Mikael Samuelsson (upper body injury) out?; Kris Draper in?
A few notes from the Red Wings morning skate. Pavel Datsyuk joined his teammates thirty minutes into their skate. Datysuk skated on the side but he is not healthy enough to play. One lineup change we may see is Kris Draper replacing Mikael Samuelsson in the lineup. Samuelsson did not participate in the Wings morning skate and maybe held out of tonight’s game due to a upper body injury.
Pressure turns to Fleury in game 3
Game 2 Post-Game Notebook Unable to tie the series at 1-1, the series shifts back to Pittsburgh Tuesday night as the Penguins will be in a must win situation like they were last year. Despite only scoring two goals through the first two games of the series, the Penguins were upbeat following the game and believe this series is far from over. For the second straight night, the inability to capitalize on prime scoring chances haunted the Penguins. The chances are there for the Penguins, averaging 32 shots in two games Red Wings team speed causing Penguins problems Evaluating the first two games of the series, the most noticeable difference between the Red Wings and Penguins is the team speed
No Datsyuk, No Problem: Red Wings take 2-0 series lead
Detroit leads series, 2-0 Playing without M.V.P. candidate Pavel Datsyuk for the second consecutive game, the Detroit Red Wings got timely goals and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 Sunday night at Joe Louis Arena to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings have not only overcame the loss of Datsyuk for the first two games of series but they have also quieted their critics that back to back games to start the series would benefit the Penguins. The Red Wings have taken a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals for the second straight year and are in familiar position as the series shifts to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh struck first on an Evgeni Malkin
Pittsburgh must make the most of their “golden opportunities” as Red Wings take game 1
Detroit leads series, 1-0 New year, same result as Chris Osgood made 31 saves and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena to take a 1-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. While result of of game 1 was the same as last year, a Red Wings win, the Penguins were a much different team last night than the one that the hockey world saw last year in game 1. Pittsburgh outshot the Red Wings 32-30 and they were able to generate a number of scoring chances. “Last time we played them, it took them a couple games to get going. They were very good tonight. They were very competitive,” Detroit
Absence of Datsyuk puts pressure on Marian Hossa
Datsyuk out for Game 1 The Detroit Red Wings will be without M.V.P. candidate Pavel Datsyuk for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Saturday night. Datsyuk who has a small fracture in his foot, skated today at the Wings morning skate and deemed himself available to play. Head coach Mike Babcock and the Red Wings medical staff made the final call and have ruled Datsyuk out for tonight’s game. This will be the 4th straight game that Datsyuk will miss. Indications are that Datsyuk will return to the lineup by game 3 at the latest. With Datsyuk likely to be limited for the entire series, the pressure will turn to Marian Hossa.
Cup finals Preview: “There will be no surprises this year”
There is a growing sense in NHL circles that the Pittsburgh Penguins are more equipped to upend the Detroit Red Wings in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals which begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh is a more confident and experienced team than the team that went into Joe Louis Arena and were shutout for the first two games of the 08 Finals. Pittsburgh expects a different result as they know what to expect this time around. “Well I think there are no surprises this year,” Sidney Crosby said on Friday. We know what to expect, simple things like today, we know what to expect. We know our opponent, last year that wasn’t the case.” For the Red Wings,
The Formula to beating the Red Wings
By Paul Ladewski The Stanley Cup is the most difficult prize to capture in professional team sports, many people will tell you, and the Penguins will realize as much in the next few days. Certainly, the Penguins could have hand-picked a lesser opponent then the Detroit Red Wings, the most complete package of talent, experience and cohesiveness in the league. But if the two teams had to meet for the second time in as many years, then the Penguins couldn’t have hoped for a better time to do it. The Red Wings enter the series with health issues, as defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper have been at less than full strength in recent weeks. What’s
Despite being the favorites, Red Wings are being overlooked
There is a strong sense throughout NHL circles that the Pittsburgh Penguins are more equipped to upend the Detroit Red Wings this time around as the two teams will meet for a rematch in the Stanley Cup Finals, Satuday night. Even though the Penguins may be primed to hoist their first Stanley Cup since 1992, the Red Wings should not be overlooked by no means. Why the Red Wings should not be overlooked The Red Wings are the deepest team in the National Hockey. Not only do you have to deal with star forwards Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, & Johan Franzen, you also have to deal with role players Dan Cleary (14pts), Valtteri Filppula (14 pts), Mikael Samuelsson
Afternoon Buzz: Fedotenko returns to practice
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ruslan Fedotenko returned to practice on Friday after missing Thursday’s practice with an illness. Fedotenko skated with Evgeni Malkin and Max Talbot while Pascal Dupuis was moved back to the 4th line. The rest of the lines were Kunitz – Crosby – Guerin Cooke – Staal – Kennedy Dupuis – Adams – Satan Sykora – Zigomanis – Godard *** Winning 6 of seven games when dressing seven defensemen, Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma is being
For the Wings, health problems could be a factor against the Penguins
The Detroit Red Wings weren’t extended in the Western Conference finals, but they did encounter health problems that could be a factor against the Penguins in the next round. Center Pavel Datsyuk was sidelined in the final three games of the series, while defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom sat out the final two encourters. Lidstrom will play in the Stanley Cup Finals opener on Saturday night, but the status of Datsyuk and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson is uncertain at this time. Datsyuk and Lidstrom may be the two most important players on the Red Wings roster. Detroit is one of the deepest teams in the league, a fact that was apparent in the 2-1 overtime clincher against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night,