Detroitboard.com: Wings win 2-1, take 2-0 series lead - Detroitboard.com

Helm, Zetterberg lift Franzen-less Wings to 2-0 series lead vs. Stars

The Detroit Red Wings kept rolling without their hottest player.

Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg scored first-period goals to help make up for the loss of Johan Franzen and Detroit held on for a 2-1 win Saturday night over the Dallas Stars and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Stephane Robidas tied it at 1 midway through the first period, but the Stars struggled to get shots to or past Chris Osgood.

Dallas' Marty Turco made 32 saves and fell to 0-9-2 in the NHL at Joe Louis Arena. Osgood needed to stop just 17 shots, improving to 8-0 as a starter in the playoffs this season.

Game 3 is Monday night in Dallas.

The game at Joe Louis Arena ended in ugly fashion as Osgood seemed to use the handle of his stick to poke a Stars player skating past him and Dallas' Mike Ribeiro retaliated by slashing Osgood across the chest from behind the net.

Following some scuffling, Ribeiro was called for a match penalty.

The Red Wings had a setback before the game, announcing Franzen was scratched from the lineup and would miss the following game because of concussion-like symptoms. He's had recurring headaches since early in the previous series.

Franzen has scored an NHL-high 27 times since March 2, a 27-game roll that includes a league-high and franchise-record 12 goals in the postseason. He is the first player to score 12 playoff goals since Rob Brind'Amour for Carolina in 2006.

The player known as Mule matched a team playoff record with a goal in the series-opening win over Dallas, extending his scoring streak to five games. Gordie Howe pulled off the feat in 1949 and '64. Ted Lindsay scored in five consecutive games in 1952.

Franzen has 15 points in 11 playoff games, tying Jaromir Jagr of the already-eliminated New York Rangers.

Against a Stars team skating much harder than it did in the series opener, Helm helped Detroit get off to a good start.

The fourth-line center sped down the left side of the ice, putting himself in perfect position to score off Jiri Hudler's cross-ice pass. Helm scored his first goal nearly two months after his NHL debut.

Robidas caught Osgood flat-footed, getting a shot past him to tie the game for the first time in the series at 10:41 of the first period.

Turco and the Stars were too worried about net-front pest Tomas Holmstrom on the go-ahead goal.

After Turco tried to push Holmstrom away and a teammate was engaged with him, Zetterberg blasted a shot into the net as Turco was late getting down and to the left to stop it at 15:13 of the first.

That was all the scoring the Red Wings needed to win their eighth straight game, since the first-round series when they were tied 2-2 with the Nashville Predators and Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek.

Dallas upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks in the first round and the second-seeded San Jose Sharks after starting both series with two road wins.

Game notes
Stars F Jere Lehtinen was sent off the ice because of a leg injury. ... Helm had an assist in the first round against Nashville. ... The Stars continue to be without C Stu Barnes (concussion-like symptoms) and D Philippe Boucher (hip). ... There were small pockets of empty seats in most sections in both the upper and lower bowl just as has been the case throughout the playoffs. .. Dan Cleary took Franzen's spot, centering the second line, and Darren McCarty played after being a healthy scratch in Game 1

That was a pretty cheap shot OZ took with his stick. Still, it didn't deserve that response. McCarty looked like a madman yelling at the Dallas bench. Game 3 just got even more interesting, gloves will drop.

Ribeiro's slash angers Wings

Even Dallas coach Dave Tippett couldn't understand what his star forward was doing.

Just after time expired in the Stars' 2-1 loss to the Wings in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, forward Mike Ribeiro stood behind the Detroit net and took a two-handed swing with his stick at goalie Chris Osgood, hitting him in the chest.

"I looked at it and said, 'What's he doing?' until I went in and looked at the tape," Tippett said of Ribeiro.

Indeed, replays showed Osgood clipped Ribeiro up high with the butt-end of his goalie stick as Ribeiro skated by the net chasing after the puck in the waning seconds.

"If that's the case, a butt-end to somebody's face at any time is pretty gutless," Dallas goalie Marty Turco said. "Just sticking your knob out there is a dangerous play."

Added Tippett: "Ribeiro is not going to turn around and chop the goalie like that without having something happening."

Maybe not, but Ribeiro, the Stars' first-line center, did receive a match penalty for his actions, triggering an automatic review of the incident by the league. Colin Campbell, the NHL's vice president of hockey operations, was in attendance for Saturday's game at Joe Louis Arena.

