Sabres Edge

DETROIT -- The series continues as Petr Sykora scores in triple overtime to give the Penguins a 4-3 overtime win over the Red Wings. It was wild, it was intense, and we'll do it again Wednesday night in Pittsburgh for Game Six. Detroit still holds a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.

12:04 a.m. Tuesday morning: Every sports fan should have to watch a clip of this game. Hockey would be more popular.

11:48 p.m.: People ask me what is the best game I've covered. It was Mark Messier's final NHL game, in Madison Square Garden. Not anymore. This is it.

11 p.m.: A little hectic in the third, but what a game! We're in overtime with the score 3-3. Detroit scored three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead with less than 11 minutes to play, but Maxime Talbot tied it with 34 seconds left.

SECOND PERIOD

9:02 p.m.: The press box is in the corner of the stands, and it's a circus. Fans are walking up to get their picture taken with Barry Melrose, two Wings fans just got engaged in front of us and a media member yelled "Don't do it" and there are no bathrooms within, oh, about four miles.

9:10 p.m.: The teams skate onto the ice for the second period to the WWE Raw theme song. It is Monday, after all.

9:17 p.m.: Joe is jumping again as Darren Helm cuts deficit to 2-1 just 2:54 in.

9:30 p.m.: Hal Gill just had a fine moment. Detroit introduces a servicemen during commercial, and the Penguins defenseman taps his stick in honor despite fact puck is about to drop.

9:38 p.m.: Kid Rock is in the house.

9:41 p.m.: Save of the year -- Marc-Andre Fleury's toe on Mikael Samuelsson on two-on-one.

FIRST PERIOD

8:11 p.m.: The Red Wings skate out of the dressing room, and the sellout crowd explodes like the balls of flame shooting from the top of the scoreboard. It's a different sight from Pittsburgh, which had a fan base decked in white. This crowd is a checkerboard of red and white. And they're loud.

8:14 p.m.: The NHL had talks of cracking down on octopus throwing. Four landed on the ice, and buildings operations manager Al Sobotka did his traditional wave of them at the Zamboni entrance. Game on!

8:32 p.m.: Pittsburgh fans make sudden appearance as big hit by Pascal Dupuis leads to goal by Marian Hossa with 11:23 left.

8:44 p.m.: Penguins lead, 2-0, with 4:50 to go after Detroit's Niklas Kronwall buries the puck off goalie Chris Osgood and into his own net while trying to clear it. Who remembers Steve Smith?

8:52 p.m.: Penguins have 2-0 lead. OK, maybe Game Six will be my first championship game. Wouldn't be as fun in a visiting rink.

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8:05 p.m.: It's one thing to walk into Joe Louis Arena through the Gordie Howe Entrance. It's another thing to walk through the Gordie Howe Entrance and see Gordie Howe. Mr. Hockey was seated just inside signing copies of his book. Welcome to Hockeytown.

And right now, it's Partytown. They are ready to win the Stanley Cup tonight. This is my first world championship, and for a native Buffalonian, it's obviously a unique experience. Maybe someday our town will experience it.

---John Vogl