Posted by E.J. Hradek
DETROIT -- Here are some quick notes from the Wings' 3-1 Game 2 victory over the Penguins at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday night:
• Old reliable, Wings rookie Justin Abdelkader, struck again in Game 2. The former Michigan State standout, an unlikely hero in Game 1, scored another huge goal early in the third period to give his team a two-goal lead. In this case, the kid got a lot of help from Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who watched a very stoppable shot from the top of the left-wing circle sail over his glove and into the net. The goal was particularly deflating because Abdelkader was alone against Pens defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi. The whole sequence seemed so innocent. The other four Wings had gone for a line change. In a monster understatement, Fleury must be much better if his team is to have any chance at getting back into this series.
• At the other end, Detroit stopper Chris Osgood continued to make timely saves for his team. On this night, he also got a lot of help from the goal posts. The Pens rang three shots off different parts of the goal frame. Still, there were several other occasions when Osgood made nice stops. I thought his left-leg save on Sidney Crosby with just 6:35 on the clock was particularly important. If Crosby scored, the Pens would have the lead to one and positioned themselves for a final push to tie the game. When it matters, Osgood finds a way to stop the puck. He might not be the most stylish goalie, but he wins.
• Here's a second-guesser's delight. Late in the second period of Game 1, Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma called a timeout to give some tired players a brief rest after his team was whistled for icing. It was a shrewd move, but it didn't pay off. The Wings scored on the subsequent shift. After the game, Bylsma defended the move, saying he would do it again. I certainly would have.
In Game 2, a little more than four minutes into the second period, the coach was faced with a similar situation. Up 1-0, four Pens (Maxime Talbot, Ruslan Fedotenko, Mark Eaton and Kris Letang) were stuck on the ice at the end of a long shift (more than 90 seconds) by an icing infraction. I figured it would be a good spot for another tactical timeout. This time, Bylsma chose to hold on to his one TO. Once again, the decision worked against him.
Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson wired a bullet from the left point past Fleury to tie the score. In this case, I think Bylsma would have been wise to follow the same path he took in Game 1. Byslma again had no regrets. He said he felt comfortable not calling the timeout in that spot. For the record, Wings coach Mike Babcock said he would have done exactly the same thing in both situations.
• Speaking of Ericsson's goal, left winger Jiri Hudler did a nice job cheating in on the offensive-zone draw. Lined up against the boards in the left-wing circle, Hudler jumped the puck drop, moving into the circle toward the dot. He was in perfect position to grab the loose puck and move it quickly to Ericsson at the left point. Detroit has been accused by its opponents of cheating on faceoffs. Guess what? The Wings do cheat on faceoffs! And so do all the other teams in the league! They just do it better than everyone else.
• After the Game 1 loss, Bylsma decided to make a lineup change. He opted to go with the more conventional 12-forward, six-defenseman look by scratching veteran defenseman Philippe Boucher and inserting left winger Pascal Dupuis. Bylsma had used an 11-forward, seven-D look for the past eight games. He went to that lineup in Game 5 of their second-round series against the Capitals after defenseman Sergei Gonchar went down with a knee injury. When Gonchar returned for Game 7 of that series, Bylsma continued to use the extra defenseman. Dupuis, who worked on the club's top line with Crosby and Marian Hossa during last season's playoff run, hadn't played since May 9. On the night, Dupuis received 11 minutes, 5 seconds of ice time on 12 shifts. He didn't register a shot and finished a minus-1.
• The Penguins didn't exactly burst out of the gate in Game 2. They didn't register their first shot until the 6:55 mark of the first period. Letang broke the ice with a quick shot from the top of the right circle. After that, the Eastern Conference champs picked up the pace, firing 10 more shots at Osgood in the final 13:05 of the period.
• In Game 1, the Penguins weren't able to take advantage of two second-period power-play chances. On Sunday night, they didn't let the early opportunity slip away, cashing in on their first opportunity at the 16:50 mark, when a rebound off Evgeni Malkin's shot hit Wings defenseman Brad Stuart and bounced back into the net. The goal gave the Penguins their first lead of the series.
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