Take that Detroit Rock City, Orpik and Pens deliver big blow to get back into Cup finals

Orpik delivers big hit, slams Pens back into final

PITTSBURGH — Forget towels, whiteouts and crazy bounces off the boards, the Pittsburgh Penguins got back into the Stanley Cup finals with puck possession and a good old-fashioned hit.

Brooks Orpik flattened rookie Darren Helm with an open-ice check early in the third period. The white-clad crowd erupted in cheers, the Penguins got a burst of energy, and soon had the critical power play that made all the difference Tuesday night.

By the time Sergei Gonchar’s drive from the big Stanley Cup finals logo in the Detroit Red Wings’ zone zipped its way into the net, the hometown Penguins had taken over. The goal snapped a tie with 9:31 left and gave Pittsburgh a one-goal lead.

They went on to win 4-2 in Game 3 and assured themselves another trip to Hockeytown

Just like last year, Pittsburgh is down 2-1 to the Red Wings in the finals with another game at home on Thursday. For the first time in this series the Penguins were outshot by Detroit — 29-21, but now they have something to show for their efforts.

“There was a couple of good hits, a couple of blocked shots, a couple of little things,” Orpik said. “The crowd, who is pretty knowledgeable here, responded well and got everyone going. It’s funny how things work because that was our worst game out of the three and you come out on top.

“You’ll take it any way.”

The Penguins were outshot 14-4 in the scoreless second period and felt fortunate they still had a chance to pull this one out in the third. Detroit had outscored opponents 19-6 in the third period and outshot them 210-153.

“We didn’t have a very good second period. They were very good in the second,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “We needed to calm down and get back to our game. We’ve played it for 40-plus games here. We needed to make sure we get back to it, and go out there and play the third that way.

“We did a good job of starting, and built momentum with that. The building was going, and we had some chances and got the power play.”

Red Wings rookies such as Helm, Justin Abdelkader and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson were possibly the biggest difference-makers in Detroit’s two 3-1 wins at home to start the series. Abdelkader scored his first two NHL goals — one in each game — and Ericsson added one Sunday, just four days removed from appendix surgery.

They played key roles again in Game 3, but not nearly the way they were quickly growing accustomed to at home.

Helm was forced to pick himself up from the ice with 12:18 left in the game, and Ericsson was sitting in the penalty box — courtesy of an interference infraction against Matt Cooke — when Gonchar scored the game-winner.

Knowing Mikael Samuelsson had headed to the bench on a change, and realizing he had protection behind him, Orpik lined up Helm near the red line and caught him flush.

“It’s not one of those things you go looking for,” Orpik said. “He’s had a great series last year and this year against us.

“For as small as he looks — I don’t know how big he is off the ice — he is really tough to knock off the puck. He competes really hard. He’s probably been their best player this series and probably last year against us.”

The tide had already started turning once the puck dropped at the beginning of the third period. Pittsburgh took a page from the Detroit playbook and kept the puck for large stretches of time.

The Penguins held a 10-3 shots advantage in the third, the Red Wings’ lowest total in a period in this year’s playoffs.

“They came out with a good push,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “They got the power play there with the call on Ericsson, and at that point they took over.”

The Penguins were outshooting the Red Wings 8-0 when Gonchar’s drive hit the back of the net, and they didn’t allow them a chance to change tired players during the advantage that lasted 1:23 — mostly in the Detroit zone.

“The power play was an unbelievable job by a handful of guys out there, winning puck battles,” Bylsma said. “Keeping that thing alive for a long period of time, and giving Gonch a chance to rip that one home.”