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Wings deliver a big shot to Pens

DETROIT – Someone forgot to tell the Pittsburgh Penguins that Game 1 ended.


Or maybe that they still haven’t realized that the Stanley Cup finals began.

The Red Wings picked up right where they left off, smothering the Penguins in the first period, en route to a 3-0 win in Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena.

Just seven shots over the final two periods of Game 1. Not a single shot on Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood until 12-minute mark of the first period in Game 2. Over 25 minutes to get an even-strength shot.

“Maybe it was a slow start the past two games and they took the lead,” Penguins forward Maxime Talbot said. “And that’s hard on us. We gotta find ways to battle back and play with more desperation.”

Slow start?

The Penguins have no goals through 120 minutes of hockey against Osgood, who recorded his third shutout of the postseason.

Even Red Wings coach Mike Babcock couldn’t envision his team’s back-to-back shutouts.

“But we were hoping to have back-to-back wins,” Babcock said. “I think it’s real important you look after home ice.”

Johan Franzen, who returned to the Red Wings’ lineup after missing six games with headaches, assisted on Detroit’s third goal, scored by Valtteri Filppula. Franzen played 16:21 minutes and was a plus-two.

"I felt OK,” Franzen said. “I felt a little bit better than I expected. So it's good to be back in again. I really missed it. It's a lot of fun."

Brad Stuart, playing in his first Cup finals, put the Wings ahead 1-0 at 6:55 of the first. He ripped a shot from the face off circle straight over the catching glove of Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who was screened and looking for the puck.

Still no shots for the Pens.

A quick release from Henrik Zetterberg found space through Fleury’s legs, but the puck slowly dribbled through the blue paint. Tomas Holmstrom whacked it the final few inches across the goal line at 11:18 of the first.

2-0, Red Wings.

And still no shots for the Pens.

Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar finally got the vulcanized rubber on Osgood at 12:01 of the first period.

“We know we’re up against a real tough team,” Penguins forward Gary Roberts said. “They play a real solid defensive game. We gotta find a way to get more pucks to the net.”

But by then, the Penguins were in a big hole — again —and they weren’t coming back.

Frustration exploded at the end of the game when the Penguins had 26 penalty minutes in just three minutes of action.

A 10-player fracas started after Petr Sykora clipped Osgood coming out from behind his net. Both Maxime Talbot and Gary Roberts were issued misconducts. Sykora received a two-minute goaltender interference penalty.

“I don’t think he got pushed really hard out there,” Talbot said of Osgood’s spill. “He did the same thing against (Dallas’ Mike) Ribeiro. If he wants to do that, that’s a shame. We’re not playing soccer.”

The Wings lead the best-of-seven series 2-0, with history on their side — teams sweeping the first two games at home are 30-1. And Detroit isn’t that one — Chicago lost in seven games to Montreal in 1971.

But just as recent as 2003, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks were held scoreless the first two games in New Jersey. The Devils eventually won the series in seven games.

The series now shifts to Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4 starting Monday night. The Penguins have not lost on home ice in the playoffs, but will need to find offense fast to get back in the series.

“We’re going home. And we’re real successful at home,” Talbot said. “The guys are pumped about that. If we lost our two games home, and now we were going away, it would be a different story.”