DETROIT -- Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, but here's a review of all the top players from the Stanley Cup finals:
• Chris Osgood
Although he may have strayed just a little too far to his right, giving Maxime Talbot room to snap home the game winner, you could hardly blame Osgood for the Wings' loss in the Cup finals. He gave up just four goals in four home games and it still wasn't good enough. Still, this playoff run should finally put to rest any notion that Osgood isn't a world-class goaltender. It will be interesting to see whether Osgood receives an invitation from Canadian Olympic team executive director (and former teammate) Steve Yzerman for the country's orientation camp in Calgary, Alberta, in August.
• Henrik Zetterberg
Zetterberg was considered by many to be the Wings' best player throughout the playoffs even if his point production dropped off from last postseason, when he tied Sidney Crosby with 27 points and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy. As good as he was at shutting down Crosby during this year's finals (Crosby had one goal and two assists in the series), Zetterberg also ended up leading the Wings in Cup finals scoring with six points. But it wasn't enough.
• Nicklas Lidstrom
Hard to criticize a guy who is the best defenseman of his generation and was playing hurt after taking a shot in the groin area in the Western Conference finals. Still, it was telling that in both Games 6 and 7, when Lidstrom had chances to put away tying goals, he was just a hair off. In Game 7, Fleury managed to thrust his body in front of Lidstrom's shot with time running out. Does a younger Lidstrom get there quicker? Hard to tell, but obviously it was a disappointing end for one of the game's classiest players.
• Evgeni Malkin
When Crosby went down with an injury early in the second period of Game 7, Malkin was forced to shoulder more of the load. Although he did not score in Games 6 or 7, he did lead the Penguins with eight points in the series and put to rest any lingering questions folks might have had after he hit the wall late in last season's playoff run.
"I think he answered the bell," Crosby said of Malkin. "I'm thinking he's pretty happy and people realize how great a player he is. This isn't an easy time of year. You've got to find ways to battle through and he did that all playoffs long."
• Sidney Crosby
Perhaps the mark of the young man as a captain and a leader was that, even though his knee would not allow him to play (he played one shift in the third in Game 7 after getting hit in the second frame), Crosby knew enough not to put his team at risk by continuing to take shifts. Still, he did insist on being on the bench throughout.
"It was painful. It was so painful," Crosby said of watching. "At the same time, I had all the confidence in the world these guys were going to do it. You don't get this far without each guy stepping up in certain situations."
• Marc-Andre Fleury
For all of the questions about Fleury, he delivered the goods in Games 6 and 7, allowing just two goals on 50 shots in backstopping the Pens to a Stanley Cup. Hard to imagine he won't be given a good look by Yzerman and the Canadian Olympic brass after clutch performances like that.
"He's a great friend of mine. I'm so happy and you can quote me on that. Fleury is a winning goaltender right now," Max Talbot said. "Everybody's always saying, 'Oh, we're not sure. He never won anything.' But you know what, he proved to everybody that he's a winning goaltender and I'm so happy for that. And that's going to stay with him."
DETROIT -- NHL senior PR man Frank Brown handed a phone over to Sidney Crosby during Friday night's Stanley Cup on-ice celebrations at Joe Louis Arena.
It was none other than Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the other end of the line. An animated Crosby had quite a bit to say to his country's leader.
There was no call from President Barack Obama, but, hey, Sid will get to meet him sometime next season when his team makes the traditional trip to the White House.
Hey, Dad, I'm next!
Henry Staal's cell phone rang a few moments after the buzzer sounded Friday night. It was New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, Henry's second-oldest son.
"He said, 'I'm next," Henry Staal said with a laugh.
At this rate, who's not to believe Marc? Eric Staal won a Cup with Carolina in 2006 and now Jordan is victorious in 2009. The Staal clan from Thunder Bay, Ontario, is getting familiar with the silver trophy.
"But you never get used to this feeling," said Henry.
Congrats, buddy
There was a nice moment more than an hour after the game when Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski walked over near the visitors' dressing room and congratulated former New Jersey Devils teammate Petr Sykora. You never get tired of seeing the kind of sportsmanship that is so often prevalent in hockey.
Stockholm loses
Hockey fans in Stockholm, Sweden, were big losers Friday night, as well. The Detroit Red Wings open next season in the Swedish capital against the St. Louis Blues, but the Stanley Cup won't be there with them.
