What to watch for: 2009 Stanley Cup Final (Game 3)

During the next few weeks AT&T SportsNet will be airing a series of "Pittsburgh Penguins Classic" content (click here for details). That includes re-airing the Penguins' four victories against Detroit in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final (Games 3, 4, 6, 7).
To get you set for these games I've provided a quick preview/recap of the game. Obviously, the Penguins won each game and we've all seen them before. So, I tried to highlight some stuff that you may not remember, or other interesting aspects of the game that may have gone under the radar in the grand scheme of things. It's the type of thing that hindsight can really bring into focus.
Enjoy!

SETUP:
The Penguins went to Detroit's Joe Louis Arena for Games 1 and 2, hoping to steal at least one of those contests to avoid the 0-2 circumstance that befell them in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final. But alas, history repeated itself with the Red Wings pulling off consecutive 3-1 victories to put Pittsburgh down two games in the series. That set up a critical "must win" Game 3 for the Penguins. A loss would basically mean the series was over for all intents and purposes. The chances of Pittsburgh winning four-straight against Detroit were virtually zero. And while the Penguins' current situation - needing to win four of the next five against Detroit - seemed a tall task, at least they had a fighting chance. Pittsburgh's championship hopes came down to Game 3.
SUMMARY:
The Penguins fed off of the energy of the home crowd to jump out to an early 1-0 lead on a Max Talbot goal. Though Detroit took a 2-1 lead, Pittsburgh tied the game late in the first period with a Kris Letang tally. It was a 2-2 affair entering the final 10 minutes of the third period. That's when Sergei Gonchar broke the tie with a power-play goal and Talbot iced the game with an empty-net goal (his second of the game) to keep Pittsburgh's championship hopes alive.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
FIRST PERIOD
Pre-game: Wow, what an atmosphere at Mellon Arena with the white out and noise. And, of course, to get the fans revved up even more (not that Penguins fans needed it), hockey legend/owner Mario Lemieux released the ceremonial puck drop.
20:00: To counter Detroit's top line of Henrik Zetterberg, Jiri Hudler and Johan Franzen, Pittsburgh deployed the Matt Cooke-Jordan Staal-Tyler Kennedy trio for the start of the game. Being at home presented the Penguins with the first chance to get their line matchups - which mostly meant getting Sidney Crosby away from Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom.
And right after a great shift in the offensive zone from Cooke-Staal-Kennedy, the Penguins rolled out a loaded line of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Bill Guerin. Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma went for it early, switching things up and playing aggressive.
15:12: The Pens opened the scoring with a goal from Max Talbot. But on this play, watch defenseman Kris Letang, then just a third-pair 22-year-old blueliner. He pinched in the offensive zone (something we would see regularly throughout his career). But then when Dan Cleary reached for the puck to clear it at the blue line, Letang stole it and flipped a backhander into open space for Malkin to hunt down. Malkin found Talbot in the high slot for the goal, but Letang keeping the play alive led to the goal.

13:41: Zetterberg's goal tied the game at 1-1. It was a crushing goal for the Penguins, who came out with such a strong start to the game. And then…
8:27: Franzen scored on the power play to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. This one really hurt considering Pittsburgh was so good at the start of the period. And the power-play goal by Detroit snapped the Penguins' streak of 13 consecutive penalty kills. The Pittsburgh PK was excellent during that playoff run.
7:58: I'm sure no one will forget when the Penguins played with six skaters for 20 seconds before Mark Eaton alertly slipped off the ice. This was certainly a turning point in the game (perhaps in the entire series). If Pittsburgh gets called for a penalty and Detroit scores to lead 3-1, this series may be over. Instead…
4:03: Letang tied the game at 2-2 with a man-advantage tally. And the celly.
:00: The Penguins were lucky to come out of the opening period tied at 2-2. But, also slightly disappointing with how well they played at the start and end of the frame.
SECOND PERIOD
19:33: Cooke threw a thunderous hit on Niklas Kronwall. When we think back about those Penguins, their high-tempo offensive threat and skill come to mind. But they also had a physical element to their game. The Penguins outhit Detroit in this game, 36-17, with Chris Kunitz leading the way with 11.
17:44: Former Penguin Mikael Samuelsson hit the post. Definitely elevated some heart rates in the Mellon Arena crowd.
6:48: Doc Emrick got in his Pittsburgh Pirates reference.
4:25: Speaking of that Penguins penalty killing unit, they came up huge at this juncture of the game, late in the period and on their heels. A Brian Rafalski shot went off of Cooke and hit the crossbar. Whew.
:00: The Penguins were again lucky to escape the second period with the game tied at 2-2. The Red Wings had a 14-4 shot advantage and owned puck possession time. Pittsburgh's season came down to one 20-minute period.
THIRD PERIOD
19:26: The game within the game. Once again, the Penguins used the last change to get a favorable matchup. After a Detroit icing, Pittsburgh used Ruslan Fedotenko, Crosby and Malkin for an offensive zone draw against the defense duo of Kronwall and Brad Stuart. Fedotenko and Crosby each got great opportunities, thanks to some smart coaching.
10:05: Watch old man Guerin (38 years young) outrace Zetterberg to a puck on the wall, and then win a battle against Zetterberg AND Lidstrom to keep the puck in the offensive zone on a power play. That effort led to…
9:31: Sergei Gonchar giving Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead with a bomb from the point. The crowd (inside and outside at the big screen) erupted. Hope sprung eternal.

5:08: This shift was excruciatingly long for Penguins fans. Pittsburgh was trapped in its own zone, Cooke broke his stick and the Red Wings brought the pressure. Marc-Andre Fleury was strong in goal, especially on a save against Hudler.
4:01: Talbot hit a post and seconds later was stopped on a great opportunity all alone in the slot. Thankfully it all worked out, but at that moment 17,000-plus were shaking their heads in disbelief.
2:02: "Renegade"!
56.4: Exhale. Talbot scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory, his second goal of the game. No one will forget Talbot's Game 7 performance, but without his Game 3 performance there is no Game 7.
:00: Cue Blur "Song 2." The Penguins are the victors. They avoided a 3-0 hole and have a fighting chance of making this a real series.
To view all Pens Classic Rewind content, click here.