Ribeiro, who assisted on the Stars' goal, declined comment after the game through a team spokesman.

"That's just crossing the line," Kris Draper said. "He swung from behind the net -- a two-hander right at Ozzie. You kind of shake your head and wonder what he was thinking.

"Something like that -- that's right out of 'Slap Shot.' It's literally intent to injure on our best player. I couldn't believe it when he did it."

Osgood, for his part, said any contact he made with his stick was unintentional.

"I was just trying to stand out there to make sure Nick (Lidstrom) didn't get run, because I could see two guys coming," Osgood said. "Just standing my ground with it. Whether I hit him or not, it was an accident."

Lidstrom called for a suspension after the game, and the Wings were quick to note the five-game suspension Calgary goalie Jamie McLennan drew for slashing Johan Franzen in last year's playoffs.

"We'll have to wait and see," Draper said. "You don't want to start saying stuff right now. This is something that's going to be reviewed right away. The linesmen said they saw it, the refs said they saw it. So now the league's going to take a close look at it. Here you are in the Western Conference finals -- all eyes were on it. We'll see what happens."

Cleary replaces Franzen
Franzen's sudden absence from the lineup caught everyone by surprise, including his teammates. He'd been experiencing headaches since early in the conference finals against Colorado, but Franzen, who figured it may have had something to do with the altitude, kept it mostly to himself until Saturday.

"I mean, he practiced (Friday), and he's been playing unbelievable," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought it was just a headache. I was joking around with him and I said, 'I don't know, whatever wires are crossed, let's keep them crossed.' Didn't think anything of it. Then he went to see the doc."

And then Babcock suddenly had to find a replacement for Franzen, who'd scored in a franchise-record five consecutive playoff games and leads the league with 12 goals in the postseason.

Dan Cleary , whose absence with a broken jaw helped create a bigger offensive role for Franzen this spring, took Franzen's spot on the second line with Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson

Wojo: Scrappy Wings leave Stars shaken

The Red Wings are doing it all now. They're winning the big battles and the little battles and the key battles, and they're on the verge of turning the Western Conference finals into a rout.

Oh, and they're also turning the Stars into a frustrated bunch of mouth-breathers. Dallas is the Big D? Big Dummies, really.

The Wings are skating on a different level and the Stars are scrambling to keep up, skittering around like dogs on linoleum. Game 2 wasn't lopsided, at least not by the score, a 2-1 Detroit victory. But the way Henrik Zetterberg is rolling and Tomas Holmstrom is agitating and Chris Osgood is playing, this series has been thoroughly lopsided so far, with the Wings up 2-0.

And I doubt the Stars' idiocy at the end of Saturday night's game will change that.

It's hard to believe it will be this easy for the Wings, and it might not be when the series shifts to Dallas. But then, it's hard to believe what Stars center Mike Ribeiro did after the final buzzer, swinging his stick with both hands and thumping Osgood in the chest. That came moments after Stars center Steve Ott chased down Kris Draper, with whom he'd just scuffled, and punched him in the face, drawing a roughing penalty and a misconduct.

Ribeiro was issued a match penalty, which requires an automatic review by the league. The Stars claimed Ribeiro responded to getting butt-ended by Osgood's stick seconds earlier. Osgood said if it happened, it was accidental.

If it happened (replays indicated Osgood's stick clipped Ribeiro slightly), that explains Ribeiro's act somewhat, but it sure doesn't absolve it. He should be suspended a game, and if he is, the Stars' anemic scoring takes another hit. Ribeiro is their playoff leader with 15 points, and they also lost forward Jere Lehtinen during the game with a leg injury.

Old-time hockey? Eh?
Afterward, Draper sported scratches and a welt on the right side of his face and blood pooled in one eye. But he wasn't as bothered by Ott's punch, which came with 4.9 seconds left, as he was by Ribeiro's swing.

"I didn't know what he was thinking," Draper said. "It's an intense series and there's a lot on the line but that just crosses the line. I mean, something like that is right out of 'Slapshot.' That's literally an intent to injure one of our best players. I couldn't believe it when he did it. It was just blatant."

Ribeiro's stick didn't hit hard enough to injure and that might lighten any sanction, but it still was ridiculous and inexcusable. The Stars are piling stupidity upon stupidity and it's really too bad, because there has been some terrific hockey.