The presence of Lord Stanley's mug caused quite a stir when the Anaheim Ducks brought it to London in September 2007. Ironically, the Penguins opened this season in Stockholm in October, but also didn't have the Cup with them because they lost to the Wings in last season's finals.
DETROIT -- So, this is how we all envisioned Game 7 through 40 minutes, right?
The Penguins up 2-0 on a pair of Maxime Talbot goals despite the loss of injured superstar Sidney Crosby?
This is why people watch this game. You just never, ever know what will happen.
Brad Stuart is hoping for a great third period, I'm sure, after stinking up the middle period. The Red Wings defenseman gave the puck away in his own zone on the opening goal, and then took an ill-advised pinch at the Pens' blue line, which led to a 2-on-1 break where Talbot went roof daddy on Chris Osgood.
Losing Crosby is a real downer on such a great platform for the game. But there was no foul play here. Johan Franzen simply finished his check and happened to catch Crosby awkwardly into the boards; the Pens' captain suffered what looks to be a left leg injury of some kind. He needed help from the training staff to get to the dressing room. You know how badly he'll want to try to come back, but if it's serious, they won't let him, I'm sure.
What a story if the Pens hang on without their injured captain; not to mention the fact they're up 2-0 despite their other superstar, Evgeni Malkin, not doing a whole lot tonight.
It was all Detroit in the final five minutes, though, as the Penguins barely stayed alive. What a third period we're in store for.
Scotty?
Scott Burnside: Actually, I'm not sure I agree with you on the Franzen play. The puck was well ahead of both players and Franzen pinned him against the boards. But you're right that it's unfortunate Crosby missed most of that period and, without presuming too much, appears to be a long shot to return.
That's going to put a lot of pressure on Malkin in the third, and after not doing much the last couple of games, I thought he was really engaged, especially in the defensive zone later in the second period.
You can sense the Red Wings' desperation in the final minutes as they're crashing the net like crazy. Bad news for them is Marc-Andre Fleury appears to have forgotten he can't play at Joe Louis Arena. He's been very good, very calm, even with guys in his face.
One more thing about Talbot. He's an unlikely hero at this point, but given his heroics over the past two postseasons, maybe we should just be expecting this kind of thing from him.
DETROIT -- After a pretty tentative start to the first period, this winner-take-all Game 7 contest got pretty lively in the last five minutes or so.
Neither team had any particularly glorious scoring chances, but I thought the Penguins did the better job of forechecking and disrupting the Red Wings' defense. That forecheck was the main reason the Pens outshot the Wings 10-6 in the first.
The best Penguins unit again tonight has been the Jordan Staal-Tyler Kennedy-Matt Cooke trio. Kennedy has especially been buzzing around the net, picking up loose pucks and making plays. The trio most often plays against the Wings' third defensive pair of Brett Lebda and Jonathan Ericsson and has made life difficult for those Detroit defenders.
Once again, Sidney Crosby's line has been seeing a lot of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, and I can't recall Crosby or his mates having a decent chance. By the end of the first period, Miroslav Satan had taken at least one shift on Crosby 's line in place of Bill Guerin.
Marc-Andre Fleury and Chris Osgood look like they're on their respective games, making sure loose pucks don't get away from them when there's traffic in front of the net.
The Wings also dodged a bullet when they killed off the only power play of the period, a slash by Brad Stuart on Evgeni Malkin's stick. The Pens had lots of puck possession time during the power play, but couldn't deliver any real quality scoring chances.
The Red Wings' best chance might have been Valtteri Filppula driving the net, but he was disrupted by a Penguins defender and didn't get a good shot off because of a Fleury pokecheck.
What did you think Pierre?
Pierre LeBrun: Neither team wanted to make a mistake early on, which contributed to that cautious start you talked about, Scotty. And that only makes sense in a game of this magnitude. Ericsson of the Red Wings gave away the puck in his own zone on one shift -- Game 7 jitters? Four months ago, he was playing in the AHL. Let's see if he settles down as the game goes on.
The scoring chances were 6-5 for Pittsburgh, which reflected an evenly played period. The faceoffs were 11-3 for the Wings, a dangerous trend for the Pens, especially on special teams.
I think the first goal will have a dramatic effect on this game. But, at the same time, I smell overtime.
DETROIT -- You have to love Sidney Crosby and his completely transparent devotion to his myriad superstitions.
