Game 4 Stanley Cup Finals: Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins

May 31, 2008 | By Steve White | Picks Articles Archive

The Pittsburgh Penguins figured out how to beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3, put Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marion Hossa on the same line and pound every other player in a red jersey. The Pens won game 3 3-2 after two goals by Sid the Kid, Detroit still leads the Stanley Cup best of seven 2-1 with tonight’s game in Pittsburgh. Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have Pittsburgh as -115 moneyline favs over Detroit -105 with the over/under set at 5 goals. Get your Stanley Cup Finals Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com

GAME: Detroit Red Wings (68-26-2-5) at Pittsburgh Penguins (60-31-4-4)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, May 31 - 8:00 PM EST
LINE: SBGglobal.com TOTAL: 5
PICK: Detroit -105

A Red Wings win on Pittsburgh's home ice would likely be a devastating blow to a young Penguins team that was waxed by a combined 7-0 score in the first two games in Detroit. If the Wings win tonight, the Penguins would have a mathematical chance of winning the Cup, but possibly little else. Only six teams in the finals have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-1. The Red Wings again want to throttle the Penguins' fast skaters in the neutral zone. They also want to make it difficult for Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to get scoring chances. It will highly increase their chances of a win if they can find a way to get the opening goal past Fleury. Goalie Chris Osgood has been stellar in net, he allowed one goal on a Pens power play as he suffered his second playoff road loss. Detroit has suffered back to back road losses in the playoffs, to Nashville, but they’ve since won at least one game on a two road series.

The Pens aren’t on easy street yet, just because they figured out how to beat the Wings once doesn’t mean it will happen again. They played tough against the Wings best players pounding them into the boards and trying to catch them with their heads down. The Penguins are 17-0 at Mellon Arena since Feb. 24, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't lost there in six months, going 19-0 since the night before Thanksgiving. Talk about home advantage! They average 2.97 GAG at home and they allow 2.49 GAG. They’ll try to use the same strategy for tonight’s game, but who’s to say that the Wings won’t find away to counter attack.

Recent Trends to Consider

Red Wings are 6-1 in their last 7 Stanley Cup Finals games.
Red Wings are 10-2 in their last 12 playoff games as a favorite.
Red Wings are 5-1 in their last 6 Saturday games.
Red Wings are 5-1 in their last 6 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Penguins are 1-5 in their last 6 playoff games as an underdog.
Favorite is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.
Red Wings are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Over is 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings in Pittsburgh.

The Bottom Line: I bet you the Wings spent a lot of time reviewing video tape of Game 3’s loss and they’ll figure out how to get around the Pens tonight. They aren’t going to drop two straight in the Cup Finals. Get your Stanley Cup Finals Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com

Game 4 Stanley Cup Finals: Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins

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