LIVE BLOG OF GAME 3 OF THE 2008 STANLEY CUP FINALS

3rd PERIOD

16:21 to go in the Third Period- A flurry of Penguins shots including Marian Hossa hitting the post.

14:30 remaining – Detroit is controlling the play and putting all of the pressure on Pittsburgh.

13:00 remaining- 2 huge hits in a row by Pittsburgh on Detroit players Andreas Lilja and Kirk Maltby.

12:52 to go in the Third Period- Adam Hall SCORES. A huge scramble around the net sees Hall bang the puck past Osgood giving Pittsburgh a stranglehood on this game with just over ten minutes to play. The goal is Halls’ 2nd of the postseason.

11:43 to go in the Third Period- An UNBELIEVABLE save by Fleury. Grand Theft Auto perpetrated by Fleury on Holmstrom.

10:45 remaining- The game has opened up for the first time all series. End to end action and bodies are flying everywhere with Pittsburgh hitting everything and everyone remotely associated with the State of Michigan.

8:58 left in the Third Period- As Bob Cole just said, can you believe this pace folks? And frankly I can’t. This is what the NHL has been hoping and praying for since Pittsburgh and Detroit punched their tickets for the Cup Finals.

6:23 Left in the Third Period- Mikael Samuelsson scores on a harmless looking shot that changes direction when Pens defenseman Brooks Orpik gets a stick on the shot (A Don Cherry no-no) thus confusing Goalie Marc Andre Fleury, who was back deep in his net. The goal is Samuelsson’s 5th of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Writer’s Note: The Wings Filppula and Samuelsson did a great job of cycling the puck on that sequence but Fleury should have had this one. He appeared to be too far back in his net and the fact that Orpik tipped that at the last minute didn’t help at all.

4:18 Left in the Third Period- Evgeni Malkin takes a hooking penalty.

Writer’s Note: The Illegal Curve team continues to seach for answers regarding Evgeni Malkin’s religious affiliation. The hot rumour on the World Wide Web is that Malkin wears a necklace with a Magen David (Star of David). Illegal Curve Religion Correspondent Neil Rockman, a proud Jew, continues to pursue the story.

1:45 left in the Third Period- Detroit is all over Pittsburgh in their own end. The Wings have really exploded after Samuelsson’s goal.

After a final flurry in the last minute, which mainly saw Detroit keeping the puck in the Pens zone without many quality scoring chances, the Pens hurriedly clear the puck down the ice and the game ends.

The PartyPoker.net Three Stars of the Game:

*Sidney Crosby
**Marc-Andre Fleury
***Niklas Kronvall

For Illegal Curve, I’m Ezra Ginsburg.

Writer’s Post-Game Analysis: Game 3 was by far the most exciting and well-played game of the series. This game had fans all across North America on the edge of their seats because of it’s intensity and grit. This game was exactly what the National Hockey League and it’s fans needed. More than three goals and ultra-competitive. Perfect. That’s what the Stanley Cup Finals is all about. Pittsburgh has now made the ’08 Finals a series and can really build on that second period. However, Detroit outshot Pittsburgh 34-24 and was especially sharp in the last half of the Third Period.
The Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom line was clearly the best one on the ice and played extremely well despite the loss. Game 4 goes Saturday Night in Pittsburgh…

For Illegal Curve, I’m Ezra Ginsburg.