himself and his team. As he should.

- Wah, wah, wah. So Geno isn't suspended for game 3. Like he really should have been? Or like you thought he would or should after the Ovechkin lack of suspension? No. He was frustrated and was trying to do something for his team. Good way to set a tone for game 3. The Pens aren't going to lay down and give up without a fight. Osgood's flop after the Talbot poke would have been enough for us to punch a Wing or two. Let alone Zetterberg and his antics. *Gag*

- How did we not complain about this after game 1? Probably because it was late and we're out of our mind at that time. We might just have to do this later after every game. Anyway, NBC sucks. Not that it's anything new, but for heaven's sakes, WTF?! Do these guys smoke a little something before games or what? We like Darren Pang and Doc but Pierre and Mike? OMG. And that whole you're the coach and what are you telling your players BS and fight between the two was ridiculous. We want someone who actually knows what they're talking about and can make comments we never could. You know, something other than "the puck is on the ice." Geez.

Game recap

Aftermath

Penguins Remain Confident, Unshaken

Penguins coverage at the Post-Gazette
Yinz Luv 'Da Guins game 2:

It's time to believe. You in or you out?

Go Pens!

Pens lose again, Wings up 2-0

(AP)

The Pens lost to the Wings again 3-1 to go down two games in the Stanley Cup Final. There is so much to talk about we'll be back later today. But you can get excited about some talk about Geno (above), Zetterberg's illegal activities, how bad NBC sucks, Sidney Crosby, MAF, getting your mind right, and last but not least...how the Pens have been the better team. Yeah, we said it.

For now, we feel like shit. Time to sleep. See you later.

This may be kind of depressing but Yinz Luv 'Da Guins, Game 1:

Go Pens!

Pens lose, no need to panic

(Getty)

The Pens lost the first game of the Stanley Cup Final to the Wings 3-1. But seriously, there's no need to hit the panic button. The Wings got some, almost unbelievable, bounces for all three of their goals, especially the first two. Were we the only ones who thought this felt like the Washington series? You know, the goalie makes all the key saves and they just can't get one past him, but the bounces are plentiful on the other side. Unfortunately the Pens weren't on the receiving end of the bounces last night, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. The Pens did not play their best game, and they were not out-played last night. This is a far cry from last year's final. Again, let's not start a riot.

We've already seen the crap on the internet. OMG! Blame Marc-Andre Fleury! He makes a huge save on Ovechkin and you're slobbering all over him like a dog with a bone, and then some weird bounces happen and you're throwing him under the bus. You know who you are.

For once, we're livid and we're not letting it go. The Pens lost and now we've got a bunch of people freaking out. Most are blaming MAF, some are blaming others, but no matter what, the Wings got the bounces and the Pens didn't. No, the Pens didn't play their best game but they were still right there with the Wings. Yes, they lost and it sucks, but get over it and get ready for game 2. No matter how much you whine (cheese anyone?), it's not going to change that the Pens are down a game in this series. It's ONE GAME! Calm the heck down and have some faith for once. After all, how many times have you seen the Pens mount comebacks either in games or in series'? Or how many series have they came out a tad flat and end up on top of their game? Road teams are generally happy to get a split and the Pens have a chance to do just that tonight. Win tonight and we're going back to Pittsburgh with a tie series and all the momentum in our building. Sounds good to us.

(This rant is why we don't read message boards or other such things on the internets. It's infuriating.)

Game recap

Aftermath: Wings 3, Pens 1

Pens at the Post-Gazette

- The Pens kept up with the Wings, and even took it to them at times. They need to get more shots on Osgood. It will go in. We even saw on the internets where Osgood was a good, dependable goalie. LOLZ. He benefits a lot from the defense in front of him. Do we think he's horrible? No. But he isn't exactly fabulous. We have Malkin and Crosby. It's time to show him what world-class talent looks like.

- Malkin played well last night, and yes Mom and Dad were there. But that breakaway chance? Ouch. Geno, we love you, but can't you bury those once in a while? Please?

- Sidney Crosby will play better in this series. He was not bad last night, but he wasn't exactly the Sidney Crosby we've gotten used to in these playoffs. It's time to show Zetterberg who the better player is. That hit around center ice last night should've sent a message. Now it's time to perform. He will put this team on his back if he has to. After all, he doesn't want to be in this photograph again. Although that backhander he got off in the second period around a defender. Wow. How do you get that much on that shot in that situation? Ridiculous.

- Speaking of performance, Jordan Staal, please bury one of those shots! He looks nervous and sloppy, or like he doesn't know what to do with a puck. His defensive work is great and he sure knows how to grind it out. But offensively he needs to step it up.

- Orpik with free candy to old buddy Hossa. Enough said.

- Fleury needs to stay loose, confident, and keep doing what he's doing. Those bounces were not good and he wasn't entirely faultless, but he will step up and adapt.

- We have to admit we don't like all the hitting so far. We love a good hit, don't get us wrong, but it's way more physical than we ever anticipated. Yes, this is the final and you win four or you go home, but geez. We're not sure how much we liked the penalty calling, or lack thereof either.

Are you ready for game 2?

Go Pens!

Stanley Cup Final - Game 1

(AP)

That picture is quite possibly the scariest picture of Sidney Crosby we've ever seen. If he plays like that look on his face, the Red Wings are in trouble. He's been playing like a man possessed the entire playoffs and there's no reason to believe he won't be more so this series. He is going to do everything he possibly can to get the Pens where they want to go. We all know where that is.

