NHL gets its dream: Pens vs. Wings, Game 7
If you are planning on betting at WagerWeb.com on Friday night’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, you’ll want to focus on the score at the end of the second period.
Detroit is 12-0 in these playoffs when leading after two periods, and after Tuesday’s 2-1 home victory the Pens are now 9-0 when leading after two.
The Wings have opened as -175 favorites for Game 7, and history shows that Detroit should be able to finish the job in Motown. The home team has won all six games in the series, with Detroit outscoring Pittsburgh 11-2 at Joe Louis Arena. It’s only the fifth time in NHL history the home team has won the first six games of the Cup finals (first since 2003 Ducks).
Also, each of the last six Game 7s in the Stanley Cup final have been won by the home team. The last road team to win a Game 7 in the Cup finals was the 1971 Montreal Canadiens in a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks. That series also saw the home team win the first six games of the series.
That Game 6 victory was Pittsburgh’s first this postseason when neither Evgeni Malkin nor Sidney Crosby recorded a point. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular in Game 6 with 25 saves, including 13 in the final period. A big difference from Game 5 at Detroit last Saturday, when he was pulled midway through the game after making just 16 saves.
The Wings were outshot 24-12 through two periods in Game 6. Starting slow has been a problem for the Red Wings this series, costing them in every loss.
“I thought they were better than us, though, at the start of the game, probably for the first almost 32 minutes,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “They won more races and more battles, had more play, were on top of us more, and they kept us to the outside.”
Both teams have played a Game 7 in these playoffs, with host Detroit, which is 11-1 at home in these playoffs, beating Anaheim in the West semifinals, while the Pens won at Washington in Game 7 of the East semis.
“We played a hundred and something games this season, and it comes down to one game. How special is that?” Pittsburgh forward Max Talbot said. “Every time you play street hockey, you know, what game do you play? You play Game 7, Stanley Cup final, and we just gave ourselves a chance to play that game.”
Detroit needs to wake up Marian Hossa. He hasn’t scored in seven games and has just three assists in the Cup finals. On Tuesday night, he was limited to one shot on goal. Not the numbers you expect from a guy making more than $7 million this season.
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