Did the Penguins inspire French Open betting finalist Roger Federer? He fought back to win his semifinal match, perhaps inspired by Pittsburgh‘s comeback to even up its series with the Detroit Red Wings. After four games in which the home team controlled the play, the Penguins and Red Wings are tied 2-2 and down to a best-of-three series. Can the Penguins keep their momentum going and steal a game on the road?
Penguins vs Red Wings odds – Game 5 Saturday, June 6 at 8:05 p.m. ET Stanley Cup betting lines: Penguins +135, Red Wings -155
As good as the Red Wings looked in Games 1 and 2, it looks like they’re really starting to tire. They’re not a ridiculously old team, but many of them have been around for a long time—Chris Osgood, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby—you get the idea. The younger Penguins showed a real spring in their step in Games 3 and 4, feeding off the home crowd and doling out lots of big hits. The young Penguins checkers – Jordan Staal, Maxime Talbot, Tyler Kennedy—have really energized the team with their tenacious efforts.
The Wings simply have no answer for Evgeni Malkin. He’s dominating the series, using his size, strength and stride, and no Red Wing physically matches up to him. He has seven points in the series and 35 in the NHL betting playoffs—the highest total by any player other than Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux or Paul Coffey in one playoffs. Detroit did, however, succeed at the sportsbook early in the series by containing Sidney Crosby. Fantastic two-way player Henrik Zetterberg smothered Sid the Kid while also chipping in offense. However, Zetterberg could only go so long without Pavel Datsyuk in the lineup; playing too many minutes, he really tired in Games 3 and 4, and Crosby was unleashed as a result. He joined Malkin to run wild on the Wings and scored the game-winner in Game 4.
The Wings certainly have a shot to rebound going home, but they’re in trouble. The Penguins have their confidence back and seem way fresher and more physical. With Crosby and Malkin hitting their stride, Detroit has to get its own offense going to match them. Their snipers have to do much more—did you know Tomas Holmstrom hasn’t scored in 16 playoff games? With only one day off between games, the Wings won’t regroup in time for Game 5. The Pens will keep pushing and steal one in Hockeytown.
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