The Pens are staying at their third hotel of these Cup finals, having failed to win a game while staying at the previous two.
Crosby joked that he does get consulted on where the team stays.
"Yeah, they run it by me and a couple of guys," Crosby said after today's morning skate. "Not just me, but, you know, at this point, I don't think we have too many options, so I don't think this one needed to be run by anyone. We knew it was probably a good time to switch it up, so we decided to."
Even on Friday morning, Crosby paused coming into the Penguins' locker room and opted to chat with the media in the interview room as opposed to his dressing-room stall. Maybe he felt badly for the dozens of reporters crammed around his cubicle, but we strongly suspect it has everything to do with the fact that he hasn't spoken at the podium after a morning skate in this series and certainly not in Detroit, where the Pens are 0-3 in the Cup finals and 1-5 in the past two finals against the Red Wings.
Either way, it's all over tomorrow
One of the interesting dynamics of a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup finals is, no matter what happens Friday night, it is the end of the road for both teams and long-held routines will suddenly go by the boards. It is something that resonates for a lot of players as they prepared for their final game of the season.
"Obviously never been a part of something this far along," Penguins forward Matt Cooke said. "Before, there was always hockey on TV after. Yesterday was the last practice, today was the last morning skate no matter what. Obviously that's not where our focus is, but it's definitely in the back of your mind."
Teammate Craig Adams was in Carolina in 2006 when the Hurricanes closed out Edmonton in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup.
"It's a weird feeling, for sure," Adams said. "There wasn't much sleep in the afternoon. Just close your eyes and try and relax a little bit. Come game time, it didn't matter, your energy was there and all that. It's a little different day, a unique day, but it's a fun day."
The fact that everything changes after the game only adds to that feeling, he said.
"That's part of why it's unique. Win or lose, tomorrow's a day off."
Don't be so sure.
"How do they know I'm going to give them a day off?" Penguins coach Dan Bylsma joked. "It does seem weird. You know, you battle and you win to go further and further and further. You know, you go to Game 7 in Round 2 to get to the next round. You seem like you're playing for your team's life. Now, it will be over after tonight. It's going to be a good thing for one team. The other team's going to wish it was a nine-game series."
The coach said he is a believer in the routines that have led his team to this point in the season and how they can act as a kind of anchor for players whose emotions may threaten to get out of hand leading up to Game 7.
"This is the time of year where you say stuff and knock on wood a lot," Bylsma said. "So the one thing I do know for sure in having experienced this in '03, the days off are not that comfortable. There's thoughts and there's watching the clock and waiting for the next day.
"But when you get to a game day and you get to a morning skate and you get to a meeting and you get to going back to the hotel for lunch and then getting some rest, then getting up at the same time you get up always, that is normal," the coach added. "That feels comfortable because you've done it so many times before. And, yes, it does provide the structure, does provide the atmosphere that you can say this is just another game."
DETROIT -- Win or lose tonight, the Wings have beat the Cup hangover from last season, something teams in recent years have not been able to do. Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim all struggled mightily in their seasons after winning the Cup. And, yes, there were also some serious ups and downs this season for Detroit as they tried to get it going after the short offseason.
But here they are in Game 7 of the Cup finals.
"I'm very, very impressed with our group," Wings coach Mike Babcock said Friday morning. "This, to me, in all the teams I've ever coached, I mean, we had a great team last year, don't get me wrong, and I've coached lots of good teams that have won. But this team here has found a way to keep overcoming. No matter who gets hurt. No matter what goes wrong, they keep on keeping on."
"I've been so impressed with the leadership of Nick Lidstrom and the stick intuitiveness of the group and finding a way. There's lots of times this year it didn't look very pretty, and we've found a way to be here. I think you take a lot of stock in that."
And when the season ends Friday night, the Wings and Penguins will again begin their offseasons long after every other team. Shorter time span for the beat-up bodies to recover.
"Now, we're a couple of months behind and we plan on being good again next year, and then the year after that," said Babcock. "And, to me, the test of time is important for players, it's important for coaches, and it's important for our organization."
Be the hero
Every kid dreams of scoring a Cup-winning goal. On Friday night, there are 36 skaters who actually have the chance to do it.
"You're always putting yourself in that position as a kid, whether it's playing on a pond or in your driveway," said Wings veteran forward Kirk Maltby. "The one thing I could definitely guarantee then is that I always won. It's going to be a little tougher out there tonight. But as a kid, you never really think you would get this chance, and now that you are here and you have it, it's something you really need to relish."
