Missed opportunities will haunt this young Pens squad

As the Pittsburgh Penguins filed off the ice at Mellon Arena on Saturday night, the tips oftheir skates hanging over the playoff abyss, one wondered how longthey'll think about that squandered two-man advantage from Game 4.

In the wake of the Red Wings' hard-fought 2-1 win that gives them a3-1 series lead, one has to imagine the magic spell that has beenthis young Pittsburgh team's run to the Stanley Cup finals isbroken.

After winning nine straight games at Mellon Arena this spring, thePenguins lost for the first time here.

After going Stainless Steel Ties in which they scored first, they lost forthe first time despite opening the scoring on a Marian Hossa power-play goal just 2:51 into the crucial contest.

They now face a monumental task heading into Monday's Game 5 inDetroit. Since the best-of-seven format was introduced in 1939,only one team has come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win theCup.

Despite the noise from the 66th straight Mellon Arena sellout (cuethe spooky music all you Mario Lemieux fans), you could almost hear the distinct "pop" of the Penguins'Stanley Cup dream midway through the third period, when thetalented Penguins could not capitalize on a two-man advantagelasting 1:27.

"Tough to explain," an extremely subdued Pittsburgh coach MichelTherrien said after the game. "And there's no doubt we needed toget that goal. We didn't execute well. We got a good chance to tieup the game right there and we didn't do the job." entual winner-- came after the Penguins failed to clear their own zone afterseveral cracks at it.

Then, with Kris Maltby already in the box for hooking, setting up the defining moment of the game and, perhaps, theseries.

Therrien called a timeout with 25 seconds left in the two-manadvantage and Malkin turned the puck over again. Later, the HartTrophy candidate appeared in his dressing room stall with his headin his hands.

"He tried. Nothing is happening for him," Therrien said of Malkin'seffort. "I think his intentions are there, but the results are notthere."
The big Russian who, for much of these playoffs, looked like a ConnSmythe candidate has been reduced to a rumor over the past eightgames in which he has contributed one goal and one assist.

His lack of production has placed an incredible amount of pressureon Crosby's line. And even though Hossa had one of his finestnights of the playoffs -- creating chances, retrieving the puckrepeatedly in the Detroit zone and scoring the Pens' only goal --it wasn't nearly enough for a team that has scored just four goalsin four games in the finals.

"Tonight could have gone either way," Crosby said. "We know we haveto even play better, but it's nice to know that we're right thereand we play our game. There's no choice now. I mean, we've got towin to stand."

If that 1:27 will continue to dog this Penguins team between nowand Game 5, it might well be remembered by the Red Wings in a muchdifferent manner -- as the moment they broke the spirit of thePenguins and locked in on their fourth Stanley Cup since 1997.