You should all know by now we're not much for previews. One, we'd probably suck at it. Two, maybe this is a bad way to look at it, but at the end of this series someone is going to win and someone is going to go home unhappy. We know, what a lazy way to get out of a preview, but seriously, us coming up with some sub-par preview would pale in comparison to all the wonderful articles you could read that will get you even more pumped up for the game tonight (see below).

Speaking of pumped, we don't think we've ever been this pumped. Not before last year's final, not before the Steelers' two recent Super Bowls, uh...not before a Pirates season? We tried. But in all honesty, something feels right this year. We don't know what it is, it just is what it is. Did you get that? We're not even sure we did. But even right now at 3 a.m. we're tired as heck but absolutely pumped for the game tonight. And a bit anxious. But what is a big game/series without a little anxiety? No fun, that's what. If the Pens win the cup, we'll probably bawl like babies. Who's with us?

Your ever-so-awesome series preview not written by us.

Pens home page  The Pens have some awesome articles you should really check out.

Pens at Post-Gazette  The other place you need to go for pre and post-game coverage

Ya hungry?

Go Pens!

Bring on the Wings

We found out tonight who the Pens will be playing in the Stanley Cup Final. The Detroit Red Wings. Again. Nothing like a rematch to get things going. There are too many story lines to count and we sure are glad we're going to get this thing going on Saturday because we're not sure how much of that we can listen to. That and waiting over a week for this to start would be grueling. 

This story can end in one of two ways, the Pens being victorious or the Pens losing to the same team plus Hossa for the second year in a row. The joy of beating the Red Wings would be unbelievable, but the heartbreak from a loss would be indescribable. Getting revenge on the Wings would be good enough, but telling Marian Hossa he made a huge mistake in the off-season makes it sweeter. And for us, we can't stand Chris Osgood. Then after watching one of his post-game interviews in the playoffs, we can't stand his arrogant ass even more. Time to bring him down to earth via Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

The schedule is out and it's interesting to say the least.

2009 STANLEY CUP FINAL

Saturday, May 30 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS

Sunday, May 31 at Detroit, TBD-Night NBC, CBC, RDS

Tuesday, June 2 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm VERSUS, CBC, RDS

Thursday, June 4 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm VERSUS, CBC, RDS

* Saturday, June 6 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS

* Tuesday, June 9 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS

* Friday, June 12 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS

What is with playing the first two games back-to-back? Seems awfully stupid if you ask us. And then two day breaks between games five and six and then six and seven if necessary? What were they on when they made up this schedule? Whatever. And of course, no weekend games in Pittsburgh. Thanks a lot NHL.

- The Wings decided not to touch the Campbell Bowl this year, just as they didn't touch it last year.

- Cristobal Huet was really good last night. He made a lot of key saves. This one with only a few seconds left in regulation was ridiculous. How in the world did he manage that one? People argue it didn't mean anything but we could care less, it was awesome. We're leaning towards best in the playoffs.

- The Wings have a lot of injuries and their defensemen played a lot of hockey last night. They've got to be tired. Even better that we're starting this series on Saturday.

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins Game 4:

Go Pens!

Pens win Game 4, sweep Carolina to head to SCF

(Getty)

Woohoo! The Pens are going back to the Stanley Cup Final again this year after beating the Canes for the fourth time by a score of 4-1. How awesome does this feel? We don't know how we're going to wait until the finals start. If the Wings don't beat the Hawks tonight to take the series, we're looking at waiting until June 5th more than likely. That's way too long.

Game recap

Aftermath: Penguins 4, Hurricanes 1

- Once again the Canes had all the momentum at the beginning of the game and even got a goal from their star player who hadn't scored all series not even two minutes in and they still manage to lose. Obviously we're not complaining but they had to just be out of gas. We fully expected this series to be a lot harder than it was.

- Fleury may have given up that goal early, but he was solid the rest of the game. That stick save in the first period was awesome. People like to complain about Fleury a lot, but he's shown he's clutch. And he wins games. How can you complain about that?

Fleury save about 1:20 in.

- Sidney Crosby and Bill Guerin are looking really good right now. Last night we had a pass from Crosby to Guerin on a 2-on-1 for a nice goal. The game before, basically the same thing but reversed. We have to admit we weren't all that impressed when we heard Guerin was coming here but he sure has been valuable in a lot of ways. Does anyone think he plays like he's 38? We don't. Sidney Crosby can do that to you.

- How can you argue with keeping Boucher in the lineup instead of Dupuis? He's played well and that pass to Feds last night for the Pens' first goal was nice.

- We have to give a lot of credit to Cam Ward. He was by far their best player in the entire series and, a lot of the time, the only one who showed up. He made a lot of great saves and tried to keep his team in games and he was just not backed up. He just couldn't do it all himself and when you're left out to dry like he was over and over, goals are going to get scored. He took a lot of the blame but we don't think he deserves to. Hardly any of the blame should be placed on him.

- Crosby is close to the playoff record for points and he dishes off the empty netter to Craig Adams instead of going for it himself. What a player. Now Adams has three goals in the playoffs, two of them empty netters. Although that empty netter directly off the faceoff was awesome. That's skill.

- Sidney Crosby touched the Prince of Wales trophy?! He's shocking us all this year. First the hat and now this? Is he sick? We definitely think the whole not touching the trophy thing was a little over the top. Besides, Mario Lemieux touched it both times before winning the Stanley Cup. How can you argue with that? The trophy even got a nice ride home.

Picture is from the Penguins Facebook page and thanks to Seth from EN for finding it.

The Prince of Wales trophy presentation:

Max Talbot's phenomenal interview with Dan Potash after the game:

Interviews with Sidney Crosby, Bill Guerin, and Marc-Andre Fleury:

Pens coverage at the Post-Gazette

Who's next? Bring it.

Go Pens!