At times, the Stars look frazzled, firing pucks directly into Osgood's pads, piling up gaffes as if on a frequent-penalty program. With 17.5 seconds left and Marty Turco pulled from the net, Dallas captain Brenden Morrow was called for holding, part of the Stars' five-penalty third period.

Turco appeared shaky at the start, beaten on a power play by Zetterberg and on a quick shot by rookie Darren Helm, his first NHL goal. Of Detroit's six goals in the series, four have come on the power play.

The way Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Holmstrom are playing, that might not change. The Wings have won eight straight playoff games but they did encounter a significant chunk of adversity Saturday, learning the Mighty Mule, Johan Franzen, would miss at least two games with concussion-like symptoms. Dan Cleary stepped smoothly onto that line and the Wings kept checking and annoying the sweat out of the Stars.

"I think we're just trying to be a tenacious team more than we've been in the past," Osgood

No Mule? No problem! Stubborn Wings win without Franzen

The Mule was in the barn, but he wasn't needed for this job.

Even without the services of Johan Franzen, the NHL's playoff scoring leader, the Wings still beat the Dallas Stars, 2-1, in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Franzen was a late scratch because of concussion-like symptoms. He'll also miss Game 3 on Monday in Dallas, staying home to undergo more tests, general manager Ken Holland said.

"He's going to see a specialist on Monday," Holland said. "In the Colorado series, he was having headaches. Nothing significant, but he was having problems with headaches. Finally after Game 1, (Friday) morning he mentioned to the trainers that the headaches persisted.

"We talked to the team doctors, and we think he should have some tests to make sure what he's got."

But while Franzen, who has a league-best 12 goals in the postseason, watched from the dressing room at Joe Louis Arena, the Wings kept rolling.

Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg (power play) scored first-period goals and Chris Osgood made 17 saves as Detroit won its eighth straight playoff game to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Wings have yet to lose at home in the postseason (7-0) and they've outscored their opponents, 32-12, in a dozen playoff games thus far.

All the scoring Saturday night came in the first period, beginning with rookie Darren Helm's first career goal just 5:56 into the game. Stephane Robidas evened things with a power-play goal at 10:41 of the period, before Henrik Zetterberg scored the eventual winner at 15:13 on the Wings' first power-play chance of the night.

From there, the Wings tried their best to play keepaway with the puck again. For the second straight game, they dominated the Stars in the faceoff circles, winning better than 70 percent of the draws for the game.

Winning 18 of 21 faceoffs in the second period proved critical, too, as the Wings had to kill off four consecutive minor penalties.

"It's a big part of the game," Zetterberg said. "If you start with the puck, it's easier to win games. It's a thing that we've been trying to work on lately. And right now it's going pretty good."

Not for Marty Turco, it isn't. He fared better Saturday than he did in a lopsided Game 1 outing, making 32 saves, but in the end it was another loss in Detroit. He's still winless in his NHL career at Joe Louis Arena (0-9-2), and he's only 2-12-5 all-time against the Wings.

Turco was grumbling about the second goal he allowed, late to react across the goalmouth while preoccupied with Tomas Holmstrom. But he tried to accentuate the positive after the game.

"It was a good sign for me to play my best hockey of the series so far," Turco said. "That'll just lead into the next game for me and the rest of the team is right there. We're getting our chances."

Not nearly enough of them, though.

Chris Osgood had another relatively easy night in net. Until the final horn sounded, that is.

The Stars' Mike Ribiero took a two-handed swing with his stick over the net at the Wings goalie, hitting Osgood in the chest, just as time expired. Osgood fell dramatically to the ice and was attended to by the Wings' trainer, Piet Van Zant, but he wasn't injured.

Ribiero, who received a match penalty for his actions, apparently was upset about getting clipped by the butt-end of Osgood's stick as he went charging after Nick Lidstrom, who was trying to corral a loose puck behind the net.

"Even if I did butt into him, it was an accident," Osgood said. "I was

Steve Schrader: Franzen injury, Osgood hit scary

Did the Wings dodge a bullet, though? With all those hats and boots downtown for the Hoedown, we were afraid Marty Turco might think it was a home game and not the dreaded Joe. And maybe that's why Don Cherry thought this was a redneck town.

Talk about a shocker: No Mule for two games because of upper-body symptoms? What, they used the concussion word? We didn't talk about things like that in the old days.

And were you as shocked as we were when Mike Ribeiro slashed Chris Osgood at the end of the game? That one of the Stars actually hit what he was aiming at?

