Bob Wojnowski

Crosby leads Penguins to first win of series

PITTSBURGH -- Hate to say it, but this is more like the Stanley Cup Finals we expected. Hate to stir you, but the Penguins finally showed up, and showed that the Red Wings aren't quite as invincible as they've looked.

It's on now, belatedly but fully, with the back-and-forth excitement that was promised. The Wings stepped into a rickety old building the Penguins call "The Igloo" on Wednesday night and pressed hard, right to the end, but ultimately got chilled in a thriller. The Penguins, led by star Sidney Crosby, awakened and edged the Wings, 3-2, to shave Detroit's series lead to 2-1.

If there was any chance fans actually would see a tight dream matchup between starry teams, this was the night it had to happen, or this series would have ended in a hurry. Well, now this could turn taut because the Penguins suddenly turned aggressive and the Wings turned away, ever so slightly.

Of course, you didn't really think they'd win every game in a shutout, did you? (OK, maybe you did after those two dominant performances in Detroit.)

But it wouldn't be compelling without a whiff of danger, and the Wings got a sniff. They shouldn't be overly alarmed because they played well for stretches, and when Mikael Samuelsson scored with 6:23 left to slice it to a one-goal deficit, they had a shot, a wild flurry of shots to the final buzzer.

Sid the Kid arrives

The Wings will keep getting their shots. If not for a couple of untimely mistakes, they might have pulled this one out. They gave away some bad passes and a couple of bad penalties, but more than that, the Penguins took it, with Sid the Kid taking the stage that was made for him.

"They came at us a bit more," Henrik Zetterberg said. "They've got good players, and if you give them room and make mistakes, they'll capitalize. We're not happy with how we played defensively. But we had our chances. It was a good game, a close game. This is the way it will be."

That's not the Wings' first preference, naturally. They had humbled the young Penguins, outscoring them 7-0 the first two games. But Crosby broke Chris Osgood's shutout streak, scoring two goals, the first coming after Detroit's Brad Stuart made a sloppy pass in his zone.

Desperation hung heavily all night, and we knew this was going to be the first real challenge for the Wings, in a noisy arena where the home team hasn't lost in 17 games. The fans wear all white here and the Penguins weren't ready to wave the same color.

"We definitely earned it, but at the same time, it's only one," said Crosby, the Penguins captain. "We realize how hard it was, and how tough it's gonna get."

The Wings probably realize it, too. They committed way too many defensive miscues, although they played fairly well to the end, outshooting the Penguins, 16-5, in a furious third period.

Pittsburgh hung on, and like it or not, there was tension, the very trait the Wings had started to squeeze out of the series. When this game started, the Wings went back to squeezing. They again controlled the puck, and by midway through the first, were outshooting the Penguins, 9-1.

The crowd was groaning, louder and louder. The Wings were pressing, more and more, knowing a 3-0 series lead essentially ends it. When Johan Franzen made a couple beautiful moves and skated through Pittsburgh's defense to score late in the second period, the Wings were back in it at 2-1, and this game was as difficult as they figured it'd be.

"They didn't do anything we didn't expect," Kirk Maltby said. "I thought we played pretty solid. At times, we just weren't quite as composed as we've been. But on the road, we had a chance, and that's what you want."

The Wings kept coming, even after Adam Hall scored a fluky goal, banking a shot from behind the net off Osgood's backside, setting up a tense finish.

Tight times ahead

Game 4 here Saturday night becomes the Next Biggest Tense Test, if the Wings really plan to turn the Penguins into past tense.

This series could shift, and it's imperative the Wings don't let it. Crosby, the 20-year-old wunderkind, is looking stronger and stronger, and he seemed to push 21-year-old star Evgeni Malkin, who finally showed up.

Now that the Penguins have a feel for the Wings' puck-hogging style, they might find answers.

"They found a way to win a game," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I don't feel that we were dominated or anything. But I thought they had some quality scoring chances."

Through two games, the Wings were befuddling and befouling the Penguins. Now there's a growing nasty edge, and you could see it as various Penguins took turns pounding on Tomas Holmstrom in front of the net.

As the Penguins pressed, Osgood made huge saves, keeping the game close. I'm not here to alarm you, but he might have to keep doing it because these games will stay tighter now. And yes, emotions will ratchet up further.

At several stoppages, there was pushing and yelling and other assorted pleasantries. After one flurry in the third period, Maltby and Crosby shoved, and in that picture, in that moment, you could see everything rising, from the physicality to the desperation.

You could hear it rising earlier in the day, when Penguins coach Michel Therrien yet again griped about the Wings' defense, complaining they were obstructing skaters and should be penalized. He practically begged for the refs to pay attention, a desperate attempt to stir things up.

The Wings shrugged off that silliness, as they should. But now we know, after a hot night in the Igloo, shrugging off the Penguins won't be quite so easy.

You can reach Bob Wojnowski at bob.wojnowski@detnews.com.