Stanley Cup Finals Game 3 reactions

So just what happens to a Third String Goalie when his playing days are over?

Dasherboard: The Penguins came through at home in what proved to be a tighter game than the first period suggested it was going to be. The four goals in the first were followed by a single goal for the remainder of the contest.

Pittsburgh got off to a good start with a goal less than five minutes in, and Detroit quickly answered once again with an easy goal a minute and a half later when Henrik Zetterberg found himself left alone. When the Red Wings pulled ahead at 11:33, it was nice to see the Penguins even the score once again well before the period ended.

Where we come from, it very often seems like the home team decides in the first five minutes of the game if they "have it" or not, sometimes even quicker if they give up a goal. Once they decide it's not their night, they quickly settle into a pattern of going through the motions and resign themselves to the fate they have chosen. Watching that for 82 games a year clouds your thinking, so when we see a team actually keep trying, even after falling behind, and then being rewarded for it, it comes a bit of a shock to the system.

It was also nice to get out of Joe Louis Arena and it's wacky bounces. None of the goals last night had that quirky, fluky feel to them.

The great thing for the NHL is that they are now guaranteed a Game 5 on Saturday night in prime time back on NBC.