Here We Go Again

photo credit: Jim McIsaac, Getty Images

by Andrew Bogusch

It may not be the Lebron-Kobe final the NBA and its fans have been pining for all spring, but Red Wings and Penguins for the Stanley Cup is as good as it gets for the NHL.

The first Finals rematch in 25 years features the best organization in sports against the face of the game and his trusty Russian sidekick. Forget trying to maintain the solid ratings on NBC and Versus, the League was correct to move up Game 1 from next Friday to this Saturday because we simply should not have to wait to see Lidstrom and Datsyuk faceoff with Crosby and Malkin.

“To have the opportunity against Pittsburgh should be a lot of fun. There will be a lot of hype,” said Wings coach Mike Babcock in one of the biggest understatements in recent memory.

Between Crosby, Malkin, Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Marian Hossa, there will be a Top 15 player on the ice at almost all times. The goaltender battle pits the age-defying Chris Osgood against the spindly, goofy-smiled Marc-Andre Fleury. Behind the bench, Mike Babcock puts his championship resume up against Dan Bylsma, who was toiling in the AHL just a few months ago.

There will certainly be a lot of hype, and it will all be deserved. The recently retired Bobby Holik told NHL Radio’s NHL Live this week that winning consecutive conference titles is more impressive than winning one Stanley Cup…and we have two teams here that have accomplished that.

The Red Wings and Penguins played an exhilarating six-game final last spring and they have dominated in different ways so far this spring. Detroit dispatched the upstart Blackhawks with a surgeon’s precision despite the absences of Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Kris Draper, Tomas Kopecky, Andreas Lilja and Jonathan Ericsson. Zetterberg stepped up one night, Hossa another, and Darren Helm Wednesday night, scoring the overtime clincher against Chicago.

This display of organizational depth is the latest example of how much better the Detroit front office is than the rest of the NHL. Read Michael Farber’s piece in the latest Sports Illustrated if you don’t believe the Red Wings are the best franchise in any sport in the last 20 years.

Crosby and Malkin have been the lead story in Pittsburgh, registering 28 points apiece. They are each other’s only competition for the postseason scoring title. In the Pens’ four-game destruction of the Hurricanes, Sid the Kid scored twice and had five assists, while Geno added six tallies and three helpers. Crosby’s Game 7 effort against the Capitals and Malkin’s virtuoso performance against Carolina in Game 2 are the two best individual efforts of these playoffs.

Duplicating either will be difficult against Detroit. Lidstrom will have them in his crosshairs after neutralizing Chicago’s Patrick Kane (before suffering a lower-body injury). And if Datsyuk is healthy, Babcock can play the matchup game against Crosby AND Malkin, which few other teams could do.

No other teams could give us what we’re about to see over the next two weeks.

As always, any complaints, suggestions, questions go to boguschhockey@gmail.com

Red Wings are Back in Stanley Cup Finals

photo credit: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

(2) RED WINGS 2 – (4) BLACKHAWKS 1 O-T

DET wins series, 4-1

The Red Wings’ playoff tutorial of the young Blackhawks ended Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena with another impressive performance from the Stanley Cup champions.

Detroit was once again shorthanded, and once again saw someone step into the spotlight. Darren Helm scored 3:58 into overtime to send the Wings to the championship series, where they will meet the Penguins for the second straight spring. The NHL’s last Finals rematch was 25 years ago between the Oilers and Islanders.

“To have the opportunity against Pittsburgh should be a lot of fun,” said Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. “There will be a lot of hype.”

The NHL and NBC do not want that hype to dissipate, so Game 1 of the Finals will be Saturday night in Motown. The series was to start next Friday.

Helm put the Wings alongside the Pens with his left foot, which the puck bounced in off of after alluding Helm’s stick. Tomas Holmstrom had jammed the puck through Cristobal Huet to set up the scoring opportunity.

The result spoiled Huet’s effort. He made 44 saves, including 21 in the opening period, in his second straight start with Nikolai Khabibulin dealing with a lower-body injury. “He is to be commended, the game he played to keep us in it,” Chicago coach Joe Quenneville said of Huet.

“We squeaked one past him,” offered Helm about the game-winner.

Dan Cleary started the scoring with his eighth goal of the playoffs 6:08 into the third period. Patrick Kane got the Blackhawks even with a gorgeous top-shelf backhand as he drove the right wing. Detroit nearly won the game in regulation when Johan Franzen found the puck at the side of the net with Huet down on his stomach. But Huet miraculously threw up his right pad to deny Franzen.

The Red Wings are the first defending champ in eight years to return to the Finals. They are the last franchise to claim back-to-back titles, doing so in 1997 and ’98.

“It’s a unique situation, definitely this doesn’t happen too often,” said Marian Hossa.

Odds & Ends...Martin Havlat sat out for Chicago. Jonathan Ericsson and Kris Draper joined Lidstrom and Datsyuk on the Detroit sidelines. Ericcson underwent emergency surgery in the afternoon for appendicitis. He is supposed to be ready for Game 1 with the Penguins...This will be the 10^th time teams have met in consecutive Finals, including Detroit and Montreal, who met in 1954, ’55, and ’56.

Wings Ground Hawks for 3-1 Lead

photo: Tom Cruze, Chicao Sun-Times

(2) RED WINGS 6 – (4) BLACKHAWKS 1

DET leads series, 3-1

The Detroit Red Wings are firmly back in control of the Western Conference finals after this blowout of the Blackhawks in the United Center on NBC Sunday afternoon. Without Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg put the defending champions one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 5 is Wednesday night in Motown, where the Red Wings won twice to begin this series. And the way the young Blackhawks handled themselves in Game 4, the chances of another game in Chicago seem bleak.

Chicago took 16 penalties, including three misconducts, for a grand total of 56 penalty minutes. Their early angst was a misguided pursuit of revenge for Niklas Kronwall’s (clean) hit on Martin Havlat Friday night. Once they were behind, the Blackhawks continued their minor goonery and prevented any comeback.

“We tried to keep our poise. We knew they were coming,” Zetterberg said of the inexperienced Hawks. Keeping their pose meant scoring three power play goals to blow this game open.

The scoring started, though, during a Chicago man-advantage midway through the opening period. That’s when Marian Hossa scored to kickstart the depleted Wings.

After Johan Franzen scored late in the first period for a 2-0 lead, Hossa set up Valtteri Filppula for a power play goal and then scored at even strength (with a Jonathan Toews PP goal in between) to put Detroit ahead, 4-1, in the first 4:05 of the second.

Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville pulled Cristobal Huet, playing for an injured Nikolai Khabibulin, at that point and replaced him with rookie Corey Crawford. He allowed Zetterberg’s power play tally at 7:42 of the second. Huet returned for the third and allowed the final Wing goal of the day, another power play goal from Zetterberg.

Hossa ended up with two goals, an assist, and a +2 rating. It was his seventh career multi-goal effort in the postseason.

“I thought [Hossa] was awesome today,” said Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. “He played big, was physical, took the puck to the net.”

Only 21 of 231 (9.1%) teams to fall behind three-games-to-one have recovered to win the series. The Blackhawk franchise is not represented in that 21.

“We’ve got more in the tank,” warned Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook. “We’ve got to have a better performance from all 20 guys. That’s the bottom line.”

Odds & Ends…Lidstom and Khabibulin did not play because of lower-body injuries. Datsyuk missed his second straight game because of a sore foot…This was Detroit’s third game of at least six goals this postseason. All three have come on the road.