GAME 7, ALL ROUNDS
Overall, 128 playoff series have gone to seven games since the NHL introduced the best-of-seven format in 1939. The home team has won 80 (.625). Both the Red Wings and Penguins have won Game 7s this post-season; the Red Wings defeated Anaheim 4-3 at Joe Louis Arena in a Western Conference Semifinal and the Penguins recorded a 6-2 victory at Washington in an Eastern Conference Semifinal.
HOME CLUBS' RECENT SUCCESS IN GAME 7, ALL PRO SPORTS
The home team has won the deciding game in each of the past 18 Final series that reached a seventh game, including six Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Final, four in the NBA Finals and eight in the World Series. The last road team to win a title-deciding Game 7 was the Pittsburgh Pirates, who defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 at Memorial Stadium in the 1979 World Series.
EXPERIENCE IN GAME 7 OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL
Several Red Wings and Penguins have previous experience in a Stanley Cup Final Game 7. Penguins forward Ruslan Fedotenko was the hero for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, tallying both goals in a 2-1 victory over Calgary. Penguins forward Craig Adams was in the Carolina Hurricanes' lineup for their 3-1 win over Edmonton in 2006. Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock was the bench boss for the Anaheim Ducks in 2003 when they dropped a 3-0 decision to the New Jersey Devils. Among the players dressing for Babcock that night were Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma and Penguins forward Petr Sykora. They faced then-Devils and current Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski.
RED WINGS DOMINANT AT HOME IN 2009 PLAYOFFS
The Red Wings have won eight consecutive games and are 11-1 overall at Joe Louis Arena in the 2009 playoffs, one shy of the single-playoff record for home victories. The Red Wings' lone loss at Joe Louis Arena came in triple overtime, a 4-3 decision to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinal on May 3.
Learn more about the Stanley Cup Final 2009:
Source:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=425387&intcmpid=tckr