Big E
Just a few months ago, Jonathan Ericsson was toiling in the AHL, where he figured he would play the rest of the season. If anyone would have walked up to him in the middle of January in Grand Rapids, Mich., and told him he'd be playing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals in June, well ...
"I would probably have laughed," Ericsson said this morning. "I would have thought that was a funny joke."
But it's no joke. A concussion to blueliner Andreas Lilja opened up the door for a March recall and Ericsson hasn't looked back. He's here to stay. The 25-year-old rookie is preparing for the biggest game of his life.
"This is absolutely the biggest thing in hockey I've ever been in," said Ericsson.
The Swedish defenseman lived at Niklas Kronwall's place for the first month, but he has been living in a hotel since early April. Now, he's playing on the same team as national hero Nicklas Lidstrom. When the Wings' captain won his first Cup in June 1997, Ericsson was 13 years old.
"I don't remember much from it," said Ericsson. "It was hard to follow the NHL at that time in Sweden. I barely saw any games. When I was 13 that year, early summer, I was probably just outside playing soccer with my friends."
Loud, baby, loud
Babcock expects Joe Louis Arena to rock Friday night. And so do we.
"I mean, it should be a lot of fun," said Babcock. "I hope they're cheering the Zamboni before warm-up starts."
Babcock recalled a thrilling Game 7 when he coached the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs.
"I don't know how we did it, but we managed to coach our team into a 3-0 deficit against the Portland Winter Hawks and we ended up winning in Game 7," said Babcock. "But I remember getting back from the road trip. In those days, you traveled, well, junior hockey you traveled on the bus, you got in the games the next day and the people were in their tents waiting to buy tickets.
"I just remember the building shaking before the warm-up. It was absolutely shaking. It was exhilarating for the players, and we found a way to win."
DETROIT -- If Sidney Crosby is presented the Stanley Cup on Friday night, it will mark the first time he's ever touched the fabled trophy or had his picture taken in its presence.
"Never photographed with it. Had a couple of chances to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Joey DiPenta [of the Anaheim Ducks] actually had a Stanley Cup party in my hometown, so I didn't make it to the party and I didn't get a photograph with it," Crosby said Thursday with a grin. "Everyone knows that you try to stay away from it until you get the opportunity to really do it yourself."
Will he imagine what it might be like to take the Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at the end of Game 7 or will he try and keep those thoughts at bay?
"I think you try to push them aside," Crosby said. "For me personally, that's the way I look at it. You know, you want to approach it as much as you can like a normal game, and it's probably a lot easier said than done. But it's so important to focus on what you have to do out there. ... We're facing elimination, you don't think, 'What if they win here.' You can't think like that."
One person who has held the Cup aloft is Crosby's teammate Ruslan Fedotenko, who scored the Cup-winning goal in 2004 when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He said there was nothing special in the moments before the game that told him he was going to play a key role in a special hockey moment.
"I think it's after the fact. I mean, going to Game 7, you have nerves, excitement," Fedotenko said. "It's everything and above. You can't take a pregame nap because you're so excited. But, you know what, it's still a game."
That said, he expects to remind his teammates of his experiences before Friday's game.
"Oh, for sure. I will have my moment and I will talk to the team before the game," Fedotenko said. "But I think I want to keep it between the teammates and myself right now, so I wouldn't want to say too much right now in the press."
Helping Hossa
Red Wings coach Mike Babcock chatted with Marian Hossa ahead of the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals in a bid to relax the struggling star winger.
"Well, the big thing Hossa has to understand is all he's got to do is do what he does," Babcock said Thursday. "We've talked about that. I asked him who scored the goals for Detroit in Game 6 last year in the final? He didn't know, and neither did I. That's the facts. But I knew we won. Doesn't matter who scores the goals, none of that matters. What matters is do your part and allow the team to win. He'll do that. He'll be great."
We'll give Hossa credit. He's come out every day and answered the same questions over and over again about his famous decision to ditch Pittsburgh for Detroit last summer. And he admitted Thursday that perhaps he's let that stuff get to him a little.
"You're answering questions every day about Pittsburgh and stuff like that," said Hossa. "You've got the history there. But like I said, it comes down to the last game, just try to focus on everything and have fun."
