As the final moments ticked away in the 3rd period of game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the echos of “WE WANT THE CUP” filled Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

For Detroit and it’s fans, it was time to celebrate.

The champagne was chilled.

Champion T-shirts and hats unwrapped.

And Lord Stanley’s cup, itself, was placed in the Red Wings hallway.

For us Pens fans, the harsh reality of losing in the Finals was beginning to set in. We were losing 3-2, the clock was our enemy, and the 3rd period was one of the worst displays of offense in playoff history.

We had a nice run. Just let the time run out and let the misery get here as soon as possible so we can get back to our normal lives.

What would soon transpire would change the normalcy of our lives forever.

With one minute left in the game, Marc-Andre Fleury rushed towards the bench, leaving his net empty.

Time to put in the extra attacker, in one last ditch effort to save our season.

Who was Therrien going to put in? Malone? Roberts? Sykora? Staal? All would have been solid options, and no second guessing would have been done.

If you guessed “none of the above” you’d be right. Therrien put in Max Talbot, the energy guy with the best playoff beard in the world.

Talbot himself even said he was surprised by the call-in, because never once this season was he asked to be that extra attacker.

So there you have it.

The Pens dump the puck in the zone, but it is quickly handled and passed to Henrik Zetterberg who brings the puck to center ice. This was it. He was going to bury it and end all hopes. Instead the shot is partially blocked and controlled by the Pens.

Sergei Gonchar get the puck to Evgeni Malkin who fires it behind the net. There is a mad rush for the puck and the boys from Pittsburgh come away with it. The puck finds Talbots stick at the side of Chris Osgood.

Shot.

Save.

Rebound.

Second chance.

And with :34 left in the game.

GOAL.

3-3.

OT.

Overtimes are always exciting. Especially when your playoff lives can be ended with one shot. One deflection. One mistake.

Atleast if your team is down in regulation you can see and know when the end is going to happen. In overtime, noone knows when or who will light that goal lamp.

Anyways it would take me days to recap the 3 OTs. And I’m sure you all have seen the highlights already.

Rob Scuderi is cut by a high stick.

4:00 Powerplay

Gonchar back in the game.

Gonchar to Malkin. Malkin to Sykora.

We’ll see you in Pittsburgh.

Some points I want to touch:

Marc-Andre Fleury: What a performance. 55 saves against they juggernaut Red Wings offense. He stood on his head the entire 3 OTs. Without him this post isn’t even written. Without him the Pens are playing golf today. MAF, You’re a STAR.

Petr Sykora: Aside from his game-winning shot in the 3rd OT, one that he happened to tell Pierre Maguire that he would score, it was nice to see him contribute. He has been quiet all series. He is a streaky player and this might just be the spark he needs to get his game back to the level it was all season.

Marian Hossa: He had the magic tonight. Whenever he touched the puck, something good happened. After a dismal first 2 games of the series, he has shown up big. I’m guessing his agent told him how much money he was set to make this offseason with another solid performance in this series.

Ryan Malone: A warrior. He hasn’t been anywhere to be found on the score sheet, but he is all that is Pittsburgh. Born and raised in the Steel City, the second generation Penguin looks as though he just got out of the ring with an vintage 1980s Mike Tyson. Already sporting the results of a broken nose sustained earlier in the series, Malone took a Hal Gill slapper right in the face. The next period, all stitched up, he was back on the ice. This is the Finals and he knows it. This is no time to wallow in pain. A true example of grit that resulted in glory.

Adam Hall: How big has he been in this series. A healthy scratch early in the playoffs, this lifetime role player is showing up big when it matters most. He is one of our best face-off men. Scored the game winner in Game 3. Scored another goal last night, albeit the assist should go to Niklas Kronwell, and has been a solid force night in and night out.

Evgeni Malkin: Some may ask, where he has been in this series and that is totally warranted based on his performance all season, but the Hart Trophy Finalist must be withholding some information about his health. He did come out and say that he was tired. Which in my opinion was a dumb thing to do. All it does is make him a target for the media. A media that knows he isn’t comfortable enough in front of the mic to defend himself. He did however, carry the Pens all season. Playing with the energy and skill of 2 players during the absence of Sidney Crosby. First Crosby reference He has double shifted on the powerplay all playoffs. He has played with reckless abandon all season and it seems that his body is finally paying for it. If you remember, Malkin did take a beating at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in the last round. He is a target, he gets matched with stellar defenders. His numbers aren’t there and neither is that skill that we are accustomed to seeing, but one thing that is evident is the passion and desire to win still burns deep within the kid we call Geno.

Igloo – Game 6

LET’S GO PENS