Wings working their magic
Penguins seem to be disappearing
DETROIT - Where's Geno?
For the second straight game, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, the point-producing talent who is one of the three finalists for NHL MVP (more accurately, an also-ran with Calgary's Jarome Iginla because of the greatness of Washington's Alex Ovechkin), was reduced to a non-skating, non-competing shadow.
But that's what the Red Wings have done in their march toward another Stanley Cup - taken the opposition's best players and turned them into something else. In Game 2 of the finals Monday night, a 3-0 throttling in which the score - like Game 1's 4-0 result - didn't reflect Detroit's dominance, the Wings put most of Pittsburgh's stars under lockdown.
Hired gun Marian Hossa, looking for a big-time payday come July 1, may see his price dropping, as he put only one puck on Detroit goalie Chris Osgood.
Ryan Malone, the broad-shouldered winger who's also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, didn't record a shot while being whistled for four penalties (two of the pinheaded variety, as he was called for interference on center Henrik Zetterberg away from the play, then nudged Osgood to wipe out a Pittsburgh power play).
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate through the first three rounds of the playoffs, turned in another less-than-stellar performance.
Sidney Crosby, while leading Pittsburgh with six shots, was stifled by captain Nicklas Lidstrom for the second straight game.
And then there was Malkin, on the ice for two of Detroit's three goals, who has looked bewildered by the speed, intensity, and competitiveness of the go-go Wings. During the regular season, Malkin showed the ability to take over games because of his skill and strength on the puck. But through two games of the finals, he has been the equivalent of a paint player preferring to hoist 3-pointers instead of showing some jam in tight areas.
"I thought his intention was there [in Game 2]," said Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien, who may be forced to skate Malkin with Crosby and Hossa to get the Russian clicking again. "We've got to keep supporting him. Eventually, players like this, usually they find ways."
Malkin and the Penguins now must win four of the next five games, a challenge against any team. And the Wings have proven, without a doubt, that they're not just any team.
Their success in Games 1 and 2 started on the back end. Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, along with the second defensive pairing of Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart, have been flawless in their own zone. They've had good sticks. They've been sound positionally. They haven't ducked the rough stuff, as Kronwall has connected on a handful of open-ice thumps.
And, oh yeah, their goalie is on a historic hot streak.
On Monday, Osgood became only the fourth goalie in NHL history to post back-to-back shutouts in the first two games of the Cup final. Osgood, who backed up Dominik Hasek at the start of the playoffs, is now 12-2 in this postseason, with a 1.38 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He is undefeated in the Cup finals, posting a 6-0 career record.
"We're confident with the way he's playing," Lidstrom said. "He looks confident. And he's real calm, too. The way he comes out and plays the puck, helping out the D all the time, it makes our job easier."
Osgood's brilliance, however, has been aided by the teamwide commitment to defense. The Detroit forwards have clogged up the neutral zone and kept the Penguins from unleashing their speed. On the few occasions the Penguins have gained control of the offensive zone, the Detroit forwards have backchecked and come to the aid of their defensemen to chip the puck out of harm's way.
"Obviously we need to generate a lot more offense than we did in the last two games," said Therrien. "That's not a secret. Better puck support, attack with speed, making better decisions with the puck. We need to use our speed a lot more than we did.
"But in the meantime, they did a great job to take away our speed. We've got to move our feet."
Tonight, the series heads to Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins are undefeated this postseason. Therrien will have the last change, preventing counterpart Mike Babcock from sending out his top defensive pairing of Lidstrom and Rafalski and his shutdown line of Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Tomas Holmstrom against Crosby.
"We believe in what's got us here," Crosby said. "I don't think we're going to change a whole lot."
History, however, favors Detroit. The only team to win the Cup after losing the first two games on the road was the 1970-71 Montreal club that defeated Chicago in seven games. Frighteningly, the Wings think they can be even more efficient tonight.
"We feel we can be better," Babcock said. "We thought when we got up, 2-0, we kind of got a little cautious, instead of staying and going after them. But we'll be better next game."
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com 