You know, we love CBC, but one of the questions they were discussing was whether Ribeiro's slash was intentional. If he'd had a tee, Ozzie would have been on it. It was scary seeing him on the ice, though. We thought goalie equipment provided more protection.

No Turco jokes after this one. Not that it mattered, but the Michigan Man was the best Star on the ice and surely didn't deserve another Joe loss. Without him ... well, he's the one who should have been frustrated.

Marty Turco unable to break his Detroit curse

Marty Turco came to Detroit trying to erase years of personal disappointment as a pro at Joe Louis Arena.

Now he'll head back to Dallas trying to erase a 2-0 deficit in the Western Conference finals against the Red Wings.

Turco, a former four-year starter at Michigan, fell to 0-9-2 in 12 starts in his career at the Joe with a 2-1 loss to the Wings in Game 2 on Saturday night. He lost, 4-1, on Thursday in Game 1.

"We want to start off where we left off," Turco said of the team's aggressive play in the third period Saturday. "Despite being down a few there, we played good. We played a lot better. The intensity built for us. It took a little longer than we would have liked, but this locker room's got no doubt we can win some hockey games at home.

"It certainly is disappointing to be down 0-2."

Darren Helm gave the Wings the lead 5:56 on an angle shot.

"Our room for error is very slim," said Stars coach Dave Tippett. "We can't give anything away around here. The guy made a good shot. But, we gotta find a way to win hockey games."

With the game tied, Turco gave up a power-play goal to Henrik Zetterberg at 15:13 of the first that ended up being the difference.

"The second (goal), getting anything going through you always leaves a sour taste in your mouth," Turco said. "I certainly felt a lot better the second two periods.

"Tonight was a good time for me to play my best hockey of the series so far. That'll just lead into the next game for me."

Turco, who finished with 32 saves, appeared to concentrate a little too much on Tomas Holmstrom on the left side of the crease, giving Zetterberg just enough time to fire a shot past him.

"Just threw me off a split second to miss that pass; cross-ice pass one-timers aren't the easiest, you gotta be right on it and, like I said, split second late," Turco said.

Tippett said Turco "was engaged" a lot more in Game 2 than he was in the series opener.

"Well, he battled harder in front of the net, that's for sure," Tippett said. "Game up less easy chances there. Battled harder."

Turco said the Stars were talking about the things they did right in the final two periods Saturday.

"The reality is we're on the right path," Turco said. "We've been building since the drop of the puck in Game 1 to this point and we just need to keep skyrocketing up."

Even if the Stars get a win in Dallas, Turco would have to come back to Detroit and face anew the same questions that he has faced over the years about his poor record at the Joe.

"Care less what questions I have to answer," Turco said. "It's very important for me to win. Win the next game and get back here.

"We're going to have to win a game here, period, to win the series. Give ourselves every opportunity to get back here to win."

Barry Melrose: Osgood was worse than Ribeiro

Saturday's Game 2 Red Wings victory over the Dallas Stars ended in ugly fashion as Chris Osgood used the handle of his stick to poke at Dallas' Mike Ribeiro when he skated past the net. Ribeiro then slashed Osgood across the chest from behind the net.

But ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, who predicted the Wings would lose to the Avalanche last round, said on "SportsCenter": ?What Osgood did is much more dangerous than what Ribeiro did. If they suspend Ribeiro, they have to suspend Osgood, too.?

Following some scuffling, Ribeiro was called for a match penalty and Osgood wasn't penalized.

Stars? top scorer Ribeiro could be suspended for slash

The availability of team scoring leader Mike Ribeiro to the Stars rests in the hands of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

Emotions boiled over in the final seconds of Detroit?s 2-1 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena that gave the Red Wings a 2-0 series lead.

After the game ended, Ribeiro was standing behind the Red Wings? net and reached over the net, making a two-handed slash with his stick to goalie Chris Osgood?s chest.

Ribeiro was given a 10-minute match penalty that Campbell, the NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations, will review for possible further discipline. Campbell, who was in attendance, could elect to suspend Ribeiro for Game 3 on Monday in Dallas.

Stars coach Dave Tippett said Ribeiro was retaliating after Osgood used the butt end of his stick to hit Ribeiro near an eye as he whirled past the Red Wings? goal in the final seconds. Osgood was turning away from the oncoming Ribeiro when the end of his stick caught Ribeiro in the face.

?I think Osgood thought Ribeiro was going to try to run him, and Osgood sticks his stick out,? Tippett said. ?Then Ribeiro turns around and slashes him, which is not right, but something made Ribby do that. He?s not going to turn around and hit the goalie like that. That?s not the way that works.?

