Gotta admit, my Stanley Cup Finals prediction is looking pretty shaky right now.

Sure, it’s possible that the Pittsburgh Penguins could rally and win four straight games to defeat the Detroit Red Wings four games to two as I’d predicted, but that’s starting to look like a long shot after watching the Wings dismantle the Penguins in the first two games.

The Penguins played well for the first period and about five minutes of the second in Game One, then the patient Wings took over the game, made it 1-0 after the second and 4-0 by the end of the third.

Game Two was an even more dominating performance by the Red Wings, who controlled the play from the opening whistle until the siren sounded to end Game Two, a 3-0 victory for Detroit.

The factors I listed in predicting the Penguins to win this series – their offensive depth, speed, goaltending and aggressiveness around the opposition net – have been effectively neutralized by the Red Wings superior puck possession game.

The factors I thought could hurt the Wings – lack of secondary scoring, low shot and scoring chances faced by goalie Chris Osgood, uncertainty over Johan Franzen’s condition, difficulty in shutting down the Pens offensive depth – haven’t been factors at all.

If you’d told me prior to this series that the Red Wings would shut out the Penguins in the first two games, I wouldn’t have believed it possible. Sure, I would’ve conceded the possibility of the Wings winning both games, but not in such a dominating fashion.

Right now, its boys playing against men and the men have been impressive thus far in this series, while the boys still have more learnin’ to do, and not much time in which to do it.

The only good thing the Penguins can point to in this series is that they successfully killed off all but one Red Wings power-play, and in Game Two they improved in the faceoff circle to where they were roughly even on the draws with the Wings.

Other than that, it’s been a disaster for the Penguins, one that will take more than playing the next two games on home ice to prevent from worsening.

It’s a tribute to the Red Wings system, from their front office who’ve built and maintained this current roster, to the coaching staff for implementing the puck possession system, to the players themselves for buying into this team concept.

It’s possible the Red Wings are the most ego-free team in the NHL. Nobody is making waves about lack of playing time, or grumbling about the coaching, or allowing their contract statuses to become a distractions.

Instead, it’s a team in the truest sense of the word, all on the same page, all working toward the same goal.

It’s a lesson the Penguins, and the other 28 teams in the NHL, should be taking notes on and learning.

This year’s Finals was touted as a dream matchup between two of the NHL’s most skilled teams. Instead, it’s become a one-sided nightmare for the Penguins and their fans, one that the Red Wings could end quickly by this coming Saturday night.

Which leads me to make another prediction, one I feel very confident of; if the Red Wings win Game Three, this series, for all intent and purpose, will be over.

It was apparent watching Game One of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is not playing as well as he did earlier in the playoffs.

In fact, Malkin hasn’t played well since Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals, when he had a three-point night, including two goals, but was also leveled into the boards by Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards.

Malkin was slow to get up from that hit and although he would subsequently score seconds later he wouldn’t score again until Game Five when the Penguins eliminated the Flyers.

The proof is in the statistics.In his first ten playoffs game this spring, Malkin had 8 goals and 17 points, was only held scoreless in two of those games, and was tied for the playoff scoring lead.

Following Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals, Malkin has had only 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points his last five games.

It’s true the Flyers in the Conference Finals and the Red Wings in Game One of the Cup Finals focused more attention on Malkin, not allowing him the time and space to set up his scoring plays.

Still, Malkin proved capable against the Senators and Rangers of shrugging off that tight-checking blanket to be an offensive factor.

The Senators were an injury-ravaged team in turmoil so it's not surprising they could only contain him for one game, but the Rangers were a more defensively sound, tighter checking team and they too could only keep Malkin off the scoreboard in one game.

The Flyers and Red Wings checkers deserve full marks for their efforts in neutralizing Malkin, but one has to wonder if there isn’t another factor at play here, if he’s either wilting under the playoff heat or possibly nursing an injury, perhaps incurred from that heavy hit from Richards in the Conference Final.

If the problem is Malkin’s lack of experience handling the pressure at this stage of the playoffs it’s something he’ll have to mentally work through. If it’s an injury, that could be a more significant problem which he might not be able to overcome.

His critics may be quick to suggest that he’s struggling under the pressure, but I’ve learned over the years not to be so quick to assume that's the reason a talented star struggles in the playoffs. More often than not, they’re hiding an injury which seriously affects their play.

Either way, something has knocked Malkin off his game, and if he cannot recover over the course of the Final, it’ll prove a significant blow to the Penguins offense, one that could prove costly to their Stanley Cup hopes.

And then there were two as the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins square off for the most famous trophy in professional sports.

My analysis and prediction of the series can be found here.

The short version: Penguins in Six.

As always, I encourage reader comments, and I have no problem with differing viewpoints as long as it's done respectfully. Insulting and profane responses will be deleted and ignored as I have no patience for trolls.

On your mark, get set...Discuss!

