Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh escaped from the jaws of defeat to prolong their adventure in this years Stanley Cup Finals. After seeing Detroit fight back from a 0-2 deficit to lead 3-2 in the 3rd period of game 5, the broadcasters began showing pictures of men cleaning the Stanley Cup in preparation to give it to Detroit.

However, a Maxime Talbot goal with only 34.3 seconds left of the game in the 3rd period enforced overtime and saved the Penguins. The game went deep into a triple overtime period before it was settled in favour of Pittsburgh and a game 6 back in the Steel City.

The Penguins finished the regular season with a 26-10-5 (win-loss-overtime) record at home which meant they had won the most games at home in the entire Eastern Conference. They have maintained their high standard at home during the playoffs where they are 8-1-1 this season. However, it must be noted that their only home defeat has come at the hands of Detroit during the playoffs.

Pittsburgh will attempt to continue on their quest for history as they look to be only the second club to overturn a 1-3 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals after the Toronto Maple Leafs of 1941.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit, while being disappointed that they did not complete the victory at home in the last match, should still be confidant of achieving their goals. They were very unfortunate not to win last night and will have the experience of winning a series on the road as their last 4 series' wins have all been away from home.

The Red Wings will look at the fact that they became the first team to beat the Penguins in Pittsburgh as a boost when they come in to complete the victory. While Pittsburgh felt hard done by in their last defeat at home, Detroit will look to the experience of their squad to help pull them through.

Detroit finished the regular season with the overall best record in the NHL, and had a 25-12-4 record on the road. Only the San Jose Sharks ended the season with a better record on their travels.

During the playoffs, Detroit have a 6-4-0 record on the road, but they are 6-2-0 during their last 8 road games, after losing their first 2 road games at Nashville.

Head to Head

The teams did not meet in the regular season. Detroit are currently leading this series 3-2.

Prediction

Detroit will be hoping they can start this game a lot better than they have in the previous 2. The last game saw them play probably the worst period so far during the playoffs but they managed to rally and should have really won the game.

Pittsburgh have been given a lifeline but will really need to press home the advantage here and I am not sure they have the experience in the squad to do so against a motivated Red Wing side.

I think Detroit will not start the game so badly as they did in the last one and I feel they will come looking to make amends from their last match at home. They have had the edge throughout the series and bar another great performance from Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, I think Detroit will come out and win the Stanley Cup here.

The Pick :

Pittsburgh Penguins 1-3 Detroit Red Wings

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Detroit Red Wings

HANDICAP BETTING :

Small play on Detroit Red Wings as they could potentially exploit holes if leading in the 3rd period