Ribeiro didn?t make himself available to the media after the game. He was escorted out of the arena by a Stars spokesman.

Osgood said he was standing his ground and didn?t intentionally hit Ribeiro.

?I was just trying to stand out there to make sure Nicklas Lidstrom didn?t get run because I could see two guys coming,? Osgood said. ?Whether I hit him or not, it was an accident. He probably skated through my stick and that would be it. I was more or less trying to protect our best player.

?But I don?t think that justified a two-hander over the top of the net. He could have went about it a different way or said something to me. We?re professionals out there and we can go about it in the right manner.?

Osgood fell to the ice after Ribeiro slashed him.

?It did hurt a bit,? he said. ?A little sore, but I?ll be fine.?

Losing Ribeiro would be a major blow to the Stars. He leads them with 15 points in the playoffs and has 12 assists, tying him for the NHL postseason lead with Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby. Ribeiro led Dallas in the regular season with 83 points and 56 assists and tied for second on the team with 27 goals.

?Players have a hard time controlling that urge in the heat of the moment,? Stars veteran Mike Modano said of Ribeiro?s slash. ?Things are emotional, a little bit of frustration there.?

Stars goalie Marty Turco called Osgood?s stick to Ribeiro?s face dangerous.

?I?ve caught guys on my own team just whirling around the net. I?ve seen guys get major injuries to the face, especially when you?re not expecting it,? Turco said. ?A (stick) to someone?s face at any time is pretty gutless and not fair at all. It?s just something our game doesn?t need.?

Bad and dumb fatal combination for Stars

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood butt-ended Dallas Stars? center Mike Ribeiro in the face with the knob-end of his stick in the waning seconds at The Joe on Saturday night and maybe, just maybe, that will mitigate how the NHL will react on Sunday to what happened next.

But don?t count on it.

It?s hard to mitigate stupid.

It?s generally the guy who retaliates who gets slapped the hardest. If Ribeiro didn?t already know that, he?s about to find out the hard way.

An agitated Ribeiro went tit-for-tat on Osgood, giving the Wings? goalie a two-handed whack across the chest from across the net after time had expired.

It wasn?t much more than a love tap, really, considering how padded an NHL goalie is, but Osgood reacted with an over-the-top swan dive that Robert De Niro would have been proud of and the referees immediately handed Ribeiro a match penalty, leaving open the very distinct probability that the Stars will be without the services of one of their top scorers for at least Game 3 Monday night back in Dallas at the AAC.

The NHL tends to take a harsh stance on players who use their stick like an ax, whatever their provocation, as it should. It was a dumb play by someone who should know better.

?We?ll see,? Stars coach Dave Tippett said of a possible Ribeiro suspension. ?That?s for the higher powers to figure out.?

No doubt the Stars? front office will be quick to point out that Osgood initiated the stick battle, but that doesn?t forgive Ribeiro?s momentary loss of composure or lessen how much it may cost his team.

Ribeiro declined to come out for interviews after the game and walked past waiting cameras and reporters on his way to the Stars? bus, saying he would talk back in Dallas on Sunday.

Coming on top of a 2-1 loss in Game 2 that gives the Red Wings a commanding two-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series, this does not bode well for a Stars? team struggling to find a way to penetrate the defensive wall thrown up by Osgood and the Wings? talented defenders.

The Stars salvaged some pride and dignity by at least being competitive in Game 2, but that won?t be enough to beat the Wings. It?s going to take more rubber in the net, and the Stars have exactly two goals in this series and only nine in their last six games.

?We have to find a way to give ourselves a better opportunity to score,? Tippett said. ?We had three or four chances (in the first period) where we didn?t even make (Osgood) make a save.

?In close games, you have to find a way to make one of those count. I thought our energy was much better tonight, but the execution wasn?t what it needs to be to be successful.?

Stars goalie Marty Turco, meanwhile, started slow and you can?t get away with that against the Wings.

There was nothing particularly special about Darren Helm?s wrist shot that beat Turco less than six minutes into the game and even Henrik Zetterberg?s power play one-timer to break a 1-1 tie late in the period was a shot Turco admitted he should have stopped.

Turco is now a dismal 0-9-2 at Joe Louis Arena.

?It?s just like scoring goals,? Tippett said. ?Our room for error is very slim. We can?t give anything away around here. We have to find a way to win hockey games, whether it?s with a big save, or a big goal, whatever.?

