Justin Abdelkader scores the insurance goal early in the third period, caping a 3-1 win.

Pretty decent game .... although Detroit was in complete control once they got the

Our friend Steve Kerley, who kindly supplied scouting reports and asute analyses all through the season, weighs in look at the final weighs in with a look at

This is how much the NHL cares about its players:

The league's showcase series begins with exhausting, injury-risking back-to-back games.

The Penguins and Red Wings begin the Stanley Cup final

I have to do some research for my Gazette City column tonight.

So I'll miss what I fully expect to be the final game of the Western Conference finals.

I'll

Can the Penguins dethrone Detroit?

Time to start thinking about

Patrick Sharp ends a helluva hockey game ... with Cristobal Huet as the winning goaltender.

Props to those kids: the blow a 3-0 lead against the champs and then

Mikael Samuelsson wins it a little over five minutes into overtime, completing a brilliant passing play with Valterri Pilppula and Jiri Hudler.

Hreat, great game.

And a bitter pill for

Were those the real Montreal Canadiens?

During his post-game remarks, Guy Carbonneau said there were four or five crucial games in the course of a regular season that define

The Stanley Cup champion had lost two games in regulation since the beginning of the season.

Make that three.

The Canadiens played textbook hockey for 40 minutes and hung on