2007/2008 NHL PLAYOFFS | STANLEY CUP FINALS
COLORADO AVALANCHE Vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
INSIDER:
When you think of the playoffs in the last 4 years now, one name obviously sticks out "Colorado Avalanche". The 4th straight season they're here in the finals and they've won the last 3 Stanley Cups up to this point. If they're able to win this season, it will make it 4 Straight Stanley Cup Wins!
They'll be challenged by the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second straight year, which last season; Colorado dominated the series and won in Pittsburgh in game 5 to hoist the cup.
This year we feel it will go more then those 5 games, as Pittsburgh has since added depth in their goal-tending with Marc-Andre Fleury still in the pipes, but also sharing the time with Jaroslav Halak. The coaching staff have used both goalies evenly throughout the playoffs.
Colorado on the other hand has the two same goalies playing for them, but added Zigmund Palffy at the deadline, whos been actively scoring for them throughout these playoffs.
Teemu Selanne isn't with the Avalanche this time around, but will get his chance of getting a 4th Stanley Cup with his new team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The series expected to go all seven games and the winner isn't exactly known, but the slight advantage would go to Colorado with the fact Evgeni Malkin will not be playing in this series due to an injury he got in the Buffalo series.
INJURY LIST
PIT: Evgeni Malkin | Out Indefinite
Noah Welch | 2-3 Weeks
Konstantin Koltsov | 1-2 Months
COL: Jaroslav Hlinka | 1-2 Months
Brandon Reid | Out Indefinite
Code:
2007/2008 STANLEY CUP | PLAYER STATS IN SERIES (TOP 5)
AWAY-TEAM: AVALANCHE HOME-TEAM: PENGUINS
Joe Sakic (GP:17,G:11,A:11)| Sidney Crosby (GP:17,G:12,A:15)
Peter Forsberg (GP:17,G:6,A:16)| Mikko Koivu (GP:17,G:8,A:9)
Zigmund Palffy (GP:17,G:10,A:9)| Chris Higgins (GP:17,G:7,A:9)
Rob Blake (GP:17,G:2,A:13)| Teemu Selanne (GP:17,G:5,A:10)
John-Michael Liles (GP:17,G:4,A:9)| Brooks Orpik (GP:17,G:4,A:8)
GOALIES ON DECK
PIT: Marc-Andre Fleury (GP:8, 5-1-1 | GAA: 2.29, SV%: .919)
Jaroslav Halak (GP:10, 7-2-1 | GAA: 2.06, SV%: .915)
COL: David Aebischer (GP:14, 10-3-1 | GAA: 2.33, SV%: .899)
Peter Budaj (GP:3, 2-0-1 | GAA: 2,52, SV%: .886)
GAME ONE:
The first period kicked off and 5:08 into the period Sidney Crosby would open up the scoring on the power play to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a quick 1-0 lead over the Colorado Avalanche. The goal would hold up for just 15 seconds, as Peter Forsberg would rifle one home to tie this game up at 1 a piece.
The score would stay tied til the 17:09 mark as Teemu Selanne scores on his former team to give the Penguins the 2-1 lead going into the second period.
As the second starts, Colorado wasted little time getting back into this one, as Darius Kasparaitis would fire one past Fleury at 1:37 into the second to tie this one back up at 2-2. The game would continue to be tied for most of the period, but 15:08 we would see Teemu Selanne score his second on the night to give his team the 3-2 lead. The momentum continued after the goal, as 3 mins later, Brooks Orpik would slap one into the net to give the Penguins a two gold lead heading into the third period.
The second would start 4-2 and yet again Colorado wastes no time coming out of the gate as 2:58 into the period, Greg de Vries would rifle one in to bring his team within one with plenty of time in the period to do so. The game was building a lot of tension at the clock got to the half way mark of the period, as 12:01 would hit, we would see this game tied up at 4 a piece with Greg de Vries snapping home his second of the night. The goal would be the last as Game One would head into OT!
The OT didn't last very long, as Ryan Malone would snap one past Aebischer, to give the Penguins the game one victory at home!
Pittsburgh Penguins Lead Series 1-0
GAME TWO:
Pittsburgh looked to keep the momentum going, wanting to sweep the series at home heading to Colorado. The period would take 7:27 to see our first goal coming from the away team, as Peter Forsberg would snipe one in to give the Colorado Avalanche the 1-0 Lead. The goal proved to be a huge momentum increase for the away team as 10:17 they'd record another, this time from Patrick Eaves on the power play to make it 2-0 for the road team!
The Avalanche wouldn't stop there though, as at 16:40; Greg de Vries would slap one home to give the Colorado Avalanche a commanding 3-0 lead heading into the second period.
Pittsburgh needed some life starting the second period, being down 3-0 after one, but it wouldn't seem to change, as 4:59 into the period, Wojtek Wolski would sneak on in to up the score to 4-0. The rest of the period would wide down, as the home fans were silenced with the score being out of control, but they'd get a little bit of life as Jordan Staal would get one to put the Penguins on the board heading into the third. They still trailed 4-1.
The third period would see a statement being made as Colorado would score not one, not two, but three more before the last buzzer. Goals coming from 2:01 by Peter Forsberg, 17:19 by Peter Forsberg on the PP to complete the Hat Trick! and 18:18 Nicklas Backstrom would rifle one in to give the Colorado Avalanche a convincing 7-1 win evening the series and heading home!