Hossa said he hopes to just relax and do his thing Friday night.
"Just focus on your things," said Hossa. "Don't focus on all that things surrounding [it]. Be yourself, have fun, enjoy yourself, because who knows when this can happen again."
Hossa insisted one game will not decide whether he made the right decision.
"Not at all," said Hossa. "Through the whole season, I had a chance to learn a lot from the guys here in the dressing room, the older guys. Basically, I feel pretty fortunate to be in this dressing room and learn from these guys. Guys like [Chris] Chelios, who knows if he's going to play, maybe he will ... But just to be around them, to learn something from them, it's just an amazing experience."
Cup finals "Miracle"?
Remember the big speech Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell) gave to the U.S. team before the big game against Russia in the movie "Miracle"?
Sure you do.
Well, don't expect Penguins coach Dan Bylsma to reproduce that before Friday's game.
"I don't know what I'm going to say. That's something I usually do in the afternoon of a game. I certainly have thought about it, and I've been forced to think about it when I have questions like that," Bylsma said with a laugh. "But I think the Herb Brooks speech happens many years later after the game is over, and after a team has won.
"You know, the meeting before the game will be about reminders about what we need to do. I always talk about what to expect from their team, maybe some of the adjustments they've made in their game plan or their set breakout or whatever they may have changed, we need to be aware of, reminders that guys are focused on the details in given situations.
"But that meeting all happens in about six minutes, five minutes," Bylsma added. "So it's not like in a movie. I think it happens over a course of 15 minutes. It's a lot more talking in the movies than there's going to be in that game. It's about what happens on the ice."
PITTSBURGH -- A curious decision by the Pittsburgh Penguins to choose to skate at home in Pittsburgh on Thursday morning before flying to Detroit. The Pens, after all, have been miserable in Detroit, losing all three games there in this series. One might imagine that another day of practice on the ice might benefit the Pens. Of course, no one asked us our opinion on the matter.
As for hotels, yes, indeed, the Penguins will be moving into their third different digs of the Cup finals.
Three times lucky?
Tapping into experience
Lots of players on both sides of this Game 7 contest have experience with Game 7s, some in the finals.
How about Ruslan Fedotenko, who scored the winning goal in Game 7 in 2004, when Tampa Bay defeated Calgary to win its first Stanley Cup?
Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said he wouldn't be surprised if Fedotenko is one of the guys who step up and offer a few words before Friday's game.
"You know, Ruslan was one that started the playoffs [talking] and Billy Guerin, a lot of guys have been guys that stepped up and said certain things at the right time and offered their expertise or their experiences, saying, 'Hey, this is what we need to focus on,' or, 'This happens in playoffs,'" Bylsma said.
Cup record? Kris Draper is among a handful of Red Wings who are on the verge of establishing a franchise record for winning five Stanley Cups with the franchise. But the veteran forward wanted no part of speculating what that might be like.
"It sounds fantastic, but, unfortunately, there's a lot of work to be done before we talk about that. That's the one thing, you know, to really talk about something that hasn't happened, it's not easy to sit up here and do that," Draper said. "So, [if] we win Game 7, I'll be more than happy to share my thoughts with you. But from now until then, we have a lot of work to be done."
PITTSBURGH -- The home team is 6-0 in the Cup finals for the fifth time since the best-of-seven format began in 1939. The home team won Game 7 three of the four previous times, including New Jersey over Anaheim in 2003.
Wings star Henrik Zetterberg's response when asked Tuesday night why he thought the home team was 6-0 in this series: "Two good home teams."
OK, thanks for that insight, Henrik.
The only team to buck the trend was the 1971 Montreal Canadiens, who won in Chicago. The goalie for the Habs that year was rookie Ken Dryden, who just happens to be the childhood hero of Troy Crosby, Sidney Crosby's father. We're just saying …
Racking up the games Nicklas Lidstrom played in playoff game No. 234 for his career, moving him just two behind Mark Messier for third all time in NHL history. And Lidstrom, unlike Messier, still has hair while doing it.
Game 7
The last seventh game in the Cup finals was 2006, when Carolina beat Edmonton 3-1. Remember who scored the game winner that night? Frantisek Kaberle.
