Hey where's the deleted post about hoisting the cup in 7 minutes? How sweet for the Red Wing fans. Have your Stanley cup party plans all mapped out only to be denied. And you better wish you don't have another home game because a game 7 after leading a series 3-1 is not place you should be. The Pens can still crash and lose game 6 after this effort. Sure they where out everythinged by the Wings, but they didn't fold up and go home. Fleury is amazing at 23.:)

Fleury stepped up--stole a game. I still think his lateral movement is as good as anyone that I have seen.

His rebound control can still be off , and frankly a few of the goals in the previous games are ones that probably should not go in--but tonight he was the absolute difference.

How about Sykora calling his goal (near the end of the 2nd OT-right before he took the hooking penalty)--pretty awesome.

Malkin looks exhausted and at least a step slow right now. Crosby is being stifled and can't get any speed in the neutral zone. The Wings do remind me a bit of the Devils--and there is some subtle obstruction still going on--in the neutral zone some, but especially in the offensive zones.

That said--it does not approach the literal rodeos that the league endorsed in previous years. It is what it is and the Wings got 58 shots.

Pitt D is having real troubled breaking out and there are a ton of turnovers. Eventually that will cost you--and while I love the game 6--winning three in a row against that Detroit team is a tall order. The cool thing is--get by game 6 and it's a crapshoot.

Credit the Pens for hanging in there...BUT this was the WORST officiating Ive ever seen in any professional sport. Those 2 "goaltender interferance" penalties when the guy is rushing to the net with the puck are unheard of in hockey... someone got to those officials. Divorsky should be fired immediately. Yeah, those penalties didnt lead to the actual game winner...but what they do is not only put you on a disadvantage for 2 minutes but also 1 min after when you regroup + totally take you out of your game mentally and kills the momentum.

something was not right with those officials tonight.

And as for "obstruction", the Pens are doing just as much and are getting away with it. Its on the tape!
someone got to these officials

89911 i deleted my post in order to update it for overtime...but im back now. the Pens were fortunate tonight you have to admit...but credit them for hanging in there.

I understand your frustration with the goalie interference calls--the second one was real questionable for sure--
BUT.....devil's advocate wise--had Zetterberg plowed into Fluery--(and he did- thus taking him out of the play)--and someone had scored a cheap one while he was unable to react--I'm not sure I would have been too thrilled to see the game end that way either. It is a tough call for sure.

I think if no threat of penalty--it would be open season on goaltenders. As an ex-member of that union--I would have to object!

both were horrendous calls...and had they gone vs. the Pens (aka had someone not gotten to the refs before hand)...I would think the same thing.

Zetterberg was on a break and had a defender on his back, same with Cleary... both guys were given a shove by the defender backchecking...this is a VERY common play in any hockey game...

i mean its like hockey 101 its that basic... so what is the shooter supposed to do pull up? no...he is taught to make his shot and continue to the net for a rebound...and neither guy really hit Fluerry hard...+ the puck WAS in the crease which makes it perfectly legal to go in there to get it if it is loose and there was not a whistle..

So in both cases, the ref Divorsky blew the call by misinterpreting the rules... the fact that it was the same guy who made both calls, and one when he was well behind the play at the blue line when he made the call tells us that he was a) looking for it with a quick trigger and b) someone from the Pens or the NHL office (who want a long Crosby series) got to him to tell him to look for those calls.

Either way, its not right...bogus....this is one of those things that keeps the NHL down: inconsistant and unexplained officiating. The rule is that if the puck is loose in the crease, you can go get it.

I mean no offense to the Pens fans...that is a tough team with lots of skill.

I have to respectively disagree. Zetterberg was not shoved into Fleury. He made an "outside-in" move on the D and went for the net. Watch the replay no shove that I can recall. The rule has been in place for some time that you must make an effort not to run the goalie-and like the rule or not-running into Fleury is precisely what happened in this case.

WOW!!!!!!!!! What a thing to wake up too!!!! (Had to hit the sack, see how early it is?). Went to bed after the Wings went up 3-2. Great game. I can't comment to the late game officiating but suffice it to say when the Wings were winning no mention of it? ;)
A game 6 and I'm out of town. I'd better get it on the hotel TV :mad:

AbbyK...the NBC announcers were roasting the officials between the first and 2nd OTs over the terrible call on Zetterberg. They did the same thing between the 2nd and 3rd periods over the terrible call on Cleary. They even went as far to say "the NHL has to look at this over the offseason because someone got into those refs heads and it has to change." Now...those are a crew approved by the NHL to do the job for NBC (aka Nobody Beats Crosby)....what do they have to gain from telling the truth.

From Espn.com

"• Just wondering … why did Detroit star Henrik Zetterberg get an interference penalty at the 17:25 mark of the first overtime? I didn't see any foul on that play. What a time for a blown call. Luckily, the game wasn't decided as a result of that penalty. Oh, by the way, the goalie interference penalty on Dan Cleary in the early moments of the second overtime wasn't much better!"

So...Im not alone in my take on those 2 bad calls.

