Down two games to none heading back to Pittsburgh the Penguins squeeze out a win to get within striking distance of the Red Wings. Sound familiar? It should because so far the end result of every game in this season’s Stanley Cup Final has been the same as last year. What has happened in each game however has been different.

The Penguins outplayed the Red Wings in Game 1 this year. Osgood stole the game. Last year the Penguins looked shell shocked and got shellacked.

Last year in Game 2 the Penguins improved but still did not outplay the Red Wings and lost. This year’s Game 2 was a push.

In Game 3 last year the Penguins played inspired on home ice and won. In Game 3 this year the Penguins didn’t play bad for 40 minutes and then dominated the final 20 minutes against a Red Wing’s team that looked beat up during the final frame. They also won this year.

Tomorrow night is Game 4 and it will determine, I think, who will win the series. Whomever wins Game 4 has the inside track to being crowned Stanley Cup Champion. If Detroit wins, Pittsburgh would be down 3-1 and need to win out; a tall task against this Detroit team. If the Penguins win Game 4 the series becomes a best of 3 against a Detroit team that might not have enough left in them.

Osgood looked beatable in Game 3. The Penguins defense clamped down on Detroit after 40 minutes and showed what they can do. The refs found their whistles a couple more times than usual although not often enough for Red Wing’s fans who saw the Penguins skating with six men and a goalie on the ice for nearly half a minute. Then again, the interference that has slowed up the Penguins all series and that has not been called was pretty much ignored too. So let’s call that even shall we?

Game 4 will be pivotal because it will prove one of two things. Either it will prove the Red Wings are not a tired and sore team and they will win or it will prove that the Penguins have the fresher legs and that Detroit’s tank is nearing empty and the Penguins will win. However I still fear Detroit on an 1/8th of a tank more than any other team.