TWO DOWN, TWO TO GO
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Halfway to their goal of four wins in the Stanley Cup Final, the Detroit Red Wings have received significant contributions from a host of former Grand Rapids Griffins in building their 2-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Valtteri Filppula's (2005-07) stunning, acrobatic goal in the third period of Game 2 on Monday put a nail in the Pens' coffin and, along with his assist on Detroit's first goal, locked up second star honors for the flashy Finn. He's won 61 percent of his faceoffs (14 of 23) during the final, including 75 percent (6 of 8) in Game 1 on Saturday.
Still tops among NHL defensemen with 12 points during the playoffs, Niklas Kronwall (2003-06) is plus-six for the two games against Pittsburgh, having been on the ice for all six of Detroit's even strength and shorthanded goals. He added more clips to his highlight reel with bone-jarring hits on Ryan Malone in Game 1 and Jarkko Ruutu in Game 2.
Chris Osgood (2005-06) has stopped all 41 shots fired by Sidney Crosby and Co., becoming just the fourth goalie in history to start the Stanley Cup Final with two shutouts.
Although scoreless thus far in the final, Jiri Hudler (2003-06) remains fourth on the Wings and is tied for 15th in NHL playoff scoring with 13 points (4-9--13).
In addition, Brett Lebda (2003-06) leads Detroit with three takeaways in the series, Darren Helm (2007-08) has made his presence felt with three hits in limited ice time (5:38 avg.), and Darren McCarty (2007-08) registered two hits in 6:08 of ice time in Game 1.
The schedule for the rest of the Stanley Cup Final is as follows. All games will be televised live on NBC at 8 p.m.
Game | Date | Host Team |
3 | Wed., May 28 | Pittsburgh |
4 | Sat., May 31 | Pittsburgh |
*5 | Mon., June 2 | Detroit |
*6 | Wed., June 4 | Pittsburgh |
*7 | Sat., June 7 | Detroit |
* if necessary