Stanley Cup Final: Game 7 Showdown

Game 7 Detroit vs Pittsburgh (Friday 8:00 p.m. est) The anticipation for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals is sky high as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings will meet one last time in Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena, Friday night. There couldn’t be any better storylines as Sidney Crosby (the face of the league) looks for redemption and to claim his first Stanley Cup at the young age of 21. In Crosby’s way are the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings who are looking to claim their 5th championship in 12 years. The home team in the Finals are 6-0 and home team’s are 12-2 in the history of Game 7’s in the Cup

The Zetterberg – Crosby matchup returns to Detroit; Datsyuk expected to play in game 5

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist in game 4 and all of a sudden, Pittsburgh has both of star centers playing at the top of their game heading into game 5. Evgeni Malkin has arguably been the M.V.P. of the series, while through the first three games of the series, Sidney Crosby was unable to solve Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood. With the series heading back to Detroit, Henrik Zetterberg will be matched up against Crosby nearly every shift as Zetterberg kept Crosby in check during games 1 and 2. The matchup will be at the forefront and the question for the Penguins will be whether Crosby can build off of his success in game

Red Wings lacked composure in game 4; Veterans pointing fingers at Marian Hossa

It was a rare sight Thursday night as the Detroit Red Wings imploded and Pittsburgh rattled off 3 goals in less than 6 minutes to take a 4-2 lead in the second period. The Red Wings lacked composure and Penguins players indicated after the game that the team could hear the Red Wings chirping at each other on the bench. Sources tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports, the finger pointing has begun from established veterans towards Marian Hossa. The Red Wings have not been able to slow down Evgeni Malkin because of the absence of Pavel Datsyuk. Hossa, the teams highest paid player with Nicklas Lidstrom, has zero goals in the series and has not stepped up and done his part to

The Latest buzz from the NHL GM meetings in Pittsburgh

Rumor Mill Heating Up NHL GM’s have convened in Pittsburgh for the annual GM meetings, trade winds and free agent talk is starting to heat up. Here’s the latest. Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell has his most important off-season ahead for him as his star forward Ilya Kovalchuk is entering the final year of his contract. Word is Waddell will be aggressive in free agency and will make a strong run at the Sedin twins with Waddell prepared to make long-term offers to both players worth as much as $6 million per season. *Another player on the Thrashers radar is San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau according to a league source. The asking price is steep. *The Atlanta Thrashers have approached

Absence of Datsyuk puts pressure on Marian Hossa

Datsyuk out for Game 1 The Detroit Red Wings will be without M.V.P. candidate Pavel Datsyuk for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Saturday night. Datsyuk who has a small fracture in his foot, skated today at the Wings morning skate and deemed himself available to play. Head coach Mike Babcock and the Red Wings medical staff made the final call and have ruled Datsyuk out for tonight’s game. This will be the 4th straight game that Datsyuk will miss. Indications are that Datsyuk will return to the lineup by game 3 at the latest. With Datsyuk likely to be limited for the entire series, the pressure will turn to Marian Hossa.

Media buzz centers around Marian Hossa on eve of Cup Finals

Shero/Crosby: “We’ve Moved On” Detroit — Both teams met the media Friday afternoon on the eve of the Stanley Cup finals and the media buzz centered around Red Wings star forward Marian Hossa who will face his old team in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals. Sidney Crosby on Marian Hossa signing with the Red Wings

Clearing the front of the net an area of focus for the Penguins

Top to bottom the Detroit Red Wings may be the deepest team in the National Hockey League. Where the Red Wings exploited the Penguins last season was their ability to cause havoc in front of the net. Led by gritty winger Tomas Holmstrom, the Red Wings have a “front of the net presence” on their top three lines. Holmstrom caused the Penguins problems in the 08 playoffs and Pittsburgh will have their hands full with Holmstrom again this time around. While Holmstrom will look to establish his presence early in game 1, the Penguins primary concern is going to be tough rugged winger Johan Franzen. Franzen (19 pts) leads the Red Wings in playoff scoring and he is not nicknamed

Guerin outproducing Hossa in the playoffs

The addition of Bill Guerin has ended up being Ray Shero’s “Hossa” trade of 2009. Ray Shero will always be remembered for striking a last minute deal with the Atlanta Thrashers to acquire Marian Hossa last winter. The addition of Hossa put the Penguins above the rest in the Eastern Conference as they steamrolled into the Stanley Cup Finals with a 12-2 record through the first three rounds. At age 38, Bill Guerin does not measure up to Hossa when it comes to skill vs skill. What Guerin brings to the table is intangiables on and off the ice and without him, the Penguins wouldn’t be in this situation. He has been that important to the team. When the Penguins

Sunday Morning Report

Hossa expects loud boos from Penguins fans: Red Wings forward Marian Hossa who turned down a 7 year – $52 million from the Penguins this past summer¬†expects fans at Mellon Arena to be very loud when he touches the puck Sunday afternoon. Hossa speaking to the Toronto Sun had this to say on Saturday; “It will be loud,” Hossa acknowledged yesterday. “And when I touch the puck, it will be louder. That’s what I’m expecting. I try not to think about it — just focus on my game and do my stuff. “I had a great time in Pittsburgh. There are great fans in Pittsburgh, a sellout every night.” Saturday Roundup: Wings defeat Oilers 8-3 Head to Head Comparison Detroit

The Latest on Tampa Bay, Gaborik, Havlat and the Rangers

The Phoenix Coyotes are not the only NHL team in financial trouble. It has been widely speculated that the Tampa Bay Lightning‚Äôs current ownership group of Oren Koules and Len Barrie could lose their team. The Ottawa Sun reports, the belief is there’s a $10- million US payment due to Palace Sports and Entertainment in January as part of the sale. Former owner Bill Davidson could take the team back, and the paper suggests Jay Feaster would be back as GM. As reported on here following the BOG Meetings, the Lightning are exploring the trade market for Marty St.Louis and Mark Recchi. It is expected that the Lightning will ask Marty St. Louis to waive his no trade clause but