Talbot Leads Penguins to 4-2 Victory in Game 3
June 3, 2009 by Jeanne Dupuis
Filed under Detroit Red Wings, NHL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins
Maxime Talbot scored two important goals last night as the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted defending Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings, for the first time in the Finals.
image: Zuma Press
There were grumblings among many a hockey fan saying that the Penguins were on their way to being swept but, fortunately, last night’s game disproved the gossip. I would imagine that even Red Wings fans would like to see a little more action before a winner emerges.
Watching the game, I felt like there was a lot less passion than I was expecting through those first two periods. Fortunately, two goals by Talbot and a great power-play tally by Sergei Gonchar buoyed the Pens to a 4-2 victory.
It was also nice to see netminder, Marc-Andre Fleury, looking a little more stable between the pipes. He finished the game with 27 saves. Teammate, Talbot, was really happy for his best friend: “I’m so happy for Fleury because in Game 1 and 2 he got criticized a little bit, but tonight I think he won the battle of the goaltenders. I have a lot of trust in that guy, he’s amazing. If I had a choice to take any goaltender in the league, I would choose Fleury and he proved it tonight.”
Someone who wasn’t feeling the love was former Penguin, Marian Hossa. As soon as he came near the puck, the crowd erupted in boos and rightfully so. I hope he wasn’t expecting a warm reception…
Neither Pavel Datsyuk nor Kris Draper to dressed for Detroit.
Game 4 takes place on Thursday in Pittsburgh and I believe that the Penguins will need to win it if they stand a chance of taking home the Stanley Cup. Even though the series is currently at 2-1 in Detroit’s favor, I still feel that this is anyone’s game.
