Although we picked the Pens to win the series, it appears as if we underestimated their mettle. Game 3: Pittsburgh 5 New York 3.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are making a statement. They’ve now played seven games in this year’s playoffs – four at home and three on the road and they have yet to lose.

And it would be difficult to suggest that they’ll lose in New York on Thursday night.

The Pens have fire power, an improved defence and a young goaltender at the top of his game. With Tuesday night’s 5-3 win at Madison Square Garden, the Pens might also have proven they have the mettle to go a long way without a loss this spring.

There were a lot of reasons to believe the Penguins might lose Tuesday night. For one, they were playing at MSG where the fans are crazy and the building is tough at the most meaningless of times. Last night, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal, the building was rocking but the Penguins weren't intimidated. They scored the first goals and built a 3-1 lead and almost took the crowd out of it for 59 minutes.

Another reason, they might have pissed away Tuesday night's game came in the second period when they were two-men down for 32 seconds. But they killed the penalties and stayed in control.

Another reason they might have blown Tuesday night's game came late in the second period when the Rangers scored two goals within a minute and four seconds to tie the score at 3-3. But Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal, his second of goal of the game, before the period ended and Pittsburgh went to the second intermission with the lead — and, yes, control.

This Penguins team is supposed to be too young. Its goalie is unproven. Its stars are barely into their 20s and their coach has been through the ringer (Michel Therrien was not only fired in Montreal but put in 3 1/2 seasons in Wilkes Barre before being brought in to replace the struggling Eddie Olczyk).

Still, it's a team that almost finished first overall in the East and has yet to lose in this year's playoffs. Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Malone, Marian Hossa, Jordan Staal, have all played wonderfully.  Malkin, just a few hours after he was selected as a finalist for the Hart Trophy, scored two power-play goals and added an assist in the best game of his playoff career Tuesday night. 

I still like the Red Wings to win the Cup, but I would not be at all surprised if the Wings faced a Pittsburgh outfit that did not lose a game on the way to the Eastern Conference title.