As the Pittsburgh Penguins filed off the ice at Mellon Arena on Saturday night, the tips of their skates hanging over the playoff abyss, one wondered how long they'll think about that squandered two-man advantage from Game 4.
Two days for sure.
A week?
Forever?
In the wake of the Red Wings' hard-fought 2-1 win that gives them a 3-1 series lead, one has to imagine the magic spell that has been this young Pittsburgh team's run to the Stanley Cup finals is broken.
Poof.
After winning nine straight games at Mellon Arena this spring, the Penguins lost for the first time here.
After going 11-0 in games in which they scored first, they lost for the first time despite opening the scoring on a Marian Hossa power-play goal just 2:51 into the crucial contest.
They now face a monumental task heading into Monday's Game 5 in Detroit. Since the best-of-seven format was introduced in 1939, only one team has come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the Cup.
Despite the noise from the 66th straight Mellon Arena sellout (cue the spooky music all you Mario Lemieux fans), you could almost hear the distinct "pop" of the Penguins' Stanley Cup dream midway through the third period, when the talented Penguins could not capitalize on a two-man advantage lasting 1:27.
"Tough to explain," an extremely subdued Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien said after the game. "And there's no doubt we needed to get that goal. We didn't execute well. We got a good chance to tie up the game right there and we didn't do the job."
The Penguins trailed 2-1 at the time, thanks to a Jiri Hudler goal 2:26 into the third period. That goal -- the eventual winner -- came after the Penguins failed to clear their own zone after several cracks at it.
Then, with Kris Maltby already in the box for hooking, Andreas Lilja was whistled for interfering with Sidney Crosby, setting up the defining moment of the game and, perhaps, the series.
The Penguins had already scored once on the man advantage and scored a power-play goal in Game 3, as well. For a Penguins team that would send players like Crosby, Hossa, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar over the boards, 1:27 of 5-on-3 hockey was a lifetime for the Penguins.
Or it should have been.
Yet, the Detroit Red Wings would not break.
Two days for sure.
A week?
Forever?
In the wake of the Red Wings' hard-fought 2-1 win that gives them a 3-1 series lead, one has to imagine the magic spell that has been this young Pittsburgh team's run to the Stanley Cup finals is broken.
Poof.
After winning nine straight games at Mellon Arena this spring, the Penguins lost for the first time here.
After going 11-0 in games in which they scored first, they lost for the first time despite opening the scoring on a Marian Hossa power-play goal just 2:51 into the crucial contest.
They now face a monumental task heading into Monday's Game 5 in Detroit. Since the best-of-seven format was introduced in 1939, only one team has come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the Cup.
Despite the noise from the 66th straight Mellon Arena sellout (cue the spooky music all you Mario Lemieux fans), you could almost hear the distinct "pop" of the Penguins' Stanley Cup dream midway through the third period, when the talented Penguins could not capitalize on a two-man advantage lasting 1:27.
"Tough to explain," an extremely subdued Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien said after the game. "And there's no doubt we needed to get that goal. We didn't execute well. We got a good chance to tie up the game right there and we didn't do the job."
The Penguins trailed 2-1 at the time, thanks to a Jiri Hudler goal 2:26 into the third period. That goal -- the eventual winner -- came after the Penguins failed to clear their own zone after several cracks at it.
Then, with Kris Maltby already in the box for hooking, Andreas Lilja was whistled for interfering with Sidney Crosby, setting up the defining moment of the game and, perhaps, the series.
The Penguins had already scored once on the man advantage and scored a power-play goal in Game 3, as well. For a Penguins team that would send players like Crosby, Hossa, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar over the boards, 1:27 of 5-on-3 hockey was a lifetime for the Penguins.
Or it should have been.
Yet, the Detroit Red Wings would not break.
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