The NHL season hasn’t even been over for a week and I already miss it. I have a fever and the only cure is more blaring goal horns. This season left a much better taste in my mouth than the previous one because not only did the Blues make it back to the postseason, their biggest rival didn’t win the postseason. The Red Wings had everything going their way. There hadn’t been a home team that had lost a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 38 years. The road team hasn’t won a championship in a Game 7 in any professional sport since the Pirates did it back in 1979. So Detroit took that fact and dominated the first period. Pittsburgh outshot the Wings 10-6 in the first, but it didn’t feel that way watching it. But then Detroit let them off the hook. With no score after one frame, Pittsburgh had taken hold of the momentum. They got a turnover deep in the Wings’ zone in the first and a helpful bounce to take a 1-0 lead. Maxime Talbot was the culprit picking up his third goal of the finals. Just under nine minutes later, the Pens got an odd-man rush and Talbot struck again, firing a laser past Chris Osgood. It was a nice shot, but Osgood could’ve had it. If he stops that, it’s a completely different game. The Wings’ fans were still in the game after getting down 2-0, so staying within one likely would’ve allowed them to come back and win it. After all, they did manage to beat Marc-Andre Fleury once. Speaking of Fleury, he was a superhero for the Penguins in the third period, especially over the last two minutes. The diving save he made with about four seconds left was nearly as miraculous as Santonio Holmes’ catch to win Super Bowl XLIII. What a way to win the Stanley Cup. The Steelers got their rings last week, by the way. They weigh nearly a quarter of a pound. Now that’s some bling!Continue reading "NHL Finals Recap and Award Predictions"