Colorado Avalanche Tie Series 1-1
GAME THREE:
The Colorado Avalanche made a huge statement in Game Two and looked to keep the momentum going and that they did. 2:42 into the first period the home fans would get something to cheer for as Brad Richardson would rifle one past Fleury to open the scoring for Colorado! The Avalanche wouldn't stop there, as Joe Sakic would snipe one home to give Colorado a 2-0 lead only 6:52 into the first period! Joe Sakic's marker would be the last of the first, as the period would end with Colorado up 2-0 going into the second.
The second period was quiet the first half, but 10:17 would hit and Sidney Crosby would get one on the PP, to give the Penguins some life now down 2-1. The spark continued, as only 1:14 later, Jakup Klepis would score one to bring this game to a 2-2 tie! It would seem we would head into the third tied up, but with 12 second left in the period, Wojtek Wolski would score on the power play to once again give the Colorado Avalanche the lead heading into the third!
3-2 going into the third, the cheers and chants being loudly heard by the fans as the clock goes down. At 13:14 the fans would be silenced as Kris Letang would rifle one from the point, to tie this game back up! The period would end as we would take Game Three into over time.
Just like game one, the OT would not last long, this time Colorado's Peter Forsberg scoring on the PP and winning Game three for his team and giving them the lead in the series!
Colorado Avalanche Lead Series 2-1
GAME FOUR:
The Pittsburgh Penguins needed to regroup and find a way to get back into this series as they've lost back to back games now. Something was said, because at 4:12 Pittsburgh would open the scoring. That goal would hold up until the 16:48 mark, when Joe Sakic would snap one home on the power play to tie the game back up. 4 Seconds left in the period, Colorado would strike again, as Cody McCornick would get one to give the Avalanche a 2-1 Lead heading into the second period!
The second period would be pretty silent for the most part, up until the 8:14 mark when Ryan Whitney of the Penguins would tie this game up once again. The goal would only hold for 3:09 when Brent Burns would slap one in to once again give Colorado the lead, 3-2. The period would wide down and that would be the score heading into the third.
The third period was completely back and forth but with plenty of scoring!
5:17 would see Brent Burns score his second of the game to give the Avalanche a 4-2 lead. 10 seconds after that, Milan Hejduk would get a nice pass from Palffy to extend the lead to 5-2. 6:06 of the period Chris Higgins would score one to bring the Avalanche lead to two. Sidney Crosby would score 26 seconds after that on the power play to get his second of the game and bring his team within one with the score now 5-4.
The scoring would take a 7 min break, but at 13:21, Milan Hejduk would score his second of the game to extend the lead back to two with the score now 6-4. Michael Nylander would snap one in 28 seconds after to give the Avalanche a commanding 7-4 Lead.
The Penguins would score one less then a minute later by Brooks Orpik to bring them within two. 15:33, Colby Armstrong would get one for the Penguins to bring them within one again.
They wouldn't be able to tie the game, as Colorado would sweep the home stand and take a commanding lead of the series heading back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 with a 7-6 Victory.
Colorado Avalanche Leads Series 3-1
GAME FIVE:
The Pittsburgh Penguins knowing this situation from last year, being down 3-1 in the series and losing at home last season. They'd hope tonight would not be a repeat. 2:13 would see Colorado Avalanche test the waters as Nicklas Backstrom would wire one home to give the away team the 1-0 lead!
Wojtek Wolski would score one at 8:53, as that would be all for scoring in the first, as the Penguins trail 2-0 heading into the second period.
Whatever was said in the locker room of the Pittsburgh Penguins seemed to work, as they exploded out of the gate scoring at 3:56 by Jordan Staal as the Penguins only trail by one. 27 seconds later Teemu Selanne would snipe home one to get his team tide up with the defending champions.
The period continued on much of the same, as 6:27 Chris Higgins would punish Colorado's Greg de Vries 2 mins Hooking penalty scoring to take the lead! Ryan Malone would add one at 8:04 and Teemu Selanne would score his second of the game on the power play at 8:56 to give the home team a three goal lead heading into the third period with a score of 5-2.
Colorado would waste little time, as at 3:42, Zigmund Palffy would snap one home on the power play to bring the Avalanche within two. The period would continue one til the 19:16 mark of the period, when Zigmund Palffy would get his second to make it 5-4 Penguins.
The buzzer would go, as the Penguins are able to live to fight another day.
Colorado Avalanche Lead Series 3-2
GAME SIX
The Colorado look to do something they've yet to do the last 3 years... Win the Stanley Cup at home. As The Pittsburgh Penguins look to survive again.
The Avalanche wasted no time, scoring at 4:23 by Zigmund Palffy to get the early 1-0 lead on the power play. That would be the only goal of the period as the second would see the home team two period away from a cup lifting if they can keep this up.
The second period stayed 1-0 for more then half the period. The 12:38 mark would change that, as Sidney Crosby would snipe one in to tie this game up at 1-1. The score would stay tied up until the 15:01 mark of the period when Nicklas Backstrom would give his team the lead again. The period would time down as Colorado would head into the third with a 2-1 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
One period left. Do or Die for Pittsburgh and another Stanley Cup rising in the sights of the Avalanche.
The period seen a quick one, as Joe Sakic would score on the power play to give the home team a 3-1 lead early into the period! The clock would continue on up til 9:41, when Zigmund Palffy would score his second of the game to give the Colorado Avalanche a 4-1 lead with 10:19 left in the third.
The clock continue to roll down, as the fans begin to get to their feet and the chants begin to start. The BUZZER GOES! The Colorado Avalanche have done it again! Four Straight season!
COLORADO AVALANCHE - 2007/2008 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS
