I don't think that they necessarily helped the Pens get going at all. The refs seemed to be laying down the type of game that they were going to be calling (obvious after the quick obstruction call on Franzen to let them know they may not get away with what they were doing before.) However, first period had and even number of calls for both teams. What bothered me more was the fact that the refs "put away their whistles" in the 3rd. This is GREAT as it allowed for that killer play for the 6 min stretch. During that time there were a number of times that they could have called penalties, and they would have if it was still the first period. If anything, i think they gave Detroit a chance. I told my wife that they'd call a penalty with less than 5 mins to go. Sure, Malkin "obstructed" the Detroit player, but that WAS NOT a penalty for the entire period up to that point!!! Must be frustrating as hell being a player in that situation. Detroit ended up wailing 16 shots on net in the 3rd!!! They are a fucking machine, and the Pens have to capitalize on the miniscule number of errors they make, and try to force more. Franzen's goal was fantastic.