1/31/15

My Final Game at Mellon Arena

Five years ago today, I attended my last Penguins game at the Mellon Arena. It was a Sunday afternoon game against the Detroit Red Wings. The game was being broadcast on NBC. Marc-Andre Fleury got the start in goal for the Penguins and Jimmy Howard got the start for the Red Wings. The Penguins got an early chance to score the first goal when Red Wings' forward Pavel Datsyuk was assessed a two-minute high sticking penalty at 3:31 of the first period. The Penguins were unable to cash in. The Penguins were given another opportunity when Red Wings' forward Valtteri Filppula was called for a two-minute hooking penalty at 12:15. Again, the Penguins were unable to capitalize on the power play. The Red Wings got the first power play opportunity at 15:59 when Penguins' defenseman Sergei Gonchar was given a two-minute tripping penalty. The Red Wings were unable to score. After one period of play, the game was scoreless. The Red Wings were given another power play opportunity at 6:28 when Penguins' forward Evgeni Malkin was assessed a two-minute tripping penalty. The Red Wings were unable to capitalize. The Red Wings got their third consecutive power play opportunity at 14:22 when Penguins' defenseman Mark Eaton was called for a two-minute holding penalty. The Red Wings were unable to score. The Penguins drew first blood when Sidney Crosby tucked a backhander past Howard at 16:46. After two periods of play, the Penguins led 1-0. The Red Wings were given an opportunity to tie the game when Penguins' forward Matt Cooke was called for a two-minute goaltender interference penalty. The power play was brief, as Red Wings' forward Drew Miller was given a two-minute high sticking penalty at 3:49. The Penguins were unable to score on their brief power play. The Red Wings tied the game at 11:10 when Daniel Cleary deflected Brad Stuart's shot past Fleury. At the end of regulation, the score was tied at 1-1. At 3:39 of overtime, Penguins' defenseman Sergei Gonchar was assessed a two-minute hooking penalty. This was a golden opportunity for the Red Wings to win the game. The Red Wings failed to score and the game went into a shootout. Jimmy Howard stopped Kris Letang's attempt. Pavel Datsyuk's shot missed the net. Sidney Crosby got the Penguins on the board when he roofed the puck past Howard. Jason Williams' shot was stopped by Fleury. Evgeni Malkin sealed the deal when he tucked the puck past Howard to give the Penguins a 2-1 shootout victory.