Those big goals will be even harder to come by without the smooth skating and skilled Ribeiro. That the incident came at the end of a game that was already lost makes it even more frustrating for the Stars.

?Ribeiro was going behind the net and I think maybe Osgood thought he was going to run him,? Tippett said. ?Osgood sticks his stick out and catches Ribeiro right on the cheek with the butt end of his stick.

?Then Ribeiro turns arou

What the Stars, Wings say about the incident

The hockey world reacts to Stars top score Mike Ribeiro's slash on Chris Osgood, after Osgood allegedly put his stick out as Ribeiro skated by.

Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom: "That's totally uncalled for. He two-handed Ozzie right in the chest. I think he should be suspended for doing something like that."

Wings coach Mike Babcock: "I don't think (Osgood) butt-ended anybody. So, we'll see what happens. The great thing about it is there's always video."

Kris Draper, on Ribeiro: "I wasn't sure what he was thinking. It's an intense series, there's a lot on the line, but that's just crossing the line. He swung from behind the net, a two-hander, right at Ozzie. Something like that, that's right out of 'Slap Shot.' It was intent to injure on our best player. Couldn't believe it when he did it."

ESPN analyst Barry Melrose: ?What Osgood did is much more dangerous than what Ribeiro did. If they suspend Ribeiro, they have to suspend Osgood, too.?

Dallas coach Dave Tippett: ?I think Osgood thought Ribeiro was going to try to run him, and Osgood sticks his stick out. Then Ribeiro turns around and slashes him, which is not right, but something made Ribby do that. He?s not going to turn around and hit the goalie like that. That?s not the way that works.?

Tippett, on a possible Ribeiro suspension: ?We?ll see. That?s for the higher powers to figure out.?

Ribeiro didn?t make himself available to the media after the game. He was escorted out of the arena by a Stars spokesman. He is expected to speak Sunday.

Osgood: ?I was just trying to stand out there to make sure Nicklas Lidstrom didn?t get run because I could see two guys coming. Whether I hit him or not, it was an accident. He probably skated through my stick and that would be it. I was more or less trying to protect our best player. But I don?t think that justified a two-hander over the top of the net. He could have went about it a different way or said something to me. We?re professionals out there and we can go about it in the right manner. It did hurt a bit. A little sore, but I?ll be fine.?

Stars veteran Mike Modano said of Ribeiro?s slash: ?Players have a hard time controlling that urge in the heat of the moment. Things are emotional, a little bit of frustration there.?

Stars goalie Marty Turco called Osgood?s stick to Ribeiro?s face dangerous: ?A (stick) to someone?s face at any time is pretty gutless and not fair at all. It?s just something our game doesn?t need.? ?A butt-end to someone?s face at any time is pretty gutless and not fair at all,? said Turco, who admitted he didn?t see the play. ?Just sticking his knob out there, it?s a dangerous play.

Wings' Lidstrom: Best team I've ever played on

The Red Wings are playing at a level many Stanley Cup champions never reach. They have changed goalies, lost their leading playoff scorer, and gone from Nashville to Colorado to Dallas, and they just keep getting better.

They are now up, 2-0, on Dallas. They have won eight straight playoff games. We need to put this in proper historical context, and we need some sort of hockey genius to do it.

I nominate Nicklas Lidstrom.

"I think this is as good as we've played, as long as I've been here with the team," Lidstrom said Saturday night.

Swirl that one around your head for a moment. Lidstrom became a Red Wing in 1991. He has played for three Cup champions and the 1995-96 team, one of the best teams ever that didn't win a championship.

Lidstrom said it matter-of-factly, in response to a question, which was appropriate, because this is a matter-of-fact team. They were not spectacularly better than Dallas on Saturday night, just methodically better.

But they were better by a wide margin, even if the final score was only 2-1. The Wings took 34 shots to the Stars' 18. Shots don't always tell the whole story, but they did Saturday. This was a game where the Wings seemed like they were on the power play even when they were not.

This matter-of-factness is probably what sent Stars center Mike Ribeiro over the edge at the end of the night. Ribeiro got hit with the butt end of Chris Osgood's stick and responded by seeing if he could knock Osgood's heart out of his chest with a stick.

It was a cheap, dirty play. But it was all the Stars could muster. In the third period, when the Stars should have been waging a furious charge, they took only six shots. They pulled goalie Marty Turco with 75 seconds left and failed to fire a single shot on goal after that.