Buckterrier......The Pens coach whined after every Pens loss and he got into those Refs heads. This is documented! And the NHL is bending over for Crosby and their crying.... he even had the nerve to say the Wings were good at Obstruction, but the Pens do it just as much...witness the 2 on 1 break in OT where one of the Pens D basically mualled a Wing so he couldnt get into the play and take the pass. No call.

Im watching the tape of the Zetterberg call right now, he wheeled at the blue line...made his move in...got sticked check so he had to cut infront of Fleury...the puck was loose and because of the check by Gill he went to the top of the crease...the puck was there and Fleury came out to the top of the crease which was right where Zetterberg was going after the puck. The two player collided because both were going for a puck that was free in the crease. Zetterberg's momentum took him there as he is taught to go to the net. Its on the tape and the announcers were stunned at the penalty and at first they thought that Pitts got the penalty.

This is a standard hockey play that you see in most games, and if it were not for the Pens coach and possibly the NHL manipulating the officials prior to the game, it would have been called correctly as a no call. Calling penalties in OT of a Stanley Cup Playoffs??? wow...well you'd think they would make them at least be legit calls. Did it matter? Yes...absolutely killed momentum of Det. in overtime....can you imagine if they had scored on the play and had it called back? it was stupid, point simple.

My wife is a Wings fan, but I told her it was too bad they were going to lose. There's just too much money lost if the series ended last night...

Bingo. Move to the front of the hockey class.

Hitting the goalie in the crease is a penalty, has been all year. Red Wings have taken advantage of some weak refereeing in the past. the correct call was made last night.

Watching the game last night I thought of a new drinking game. Every time the announcers say 'Crosby' you take a drink. I guarantee you'll be hammered 10 minutes in. It seemed to me they were in love with the guy and he was being talked about even when his line wasn't on the ice. I'll be the first to admit I don't watch a lot of hockey, and this was the first Pens game I've seen, but that really stood out to me.

What a great hockey game. I really have no horse in the race aside from enjoying seeing the Pens lose. That was just one hell of a game, both goalies were awesome. I fell asleep after OT 1.

I keep reading the title of the post,

but subliminally am seeing it as

GO PENIS !

parapraxis? :D

2 things you are missing here, according to the actual league rule:

1) If the puck is loose in the crease you can go get it.
2) the player's momentum met with the goalie's momentum while the puck was loose in the crease.

Z made one swipe at the puck and then all hellll broke loose and bodies went everywhere.

It was a Hcrap call and everyone knows it! (except Pens fans and people up in Mystery Alaska ) ;) (just kidding).

Either way...its Game 6 is on and this is turning out to be a good series after all.

SmileWavy

That would be the official Viagra/Cialis thread...and judging by the huge number of Viagra commercials that NBC is running during these NHL games...you may not be that far off! Apparently the sponsors think that hockey fans have ED or something....

I think the Russian Mob has something on Malkin. Seems every time he touches the puck he's turning it over to the Wings, four more last night. He stepped up his game when Crosby went down with an ankle and very well could be the reason the Pens are in the finals. If he does come alive the Wings are in trouble, (big if unfortunately).
And for all you conspiracy theorists... :rolleyes: geez.

1) Absolutely, but you can not infringe on the goalies ability to position himself, or hold his position in the crease

2) It is the skaters obligation to avoid the goalie in the crease, momentum, motion, velocity of the goalie is not a deterimining, or relevant factor, he is deemed to be a) protected and b) less mobile

The most flagrant (missed) penalty was on Mule after the Penguins tied the game. He laid a crosscheck to the shoulder and head after the puck was in the net.

Detroit will still win.

From the NHL Rulebook -Rule 69.2 Goaltender Interference :

In all cases in which an attacking player initiates intentional
or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, whether or not the goalkeeper
is inside or outside the goal crease, and whether or not a goal is
scored, the attacking player will receive a penalty (minor or major, as
the Referee deems appropriate). In all cases where the infraction
being imposed is to the attacking player for hindering the goalkeeper’s
ability to move freely in his goal crease, the penalty to be assessed is
for goalkeeper interference.

In exercising his judgment, the Referee should give more significant consideration to the degree and nature of the contact with the goalkeeper than to the exact location of the goalkeeper at the time of the contact.

Being 'pushed' is not enough, as along as deliberate contact, (which includes not trying to avoid contact), is made.

And from 69.3

If a goalkeeper, in the act of establishing his position within his
goal crease, initiates contact with an attacking player who is in the
goal crease, and this results in an impairment of the goalkeeper’s
ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be
disallowed.

So you can't hit the goalie, you can't continue on into the goalie after a check, and you can't stake out a claim on the crease. Detroit players/fans might complain, but I did not see any blown calls last night. I thought it was deliberate and intentional contact, as described in 69.2.

You are more than welcome to disagree.

I am going to look into the future and pose a question. If the play continues the way it does and the Pens manage to win the series (don't laugh, the odds just increased exponentially) can you still argue that the Wings are a better team in they are beaten 4 times in a 7 game series? I keep looking on how the Pens have won and can only come down to one flaw in the Wings, Osgood.