Posted by Pierre LeBrun
DETROIT -- Here are five things to watch for in tonight's Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals:
1. How the beat-up Wings react in a back-to-back game. Will the Pens look fresher?
"I think especially early on, you have to take short shifts and be ready to start playing again," Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said this morning. "But it helps when you have that depth and you have a fourth line that can contribute like they did last night."
Lidstrom and Jonathan Ericsson are not 100 percent, I don't care what anyone says. The key for Pittsburgh is to get the forecheck going deep in the Wings' zone and punish the Wings' defense physically, wear them down after they got little time to recuperate from Game 1.
2. The Wings' fourth line of Justin Abdelkader, Ville Leino and Kirk Maltby.
The reality is, Detroit coach Mike Babcock only played Abdelkader 5:10 in Game 1 for fear of the matchup with the big three centers from Pittsburgh. But when the kid played a few shifts in the third period, he scored a big goal. Does Babcock give him more ice time tonight, especially with his beat-up team perhaps needing all hands on deck? Lidstrom, for one, can't remember facing a team that employs 11 forwards and seven defensemen instead of the traditional 12-6 split.
"I can't think of a team," he said. "They're trying to utilize their three strong centers that they have, give them a bit more ice time and they seem to be playing all seven D. It's not one guy playing just a couple of minutes. I can't think of a team that we've played in the past that has played like that."
3. How does Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury bounce back after a shaky performance in Game 1?
Last season, he tripped on the red carpet coming out for Game 1. This time around, he looked like he was playing on a red carpet, out of position on both Red Wings goals that bounced off him from the back boards.
"Marc-Andre's been solid all year and he's harder on himself than anyone ever could be, so I'm sure he'll be ready for tonight and hopefully he doesn't let that get in his head and he just plays another solid game for us," Pens defenseman Rob Scuderi said today.
4. Will the Pens win a faceoff?
Detroit won 71 percent (39-16) in Game 1.
"They've got some good centermen, but we've got to find ways to get pucks in our possession a bit more,'' Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said today. "That's an important part of the game. That's an area we'll work on."
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said it was brought up again with the players today.
"Sometimes in a game when you're getting, you know, beat in one aspect of the game, you can get a little frustrated and not focused on what you need to do," he said today. "We have a game plan. We've studied what those players will do in the faceoff circle. We went over those reminders again today.
"One of the things we did talk about during the game and need to focus on is the individuals that are flanking the centermen. They have to be aware and be ready to jump in and help out. Because a lot of the draws that were won were the wingers getting in there, and the D-men getting in there."
5. What will Crosby do tonight?
We liked his physical game last night, but he's obviously got to produce for his team to succeed. He was limited to two shots on goal in Game 1. History suggests No. 87 will have a much better effort in Game 2. He's been by far the most consistent performer on his team in these playoffs, so Game 1 won't sit well with him.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