Osgood was very good when he had to be, but he rarely had to be. We are witnessing what happens when the best regular-season team in hockey is built for the postseason. The Wings are playing their best at the most important time of year.

The Wings won 39 of 55 face-offs, an astounding performance. Seven Wings took face-offs, and every one won a majority of them. Face-offs are not flashy, and they happen so quickly that a lot of times, you can't even tell exactly how a player won one. But 39 of 55 speaks for itself.

"It's a little thing, but it's something we take a lot of pride in," said Kris Draper, who won 12 of 16.

Of course, all those great old Wings teams were puck-possession teams. What separates this team was best summed up by Lidstrom:

"We're playing real well with the puck, but real well without the puck, too. We're not giving them many shots. We try to keep them on the outside and not give them a whole lot of chances outside. We've played playoff hockey, too."

What can rattle these Wings? Apparently not the news, dispatched Saturday evening, that Johan Franzen would miss Games 2 and 3. Franzen has concussion-like symptoms, and who can blame him? If you scored every time you touched the puck, you'd get light-headed too.

Franzen was replaced on his line by Dan Cleary and in the box score by Darren Helm, who scored the Wings' first goal. Fans are forgiven for confusing Helm's 43 with Franzen's 93; with the Red Wings these days, all the awesomeness sort of runs together.

It was bizarre, at the end, looking up and seeing that the final was only 2-1. That is a testament to how hard it is to blow out a team in hockey. But for the best indication of the Wings' dominance, you didn't need to look at the scoreboard. You had to look on the ice, where Riberio took out two nights' worth of frustration on Osgood's chest.

Slash and burn: Stars' Ribeiro drops Ozzie with two-hander

Kris Draper referred to it as something out of the movie "Slap Shot," something that would have drawn laughs had it not been, in fact, a real game, a real goaltender, a real cheap shot.

Chris Osgood had just finished delivering a 2-1 victory to the Red Wings, putting them up 2-0 in the Western Conference finals against Dallas, when a rare Saturday night hockey game in Detroit turned ugly. With the buzzer having sounded to end the game, Dallas forward Mike Ribeiro swung his stick from behind the net, hitting Osgood in the chest and sending him backward onto the ice.

"That's totally uncalled for," Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "He two-handed Ozzie right in the chest. I think he should be suspended for doing something like that."

The Stars suggested it was in retaliation for Osgood possibly butt-ending Ribeiro.

"A butt-end to somebody's face at any time is pretty gutless," Dallas goalie Marty Turco said. "Just sticking your knob out there is a dangerous play. I've caught guys, my own teammates, around the net, and I've seen guys get major injuries to the face. It's something our game doesn't need if that did happen."

Osgood said he didn't knowingly hit Ribeiro.

"I was just trying to stand out there to make sure Nicklas Lidstrom didn't get run, because I could see two guys coming," Osgood said. "Just standing my ground with it. Whether I hit him or not, it was an accident. He probably skated through my stick and that would be it. I don't think that justified a two-hander over the top of the net. He could have went about it a different way or said something to me. We're professionals out there, and we can go about it in the right manner."

Ribeiro didn't talk; his coach, though, attempted a defense.

"I think Osgood thought maybe he was going to run him," Dallas coach Dave Tippett of Osgood's alleged butt-end. "And Osgood sticks his stick out. Caught Ribeiro right underneath the cheek with the butt end of his stick. Then Ribeiro turns around and whacks him, which is not right, but something ... when I saw it I said, 'Something made Ribby do that.' He's not just going to turn around, hit the goalie. That's not the way that works."

Told of Tippett's comments, Wings coach Mike Babcock was terse.

"I don't know anything about that," he said. "I don't think he butt-ended anybody. So, we'll see what happens. The great thing about it is there's always video."

Ribeiro almost assuredly will not play Monday, when the series resumes with Game 3 at Dallas.

The incident finished what was an intensely physical game, a tone set by Dallas Drake a minute into the game when he crushed Stephane Robidas into the glass to the delight of fans. Goals from Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg book-ended Dallas' contribution from Robidas.

The Wings lost their leading goal-scorer for this game and the next, as Johan Franzen was sidelined pending further evaluation of concussion-like symptoms. Stars forward Jere Lehtinen left the game early because of a leg injury.

The Wings persevered to win their eighth straight game thanks to another terrific effort by their penalty killers, a good all-around defensive effort, and lack of composure from the Stars.