PITTSBURGH -- Here are some quick notes from the Penguins' 2-1 Game 6 victory over the Red Wings at Mellon Arena on Tuesday night:
• First things first. That was a heck of a hockey game! I thought both teams really dug in and battled all over the ice. It's funny what happens when the players can get an extra day off between games. A lot of the players really benefited from the rest. Pens veteran Bill Guerin looked particularly energized. The teams will get another two days off before Game 7. That should make for a really competitive battle to raise the Stanley Cup.
• Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury rebounded brilliantly from a tough night in Game 5 with a stellar performance Tuesday night. Fleury made several timely stops, and that's what playoff goaltending is all about -- timely saves.
His biggest save came with less than two minutes left on the clock. After a turnover by Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik, Detroit winger Dan Cleary took off on a clean breakaway. He moved to the backhand, but Fleury denied him with a left pad/glove save.
"I was going to go for the poke check, but I decided to wait and let him make the first move." Fleury said. "I was just happy to make the save."
The Wings had other chances off scrambles around the net in the final seconds, but no chance as clean as Cleary's. The Penguins' kid goaltender showed his competitive nature in this game. Of course, he'll have to play just as well Friday night at The Joe.
• At the other end, Detroit netminder Chris Osgood was just as good. He kept his team in the game through the first two periods when the Wings were being outshot 24-12. He was particularly sharp making back-to-back stops on Ruslan Fedotenko and Evgeni Malkin in the final minute of the second period. Without Osgood's strong work, the Pens would have had this game wrapped up by the end of the second frame.
• At the morning skate, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma was asked whether his team could win if his big guys (Sidney Crosby and Malkin) didn't score. He responded by saying that, yes, the Pens could, if they got a full team effort. He believed someone in his room would score. As it turned out, Bylsma was right. Crosby and Malkin didn't score, but the Pens still won.
They extended their season because they got maximum effort from everyone on the bench and because Bylsma got a monster game from his third line of center Jordan Staal, right winger Tyler Kennedy and left winger Matt Cooke. The line created energy on almost every shift and accounted for both goals, proving to be the difference in the game.
• Staal opened the scoring at the 51-second mark of the second period, converting his own rebound chance. Staal's second shot glanced off the glove of Osgood on its way to the back of the net.
The play began at the far blue line, where two Wings (Brett Lebda and Valtteri Filppula) couldn't contain the puck. That led to an odd-man rush for the Penguins. Staal carried the puck down the right-wing side. Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson took away the passing lane, forcing Staal to shoot. Osgood stopped the original shot, but he couldn't control the rebound.
• Wings all-everything pivot Henrik Zetterberg was snakebit in the first two periods, failing to convert on a pair of great scoring chances. At the 3:25 mark of the first period, Zetterberg was alone in the slot after taking a pass from nimble linemate Pavel Datsyuk. Fleury made a monster save that kept the game scoreless.
Later, with about two minutes left in the second period, Zetterberg beat Fleury with a backhand to the blocker side, but the puck glanced off the post. It was a golden chance for the Wings, who got their top line out against a mismatched trio of Max Talbot, Fedotenko and Chris Kunitz.
• The Penguins were able to open their margin to 2-0 at the 5:35 mark of the third period. Kennedy capitalized on a rebound on his own wraparound chance, flipping a short rebound under Osgood's left arm. Wings center Kris Draper got that one back, converting a rebound of Ericsson's blast from the left point. On the play, Fleury left a big rebound. It was probably his only mistake of the night.
• The Red Wings' penalty-killing unit, much maligned throughout the season and the playoffs for its mediocre play, did a great job in the first period, killing a pair of Penguins power-play chances.
Detroit pivot Kris Draper helped his team's cause by winning some key defensive-zone draws that enabled his mates to clear the zone. After struggling on the kill in the first four games of the series, the Wings have taken a more aggressive approach, leaving the Penguins with less time and space to operate.
• Bylsma, looking for a little offensive punch, opted to put veteran winger Petr Sykora back into the lineup for the first time since May 4. He had been a scratch for the club's previous 14 playoff games.
Sykora replaced winger Miroslav Satan, who had only one assist in his last eight games. Bylsma gave Sykora the odd shift and used him on the club's second power-play unit. Sykora showed he understood the gravity of the situation, sliding to block a point shot midway through the middle period.
Check out what NHL writers Scott Burnside, E.J. Hradek and Pierre LeBrun and other members of ESPN.com's team have to say as they cover the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. They'll be checking in from various sites all the way through the Cup finals.
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