 They deserved it. They out-played, out-muscled and out-hit the Ottawa Senators, and proved they could also match the Senators speed.

I’m thrilled for Teemu Selanne, who waited fifteen years to finally play on a Cup champion, and he was able to do it for the team with which he’d had most of his greatest individual success.

I’m happy for the Niedermayer brothers, who got to win a Cup together.

I’m also happy for warhorses Sean O’Donnell and Todd Marchant, who like Selanne went years without playing for a winner and now, in the twilight of their careers, are part of a Cup championship.

I'm happy for guys like Ric Jackman and Chris Kunitz, who were fortunate to be picked away from struggling teams to end up playing key roles in the Ducks success.

GM Brian Burke deserves full marks for taking a team with lots of promising young talent, bringing in some key veterans like Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Selanne, O’Donnell and Marchant, hiring Randy Carlyle as head coach, and forging a championship team.

But some credit also goes to Ottawa Senators head coach – and Burke’s predecessor – Bryan Murray, as the Ducks two brightest young stars, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, were drafted by him.

Speaking of the Senators, they deserve credit for getting this far. They’re a very good team, one that has made significant strides in their growth, and finally shook off the “choke artist” label. This is a team that, with a bit more grit and scoring depth, could find themselves hoisting the Cup in the near future.

I think this Ducks team is built to last, but then again, so many of us thought the same thing about the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The salary cap broke up those Cup champions, and it remains to be seen if the Ducks will suffer the same fate.

But that’s in the future. For now, all that matters is the Ducks are the 2007 Stanley Cup champions, and deserving champs at that.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in Game Four, taking a 3-1 lead in the series and giving themselves the chance to win the Stanley Cup in Game Five on Wednesday night.

The Ducks did it the way they’ve always done it in this series, by using their physical advantage to nullify the Senators speed, break up their transition game, hurry the Sens passing plays, hemming them in their own zone and generally just controlling the overall game.

Ottawa had the chance to win this game, and in fact in the first period appeared well on their way to doing so. They dominated the Ducks in the period, forced them into bad penalties, and if not for Ducks goalie J.S. Giguere might’ve taken a two or three goal lead into the second, rather than a 1-0 lead.

But the Ducks regain their equilibrium, the Senators lost theirs, and the game turned in the second period with Andy McDonald scoring twice in a one-minute span. Both goals were things of beauty as McDonald stickhandled the Sens defenders and goalie Ray Emery out of their respective jocks.

Hey, kids, if you’ve ever wondered if it’s worthwhile being a good stickhandler in today’s NHL, just watch the highlights of McDonald scoring those two goals.

And I don’t know what’s happened to Emery, but he wasn’t the same goalie in the last two games as he was in the first two. Perhaps he felt the pressure to win on home ice, but he just never looked comfortable playing in his home rink in this series.

If the Senators are to force a sixth game, they’ll need Emery to be at his best in Game Five.

The Sens tied it when Dany Heatley finally ended a lengthy personal scoring drought, but that didn’t rattle the Ducks. They kept coming on, and early in the third were rewarded when yet again another Sens defenseman was caught out of position, resulting in a two-on-one with Dustin Penner scoring the Ducks third and ultimately winning goal.

After that, the Ducks put on a defensive clinic, shutting down the Senators offense and controlling the rest of the game.

I don’t know about any of you, but after the Penner goal, I knew the game was over at that point. Even when McDonald gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead I still believed the Senators could recover and wasn’t surprised when they tied it.

But the Penner goal was a backbreaker and you could see it in the reaction of the Sens, who looked like they’d been collectively kicked in the nuts.

Best of all for the Ducks, they did it without Chris Pronger, suspended for Game Four after injuring Sens forward Dean McAmmond in Game Three. It was the second time in this year’s playoffs the Ducks defence had to step up to fill in for a suspended Pronger, and for the second time they were up to the challenge, as Sean O’Donnell and Kent Huskins filled in admirably.

And so it comes to this, the Ducks can win the Stanley Cup on Wednesday, becoming the first American West Coast team to do so since the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans.

For the Senators, they’ll need to play their best game of the series if they’re to force a sixth game in Ottawa on Saturday.  

Given how the Ducks have controlled this series in three of the four games thus far, I don’t like the Senators chances.

To coin a well-worn sports cliché, the Ottawa Senators faced gut-check time, and responded with a strong performance.

Down 0-2 in the Stanley Cup finals and knowing another loss would put them into a hole too deep to climb out of, the Senators played their best game of the series to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-3.

For the first time in this series, the Senators got a strong effort from their footsoldiers, from their checkers and grinders. Their defensemen were involved in all five Senators goals, and they did a much better job in their own zone.

Ray Emery didn’t play a good game but he didn’t have to, as for once his teammates stepped up and answered the call.