"Dallas is a pretty clean team," Dan Cleary said. "Obviously, we've been frustrating their good players."

Minutes before the Ribeiro incident, Draper took a punch to the head from Steve Ott after a drawn-out battle over a face-off. That was one thing; the two-hander to Osgood, quite different.

"I wasn't sure what

RIBEIRO'S SLASH ON OSGOOD OVERSHADOWS WINGS' WIN
The Canadian Press

It was a huge win for the Detroit Red Wings and what surely will turn out to be a costly loss for the Dallas Stars.

The Red Wings surprised everybody just before the second game of the NHL's Western Conference final Saturday night by announcing that Johan Franzen, the leading goal scorer of the NHL playoffs, wouldn't play because he's out indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms, but the setback didn't stall their drive for the Stanley Cup.

Rookie Darren Helm, with his first big-league goal, and Henrik Zetterberg scored Detroit's goals and goaltender Chris Osgood again was outstanding in a 2-1 victory that gave the Wings a 2-0 series lead going into Game 3 in Dallas on Monday night.

The Stars lost veteran forward Jere Lehtinen to a leg injury early in the second period of Game 2 and, given what happen at the end, they'll probably lose Mike Ribeiro, too.

Ribeiro was assessed a match penalty as time expired. Ribeiro was behind the Detroit net, raised his stick and slashed Osgood across the chest. Osgood crumbled to the ice. The trainers rushed out to tend to the fallen goalie, but he as eventually able to get up join his teammates to the dressing room and was uninjured.

That wasn't all. With five seconds left, Steve Ott went after Kris Draper from behind and punched the Wings' veteran centre in the head. Ott got roughing and misconduct penalties.

"I'm fine with that," Draper said of the Ott assault. "He threw a punch at me.

"No harm done. You get up and you go. But something like (the slash on Osgood), that's right out of Slap Shot. (Ribeiro) just literally . . . intent to injure on our best player. I couldn't believe it when he did it."

Colin Campbell, the NHL's discipline czar as director of operations, was in attendance and saw it all.

"It's an intense series," said Draper. "There's a lot on the line and it's physical but . . . that's just crossing the line.

"The league's been great all year about stepping in and taking care of this stuff. If it's not a goalie and he two-hands, it could hit a player in the throat, face, teeth, whatever. You kind of shake your head at what he was thinking. It's up to the league to step in and do what they have to do."

Some of the Stars were complaining that Osgood butt-ended Stephane Robidas during the scramble around the Detroit net with two seconds left. Osgood said he stuck out an arm to try and ward off a hit against one of his teammates and didn't try to butt-end anybody.

"If it did, it was an accident," he said. "I don't think it justifies a two-hander over the top of the net."

Detroit's latest win was its eighth in a row - all since Helm was inserted into the lineup and Osgood took over from Dom Hasek in the nets.

"This is as good as we played as long as I've been here," said captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who earned Stanley Cup rings in 1997, 1998 and 2002.

Joe Louis Arena remained a chamber of horrors for Dallas goalie Marty Turco, whose career winless streak grew to 11.

"We played a lot better," Turco said. "We've got no doubt we can win some hockey games at home.

"We're disappointed we're down 2-0, but it'll be a totally different atmosphere when we get home."

Helm, summoned from the AHL farm in Grand Rapids, Mich., in March, opened the scoring with his first NHL goal at 5:56. The 21-year-old from the Winnipeg region, who was on Canada's victorious 2007 world junior team, took a pass from Jiri Hudler and fired in a wrist shot from the circle to Turco's right.

Ro

WembleyFraggle, on May 11 2008, 07:24 AM, said:

I disagree with BM. It was a pretty cheap shot by Osgood, but NOTHING like what Ribeiro came back with.

joeyfivepick, on May 11 2008, 10:01 AM, said:

Melrose is, always has been, and always will be, a douchebag that hates the Wings. He still feels "passed over" for the Wings coaching job in the day, and can't let go of it.

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I find this funny when Turco intentionally butt-ended Jason Arnott AND Jordin Tootoo in one of the Predators-Stars games this season. He was also called later in the game for slashing.

He learned from one of the modern day best at using the goalie stick, Ed Belfour.

djzielin, on May 11 2008, 01:26 PM, said:

Define "modern day".

The best EVER is still Billy Smith, aka "The Axe". Notorious goalie with the Islanders...loved the guy. One of my idols growing up :D

WembleyFraggle, on May 11 2008, 06:49 PM, said: