While the 3-0 score may not completely reflect it, the Detroit Red Wings were dominant in their win against Pittsburgh on Sunday in the much hyped Stanley Cup Finals rematch from a season ago. Detroit smothered the Penguins with a relentless defensive performance that was reminiscent of the six-game series from this past June.It's even more impressive when you consider Detroit was without the services of Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom.
Pavel Datsyuk scored a pair of goals for the Wings, while Marian Hossa picked up his 30th of the season late in the third period, effectively ending any hope the Penguins had of pulling out a win.
As was expected, Hossa, a free agent departure from the Penguins this past offseason, was booed by the sellout crowd in Mellon Arena every time he stepped on the ice.
While Hossa become a marked man in the eyes of Penguins fans for his exit to Detroit, another former Penguin returned to Pittsburgh on Sunday and helped contribute to the win, without the never-ending chorus of boos. Ty Conklin stopped all 25 shots he faced to register his sixth shutout of the season.
The Penguins certainly didn't make it difficult for him, failing to register many scoring chances throughout the day. Their best opportunities came in the second period when Luca Caputi and Eric Godard each had semi-breakaways coming down the wings. Caputi fired his shot wide of the goal, while Godard ... well, he's a fighter, not a scorer.
Other than those two opportunities the remainder of the Penguins' chances consisted of low-percentage shots from the perimeter, safely hitting the winged wheel in the middle of Conklin's sweater.
For the Red Wings, it's their fourth win in a row, while the Penguins continue to search for some sort of consistency in their efforts to climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Things aren't getting any easier this week as they return to action on Wednesday against San Jose.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-09-2009 @ 12:40AM
catspikes3 said...
all red wing fans can do is laugh at the penguins, former penguin back-up goalie shuts out his old team and hossa scores 2 goals. did crosby even get 1 shot on goal. what a disaster in pittsburgh.
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2-09-2009 @ 1:47AM
david brown said...
I agree with your statement catspikes3, but Hossa only had 1 goal, Datsyuk had the other 2.
2-09-2009 @ 9:53AM
david brown said...
Hossa only had 1 goal. Look for the Wings to pour it on now. Once Holmstrom and Johan "the mule" Frozan are healthy, you can bet that they will overtake San Jose for that number one spot and will be the team to beat in the playoffs. Detroit's back-up is better than most starters in the league.
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2-09-2009 @ 9:19PM
Burr said...
That was about as satifying a game as I have ever seen. When I noticed the constant booing whenever he touched the puck or came on the ice, I hoped he would score. He did... and Conks shut them out. I was laughing out loud by the end of it.
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2-09-2009 @ 9:31PM
umcorky said...
Another sensational performance by the best 1-2 punch in hockey -- no, not Crosby-Malkin, but Datsyuk-Zetterberg. Once again, they show what a two-way player is supposed to look like while Malkin sits out penalty kills and Crosby goes out of his way to stir things up (that slash on Maltby is a penalty against anyone else in the league).
How can you be the best player in hockey and not even make the playoffs?
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2-09-2009 @ 9:37PM
AdamGretz said...
I hate to rain on your parade, but Malkin averages 1:23 of ice-time per game on the penalty kill, which is only about 30 seconds less than Datsyuk and Zetterberg average per game.
Beyond that, how is a poor reflection on the individual players for the team's lack of performance? If Malkin-Crosby and Datsyuk-Zetterberg switched teams the two teams would be in their same spots. The Capitals have only made the playoffs once with Alex Ovechkin and failed to win a playoff series. Does that mean he's not one of the three best players in the league? Of course not.
2-10-2009 @ 12:30AM
Ted said...
Detroit looked the best they have in a long time, generating a great defensive game. Been worried about them as of late, because you can't depend on 4 - 6 goals a game. Come up against a hot goalie in the playoffs..... and well, you remember the last time they got bumped early in the playoffs. As for the penguins, well, they are just off right now. Time to step up... and I think they will make the play offs.
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2-10-2009 @ 10:42AM
thetrutheh said...
your right, hossa had 1 goal. the penguins got hurt some when hossa left but should not have tanked. the big question is not about crosby or malkin but the penguins coach, it looks by the direction the team is going that the players have lost it for their coach.
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