It was gritty guys like Mike Fisher, Chris Neil, Antoine Vermette, Dean McAmmond and Oleg Saprykin who got the job done up front, hitting the Ducks defensemen and winning the battles for the puck.

The Senators top line was still kept in check, although Daniel Alfredsson got a fluky one that went off his skate that was initially waved off as kicked in but upon review was counted when it was correctly determined it deflected in off his skate.

Jason Spezza played a little better but he’s yet to be a true factor in this series, while a search party is needed for Dany Heatley because he’s yet to show up.

As for the Ducks, JS Giguere like Emery also didn’t have a good game, and the so-called blueline “big three” of Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin was unimpressive in this one. As I noted in my post-game analysis, Pronger and Niedermayer may be Norris contenders but they’ve yet to play like it in this series. I’m still waiting for these two to have a good game, let alone a great game.

Their checkers may be keeping the Alfredsson line under wraps but they can’t control all the the Senators forwards, particularly the grinders willing to battle hard once they gained the Ducks zone. That’s where they need that “Big Three” to start playing up to their reputation.

Gotta give it up to their “Kid Line” of Getzlaf, Perry and Penner, as they’re growing in this year’s playoffs into bona fide stars. They gave the hint of greatness in last year’s playoffs, especially Getzlaf and Perry, but this year they’re really living up to expectations.

Those kids had a great game tonight, although their penchant for undisciplined penalties didn’t help their team’s chances for a third period comeback.

Bottom line in this game: The Senators were desperate, they played desperate and won because of it. They’re not out of the woods yet as a Ducks win in Game Four would put them down 3-1 heading back to Anaheim, but they’ve played themselves back into the series, perhaps gained some confidence, and relieved some of the pressure on themselves.

There’s no other way to describe how the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals.

They dominated the Senators in almost every aspect of the game, and only the strong play of Sens goalie Ray Emery kept the score as close as it was.

The Ducks won 1-0, but could’ve easily won 6-0. That’s how dominant they were in this game.

By the third period, I had no doubt the Ducks would win. It was never a question of the Senators getting lucky and stealing this one. It just wasn’t gonna happen. I could sense it, and I think most of you watching this game sensed it too.

Samuel Pahlsson’s goal, the result of yet another neutral zone turnover and lousy defensive play by the Senators, wasn’t a surprise. I just knew that sooner or later the Ducks would score, and that they’d only need one goal to win this one.

The Ducks have taken away Ottawa’s speed advantage, outmuscled and outplayed and outhit the hapless Senators at every opportunity.

At this point in the series, it’s a mismatch, with only Emery keeping each game close and giving his teammates a chance to win.

If the Senators had managed to win it, they wouldn’t have deserved it. Well, Emery would’ve, but not his teammates. Emery is the only Senator who can hold his head high thus far.

The Senators can mouth cliches about taking each game as it comes, playing patient hockey, playing harder, getting their legs back, looking forward to playing at home, but their body language says otherwise.

They’re being badly beaten. And they know it. Returning to home ice in Ottawa isn’t gonna do it for them.

The Senators of course can bounce back, but they’re gonna need to put forth a much better team effort to get it done. An effort that’s been sorely lacking thus far in this series.

If the Senators lose Game Three, this series is over. 

The Anaheim Ducks flexed their muscle in Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals, and it proved the difference as they came from behind to defeat the Ottawa Senators  3-2 to go up 1-0 in the series.

The Sens did play well at times in Game One, notably in the first half of the first period and most of the second, but they were outworked and outmuscled in the third, which the Ducks dominated and scoring two unanswered goals to win it.

There’ll be talk about how the nine-day layoff affected the Senators skating, and it’s a valid point. It’ll be interesting to see how the Senators play now that they’ve gotten the game rust shaken off.

That being said, the physical style that served the Ducks so well in their march to the Finals was on full display in this one, and they deserve full marks for maintaining their poise and their game plan in this one. The Senators were unable to play with the lead in the third, as the Ducks simply wore them down with their physical forechecking.

This is something the Sens haven’t encountered yet in this year’s playoffs and they’ll have to find a way to adjust, the best way being to match their physical play as the Red Wings did. However, the Sens are known for their speed so it may be asking too much to change their style of play now.

The Senators top line also didn’t really get anything going in this one. Yes, Alfredsson and Spezza got assists on Redden’s goal, but otherwise that line was a non-factor. At even strength the Sens just couldn’t get anything going against the Ducks defense.

At least Ray Emery played a good game for Ottawa, otherwise this one might’ve ended 6-2.

Still, a couple of niggling points for the Ducks. First, their defense continues to be burned by speed, as five of their seven penalties in Game One were drawn by their defencemen. Second, they’re still struggling with their special teams, struggling to cash in on the PP and on their penalty kill. Against a team like the Senators, that can be lethal. Third, they’ve got to stop taking too many bad penalties. Five of those seven penalties in Game One were undisciplined and there’s no excuse for that type of play at this time of the year.

Otherwise, a very good effort by the Ducks in neutralizing Ottawa’s speed game, shutting down the Sens top line and creating havoc within Ottawa’s zone.

And then there were two….

The Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks will meet to determine who takes up the Stanley Cup for 2007. So without more ado, here’s my breakdown and prediction.

Coaching: It’s the first time coaching in the Finals for Anaheim’s Randy Carlyle and Ottawa’s Bryan Murray so there’s no experience advantage here. They’ve both done a tremendous job getting their teams this far, but throughout this year’s playoffs the Senators appeared to play a more disciplined game than the Ducks. That being said, Murray hasn’t had to deal with his team facing adversity this spring, whereas Carlyle had to rally his troops against a surprisingly strong Detroit Red Wings team in the Conference Finals. ADVANTAGE: None.

Goaltending: Ray Emery has been a steadying presence between the pipes for the Senators, something they’ve lacked over the past ten years in the playoffs. The Ducks, however, have J.S. Giguere, winner of the 2003 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, who stole two games for his club against the Red Wings in the Conference Finals. Giguere does struggle with rebounds off the end board, has an average glove hand and can be beaten by side-to-side passing. Emery tends to come out too far to cut down angles, leaving him susceptible to being beaten by dekes or side-to-side passing. Ultimately, Giguere’s experience gives him the edge.  ADVANTAGE: DUCKS.

Defense: At first glance the nod would go to the Ducks, who have two previous Norris winners (and contenders for the award this year) in Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer patrolling their blueline, as well as the under-rated Francois Beauchemin and veteran Sean O’Donnell. However, the Senators blueline corps is one of the deepest in the NHL (Redden, Phillips, Corvo, Volchenkov, Meszaros and Preissing), capable of strong two-way play. The Ducks tend to over-rely on their “big three” of Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin, whilst the Sens have effectively spread their ice-time fairly evenly for most of their d-men. Another factor of note was how the Ducks defence struggled against the speed of the Red Wings in the Conference Finals, something the Senators, no slouches in the speed department themselves, will no doubt exploit. The Senators blueline corps can not only skate but are capable of effectively laying on the body, especially Anton "A-Train" Volchenkov and Chris Phillips. ADVANTAGE: SENATORS.

Forwards: Both clubs possess depth in scoring talent and checking prowess. Offensively the focus will be on the Ducks “kid line” of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner, as well as veteran Teemu Selanne, and the Senators top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley.  Both sides also have depth in second line scoring, which have proven important factors for both clubs reaching the Finals.  Expect the Ducks to put their focus on shutting down the Alfredsson line, no easy task but then again, that line hasn’t faced a hard-hitting team like the Ducks yet. The series ultimately could come down to that. If the Ducks fail to shut that line down, they could be in trouble, but if they can keep them off the board, they’ll have a great chance to win this. ADVANTAGE: NONE.     

Other factors: Andrew Savoie, a regular poster to my “Fans Speak Out” message board, recently made a terrific post on how the two clubs match up in significant factors such as special teams, faceoffs, and other categories, so I’m posting it here verbatim:

“On face-offs, the Ottawa Senators have a slight edge, winning 495 out of 941, for a percentage of 52.6%, the Ducks, also won 495, but faced 991 face-offs, for 49.9%.
 
In the scoring and trailing first category, both almost have identical records. Ottawa has not lost a game when scoring first, and has a 4-3 record when trailing. The Ducks are 8-1 when scoring the first goal, and the same record as Ottawa when trailing.
 
5 vs 5, Ottawa has scored 29 of them and allowed 22, for a +7. Anaheim has scored 24 and allowed 20, for a +4. A slight advantage for Ottawa.
 
The powerplay, Ottawa overall is at 20%, with a whopping 31.2% on the road. Anaheim is at 15.3%, 17% at home. Advantage Ottawa.
 
The penalty killing, Ottawa is at 88.6% overall, at 92.5% on the road. Anaheim is at 86.8% and 90.9% at home. Again a slight advantage to Ottawa.”

Looking at these factors, Ottawa had the slight edge over the Ducks.  ADVANTAGE: SENATORS.

If Giguere can keep playing at a high level, if his teammates can avoid the penalty box and if they can shut down the Sens top line, they’ll be in good shape. The Ducks will play them hard, but their propensity to be drawn into penalties  by a fast-skating team (as demonstrated in the Conference Finals against the Wings)could prove costly against the Senators. The Wings also took away Anaheim’s physical advantage and I expect the Sens will try to do the same. The Senators are a very fast club like the Wings, and they’ll use that speed to their advantage against the Ducks “big three” defense. The Senators also play a strong, responsible defensive game and are extremely aggressive on the PK, something the Ducks haven’t experienced in this year’s playoffs.

PREDICTION: SENATORS IN SIX.

Previous record:

Conference Quarterfinals: 5-3.
Conference Semis: 2-2.
Conference Finals: 2-0.

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 to win their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, dating back to their entry into the league in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers.

The Hurricanes did it by playing a physical, up-tempo style that had been missing from their previous two games, scoring the all-important first goal within the first two minutes of the opening period courtesy of an Aaron Ward point shot that beat a screened Jussi Markannen.

For the next ten minutes the ‘Canes kept the Oilers back on their heels but as the period progressed the Oilers seemed to get their rhythm back, looking strong on the penalty kill late in the period and into the opening minutes of the second.

But the Hurricanes were not to be denied, with Frantisek Kaberle potting a powerplay goal when his point shot deflected off Oilers defenseman Jason Smith through Markkanen’s legs.

From there the Oilers game plan fell apart as the Hurricanes stymied their forechecking game, won the races for loose pucks and out-hit the Edmonton players. When the Oilers did break into the Hurricanes zone, their passes were no longer connecting.

Perhaps the best indication of the Oilers disarray was the inability to capitalize on a five-on-three advantage late in the period, which was partially nullified by Ryan Smyth taking a bad hooking penalty.

The Oilers did make a game of it in the third when Fernando Pisani scored early to draw his club to within one. They worked much harder in the third and generated several quality chances but ‘Canes goalie Cam Ward thwarted their efforts.

Had the Oilers played as well in the first two period as they did in the third, perhaps the outcome might’ve been different, but ultimately, however, the effort was too little too late. After Markkanen was pulled for an extra attacker, Justin Williams iced the victory at 18.59 of the third with an empty net goal.

This was the first Cup championship for long-time NHL’s like Rod Brind’amour, Doug Weight, Bret Hedican, Glen Wesley and Ray Whitney, and it’s nice to see them finally rewarded after so many years when it appeared they might never get the opportunity to win the big mug.

There might be some disagreement over Cam Ward awarded the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP over Brind’amour or Staal, but quite frankly, without Ward’s efforts, the ‘Canes would’ve been bounced from the first round by the Montreal Canadiens.

His strong goaltending reversed the ‘Canes fortunes against the Habs, carried them past the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, and was ultimately responsible for the Hurricanes denying the Edmonton Oilers in the Finals.

Ward’s work undoubtedly means we’ve seen the last of Martin Gerber as a Carolina Hurricane. He’ll want to prove he’s still a capable starting goalie, and there’s no way Ward can be relegated to backup duty after his MVP performance in these playoffs.

Everyone in the NHL needs to take notice of the fact that Eric Staal is part of the new wave of young NHL superstars who’ll be dominating the game for at least the next decade. He led all playoff performers in points, assists, powerplay goals and shots on goal, an outstanding effort for a 21 year old in only his second NHL season and first NHL postseason.

Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford deserves full credit for putting this team together. He’s the guy who drafted Eric Staal, Cam Ward, and Erik Cole, and acquired Brind’amour, Weight, Cory Stillman, Mike Commodore, Whitney and other key players via trades or free agency. He’s also the guy who hired head coach Peter Laviolette who turned this team into a champion.

Yes, it was team owner Peter Karmanos’s money that was spent, but it was Rutherford who spent it wisely, and he deserves full accolades as the NHL’s top general manager.

Speaking of Laviolette, I doubt very much he’s gonna be coaching another club next season. It would be shocking if he didn’t.

Give the Oilers credit for fighting back hard when they appeared down and out earlier in this series, but the Hurricanes talent depth and experience were simply too much for the plucky bunch from Edmonton.

Still, the Oilers have proven they have the depth in promising young talent to be a major force in the Western Conference for years. As long as this club can carry over its amazing performance throughout this year’s playoffs into the coming years, the future should be bright for the Oilers.

I’ll have analysis of what the future holds for both teams on Wednesday.

The 2006 Stanley Cup Final is now a one-game, winner take all event.

The Edmonton Oilers demolished the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 to even the series at 3-3, sending it back to Carolina on Monday for Game Seven.

The Oilers meant business tonight, stepping up the physical play and pounding the Hurricanes again and again, a pace the 'Canes were unable to counter.

Carolina just couldn’t get anything going in this game. Seemingly every shot taken was blocked and most of the few that got through were little trouble for Edmonton goalie Jussi Markkanen. Even their powerplay, which had been very successful in this series, fired blanks.

Pisani’s goal came from doing something most players seem loath to do in today’s game, taking a backhand shot in the slot. Most players today will try to turnaround and put the puck on their forehand, which of course give a defender time to adjust and block the shot in most cases.

Pisani instead fired a backhand, which deflected off Hurricanes defenceman Glen Wesley’s stick past Cam Ward to make it 1-0.

Given Pisani’s playoff performance I betcha he’s gonna see a lot more ice time next season!

Michael Peca didn’t get an assist on Raffi Torres’s tip-in goal that put Edmonton up by 2, but without his strong forechecking the Oilers wouldn’t have been in a position to set up the scoring sequence.

Ryan Smyth clinched it with a great solo effort on a third period PP, cutting into the middle, deking two ‘Canes defenders and scoring on – surprise! – a backhand shot. Credit again to Peca who drove to the net, which opened up room for Smyth.

Shawn Horcoff’s goal late in the period – another PP marker – to make it 4-0 was merely icing on the cake.

The Oilers physical play, speed and determined effort forced the ‘Canes into taking too many dumb penalties, especially for roughing as their frustration boiled over.

Bret Hedican was the penalty goat for the 'Canes in this game, heading to the sin bin three times.

Erik Cole was a surprise starter in this game, finally returning to action for the first time in 3 ½ months. He didn’t look too bad out there tonight but the long layoff recovering from a broken neck clearly affected his timing and thus limited his effectiveness.

If Cole was hoping his unexpected return would bolster his teammates spirits, he must've been disappointed.

Cam Ward was outstanding in this game, and if not for him the ‘Canes would’ve been blown out by an even worse margin when the Oilers dominated the second period. Ward made an amazing save on a three-on-one passing play by the Oilers, robbing Radek Dvorak with an incredible glove save early in the third period.

It’s safe to say Ward was the only Hurricane player who had nothing to be ashamed of in this one. He played great, couldn’t be faulted on the goals scored against him and was the only Hurricane who played well. His teammates let him down big time, spoiling his otherwise strong performance.

Hurricanes looked flat throughout this game, their worst performance since getting pounded by the Montreal Canadiens in the first game of the opening round two long months ago.

Give the Oilers defence credit for playing aggressively but responsibly within their own zone, but the Hurricanes seemed to lack zip. The Oilers made them pay a heavy physical price throughout this game and in the previous one, and perhaps it may be taking its toll on the Hurricanes.

Smart move by Craig MacTavish in scratching Georges Laraque for the second straight game and going again with sparkplug Todd Harvey. No offence to Laraque, who has played decently at times in his playoff appearances, but Harvey is made for pressure-cooker games like these and makes things happen every shift he takes.

Oilers goalie Jussi Markkanen won't get any consideration for the Conn Smythe trophy if the Oilers win the Cup, but he's undoubtedly been their saviour in this series, posting up a shutout and playing strong in relief of the injured Dwayne Roloson.

If the Hurricanes win the Cup, it'll come down to Cam Ward and Rod Brind'amour, but if the Oilers win it, Chris Pronger will get it skating away. Roloson's injury has put the spotlight squarely on Pronger, who's showing everyone why he's one of the best blueliners in today's game.

I wonder if the on-ice officials were feeling the pressure in this one? They made some questionable calls on both teams and some weird timing on some, like calling a penalty on Carolina when the Oilers had possession of the puck.

Oilers fans serenaded their team with the chant “We Want The Cup!” in the late minutes of the third, and they have every reason to believe their Oilers can do it.

Remember, the Oilers were down three games to one against the Hurricanes, an almost insurmountable hole to climb out of, but the Oilers turned the tide by stepping up their physical play, driving hard to the net, shooting more and getting their powerplay working in Games Five and Six.

It's bad enough for the Hurricanes that the Raleigh City Council was reportedly debating where to hold a Stanley Cup parade on the eve of Game Five, or that most of the hockey press had written off the Oilers after Game Four of this series.

But Beckett Hockey magazine proclaiming the Hurricanes as Cup champions before the series was even over is not only a potential embarrassment for its editor, but gave the Oilers even more motivation.

Don't rule these things out. I know some folks will dismiss this, but comments from either a rival or a media outlet dismissing their chances to win a championship series does help fire them up.

Having blown two chances to clinch the Cup, the Hurricanes not only have to battle a fired-up Oilers team on Monday in Game Seven, but they must also battle their sel####oubt.

Less than a week ago, they were poised to be crowned Cup champions. Now, they face not only the possibility of losing the Cup on home ice, but also having the dubious honor of being the first team of the modern era to blow a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup final and have their opponent win the Cup.

Make no mistake, the Hurricanes are in trouble. They had the Oilers down and out after Game Four, but couldn’t capitalize. Now, the Oilers have not only battled back to even the series, they now believe they can win the Stanley Cup, and that could make them even more dangerous.

Doug Weight won't be playing tonight, as he has a suspected seperated shoulder.

Aaron Ward will play, although it's believed he's nursing an "upper body injury" which might also be a shoulder injury.

It'll be interesting to see how well Ward plays. On the one hand, he may not be as badly hurt as believed, which would be good news for the Hurricanes blueline.

On the other hand, he could be seriously hurt and trying to "suck it up" and play through the pain, which could adversely hamper his performance.

The 'Canes can adjust to Weight's absence, as he was only averaging roughly 12 minutes of ice time per game. Losing Rod Brind'amour, Eric Staal or Cory Stillman would've been a more serious blow.

Losing Ward or having him hampered by an injury is a more serious blow, and you can bet the Oilers will be keying on him every chance they get tonight.

Just something to add even more drama to what's been an interesting and exciting Stanley Cup Final.

The Stanley Cup was in the building, the champagne was on ice and the Raleigh City council was debating the parade route.

Instead, the parade will be postponed, the champagne gets packed away and the Cup gets packed up for a trip to Edmonton.

The Oilers, their backs to the wall, defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on a short-handed overtime goal by Fernando Pisani in an exciting Game Five to send the series back to Edmonton for a sixth game.

Short summary tonight, as I was on my regular segment with The Faceoff Hockey Show on Broadcastmonsters.com, plus I had to nurse my ailing wife, who’s sidelined with a bad cold.

Anyway, the Hurricanes beat themselves in overtime with a lackadaisical passing play at their own blueline which resulted in Pisani’s breakaway goal, a thing of beauty going high glove side on Carolina goalie Cam Ward.

Worse, the ‘Canes committed the turnover during a powerplay, which had been working so well for them tonight, potting all three of their goals with the man-advantage. The stage was seemingly set for a Cup winning OT powerplay goal, but instead Pisani made the Hurricanes pay for their sloppy play.

Give the Edmonton Oilers a lot of credit. This was a team going into Game Five in their rival’s home rink, down three games to one, seemingly having packed it in midway through Game Four, with no one save their most die-hard fans (and HNIC’s Don Cherry) giving them a chance to win.

Yet the boys in blue came out with a strong effort in Game Five, perhaps their best effort of this series. They took an early lead that bolstered their confidence. After the Hurricanes rallied and took over the lead the Oilers finally got a powerplay goal, which tied it and provided a further lift to the club's confidence.

Most importantly, they got offence from guys whose production had dried up in this series prior to Game Five. Ales Hemsky scored for the first time since Game One, scoring the PP goal to tie the game at two by shooting rather than passing.

Mike Peca came through with his first goal of this series to give the Oilers a lead late in the first, and then Pisani, who hadn’t scored since Game One, got the OT winner.

The game’s turning point may well have been Hemsky’s goal. After the Hurricanes rallied to go up 2-1, the momentum had clearly swung their way, and if they’d successfully killed off that PP it might’ve resulted in more sustained pressure on the Oilers.

Instead, Hemsky’s goal put the Oilers right back into the game and changed the direction of the game.

The loss spoiled Eric Staal’s best game of this series. The Hurricanes young starl had taken criticism for a lack of offensive production but Staal came through in Game Five in a big way, scoring two of the ‘Canes goals and setting up the other.

The Hurricanes had come from behind twice in this game, in the first period after falling behind early, and then tying it midway through the second, but in the third period and overtime, the Oilers took over the play and threw everything they had at Cam Ward.

Two reasons for the momentum shift may have been the absence of forward Doug Weight and blueline stalwart Aaron Ward, who both departed the game with injuries. In the case of Ward’s absence, that put more of the load onto Bret Hedican, rumored to be playing through an injury.

The ‘Canes should be able to adapt to the loss of Weight if he should miss Game Six, but Ward, the team’s best defensive blueliner, could be a serious blow to the Hurricanes defence if he should miss Game Six.

Don’t think the Stanley Cup means as much to Carolina hockey fans as it does to Edmonton fans? Check out the TV crowd shots following Pisani’s goal. Those fans were in shock, crestfallen, some in tears and many of them remained in their seats long after the game ended.

Hurricanes fans care, folks, deeply.

As do Oilers fans, and right now, they're set to go into a frenzy for Game Six at Rexall Place.

Some of the Carolina Hurricanes (hello there, Rod Brind'amour) and some Hurricanes fans were fuming about the referee allowing Ryan Smyth's go-ahead goal in Game Three which stood up as the winner.

If Mick McGeough hadn't gone upstairs for a goal review, I could certainly understand Brindy's fury on Saturday night.

The eye in the sky ruled the goal stood, and that should've been the end of it.

Besides, Brind'amour conveniently overlooked the fact the Oilers had a goal disallowed in the second period, when McGeough lost sight of the puck and whistled down the play, even though replays clearly showed the puck was still in play.

But McGeough was within his right to do so as the rule book clearly states the ref is to stop the play if he loses sight of the puck. If he had allowed the goal after whistling the play dead, that would've been something more worthy of Brind'amour's ire.

Game Three is over, folks, and the Oilers goal stands. Get over it.

There's no conspiracy theory here, no dark plan to "let the Oilers back in the series", no favoritism amongst the on-ice officials. Remember, McGeough was the referee for Game One, which I recall was won by the Hurricanes, and I don't recall a lot of whining about his officiating in that one by either team.

Oh, there was McGeough's call for a penalty shot after Niclas Wallin covered the puck with his hand within his crease that resulted in a Chris Pronger goal, but replays clearly showed McGeough not only made the correct call, but he was in perfect position to make it.

I realize that on-ice officials aren't infallible. They're going to miss calls sometimes and that's going to upset players, coaches and fans, or they'll make a questionable one from time to time.

But lemme tell ya, folks, I'm pleased with the overall quality of the officiating in this year's playoffs, especially compared to recent years.

In the bad old days, this is how the refs used to call the games: Call everything in the first period to let the players know who's boss, ease up on the calls in the second, call only the blatantly obvious in the third, and #### your whistle in overtime.

The end result was so much obstruction it looked like football on ice.

The officials are now calling the games more closely throughout, and the end result has been a game with more flow and energy, compared to the choppy, obstruction-laden snooze-fests of the past.

Yes, the number of penalties are higher, but I'd rather see an increase in powerplays than obstruction masquarading as defensive hockey sucking the life out of the game.

So let's stop the whining about the refs and enjoy the Finals, where ultimately the players, not the refs, will decide the outcome.

It’s a series again!

The Edmonton Oilers got an ugly late goal by Ryan Smyth and strong goaltending by Jussi Markkanen to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 to put themselves back into the series.

The Rexall Place crowd started things off with class, singing the American national anthem, although not as lustily as the Canadian anthem, but still, no booing, no chanting over the anthem, just class.

The Oilers plan in this game apparently was to shoot more and get more traffic in front of Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward and it paid early dividends, as Jaroslav Spacek’s point shot was redirected by forward Shawn Horcoff through Ward’s legs to take a 1-0 lead. For Horcoff it was his first goal in 8 games.

The Oilers nearly got burned on a bad line change several minutes later which allowed Justin Williams to break in alone, but Edmonton goalie Jussi Markkanen got a piece of his high shot with his trapper, deflecting it harmlessly over the net, prompting the fans into chants of “Jussi, Jussi!”

The Oilers struggled at times to get their offensive rushes going and in clearing their zone. Williams breakaway aside, the Hurricanes struggled through two periods to generate even-strength scoring chances.

A big reason why the Hurricanes couldn’t generate even-strength chances was they were tagged for four penalties in the first, including a five-on-three opportunity for the Oilers in the second half of the period.

Fortunately for Carolina their penalty killers were up to the task, and that combined with Edmonton’s struggles to control the puck on the PP prevented the Oilers from increasing the lead in the first. The Oilers were unable to create traffic in front of Ward or to get away any good shots.

Oilers continue to look tentative into the second and struggled again on their powerplay. Although outshooting the Hurricanes by 16-8 at the halfway mark of the second, the Oilers only had one good scoring chance on Ward when Mike Peca found himself all alone in front of Ward when the Hurricanes failed to clear the zone but the Hurricanes netminder stoned him.

Ward has been outstanding throughout these playoffs but again credit must also go to his unheralded blueliners for clearing the zone and allowing Ward clear view of incoming shots. Aaron Ward has emerged as the Hurricanes best defensive blueliner, risking injury to block shots and breaking up passing plays

If the Oilers were doing one thing right through two periods, it was their defensive game, not allowing the Hurricanes any opportunities to create scoring plays against Markkanen, as well as killing off the Hurricanes powerplays.

The Hurricanes did manage to pick up their forechecking game in the last half of the second, starting with a powerplay and continuing it on once the Oilers killed it off, but were stymied on a couple of great scoring chances by Markkanen.

The Oilers had been coughing up the puck too much throughout the evening and midway through the third it caught up to them. A turnover behind the Edmonton goal resulted in Rod Brind’amour tying the game on a rebound off a Jason Smith shot block.

The game appeared headed for overtime but Ryan Smyth, another Oilers forward struggling through a scoring drought, drove hard to the net as Ales Hemsky fired a shot, which struck Ward, then Smyth’s stick and trickled past Ward to put the Oilers up 2-1.

The Hurricanes pulled Ward with a minute and a half remaining but the Oilers hung on for the win.

Perhaps it’s me but both teams didn’t appear to bring their “A” game tonight. Both clubs seemed to miss the “jump” in their respective transition games, and while there were plenty of shots there didn’t seem to be as many good scoring chances.

Can’t blame the condition of the ice as Rexall Place has the best ice in the league, even in mid-June.

Neither team did well on the PPs tonight. The Hurricanes did perhaps marginally better in generating scoring chances than the Oilers but neither club buried their chances.

Edmonton fans can’t complain about Jussi Markkanen’s goaltending tonight. He was very sharp in this one, giving his teammates a chance to win.

The Edmonton crowd showed no love for former Oiler Doug Weight, booing him every time he touched the puck.

Hurricanes fans may be disappointed with the outcome but I’ll bet the NHL head office is pleased that there won’t be a sweep, hoping this victory might tweak the ratings for Games Four and Five.