Thanks Mr. Rutherford, I’ll take it from here!

If you grew up on hockey like I did, you’ve probably dreamt at some time of being General Manager of an NHL team, particularly at this time of year.

The June draft and free agency mayhem are upon us once more. So, what the heck! Let’s have a go at it. Let’s make the decisions on which free agents stay or go, what trades we are going to make, and who we are going to draft this year. 

“Thanks Mr. Rutherford, I’ll take it from here!” 

Based on the second half and play-off performance by the Canes last season, we probably don’t need to do much. Let's go down the list and see what we’ve got to work with.

Goaltending:

Cam Ward is a lock for years to come. Michael Leighton showed signs of being a solid back-up and will get better. With Justin Peters in Albany and junior sensation, Mike Murphy, under contract, nothing to do there.

Defence:

Joe Corvo, Joni Pitkanen, and Tim Gleason are key building blocks for the future. I would keep Nic Wallin for his last contract year. Newcomers Bryan Rodney, Brett Carson, and Jamie McBain all deserve a real shot at making the team. That’s a good start!

Frank Kaberle and is $2.2M has to go. Try to deal him for a late round draft pick or buy out his contract. A bonus would be if he signs in the KHL, as rumored, but don’t hold your breath on that one. Dennis Seidenberg, now an unrestricted free agent, wants too much money so he might have to go. That would be too bad. I think Denis is very under-rated on the Canes blue and played a key roll in their success this year. That leaves restricted free agent, Anton Babchuk. An intriguing thought is to package Babchuk in a major deal. With sixteen goals this year, he is very desirable for teams looking to strengthen their power-play.  If he goes, sign Seidenberg. 

The Canes biggest need on the blueline is for a tough stay-at-home mobile defencemen, a real shutdown guy.  UFAs include Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill, Andrew Alberts, and Greg Zanon .   I like Scuderi and have for a long time. I know the Pens want to keep him but make a strong play for him. I'd sign him for about 2.5M on a long term deal. 

I like a defence of Corvo-Gleason, Pitkanen-Scuderi, Wallin-Babchuk/Seidenberg, with the kids in reserve. 

Center:

Eric Staal, Matt Cullen, and Rod Brind'Amour are your top three. Roddy has to have a comeback year or the Canes won’t go far next year.  I’d look to sign a free agent as depth, say Manny Malhotra, Blair Betts or Dominic Moore. I really like Malhotra, big, solid defensively, and growing offensively and reasonably priced. And, you still have Darren Sutter in the wings, but I’d prefer to see him playing big minutes in Albany. 

Left Wing:

Sergei Samsonov and Ray Whitney are locks. Sign Tuomo Ruutu, RFA, to a long term deal. Bring up Drayson Bowman to challenge on the fourth line. He’s ready. Sign Ryan Bayda, a UFA, to a $600k per, two-year deal. He is a solid 11th or 12th forward and good depth. 

Right Wing:

Sign Erik Cole, if the price is right, and Chad Larose, both UFAs to long term deals. You can make a strong case for lower dollars right now.  Cole had a brutal play-off offensively and, the big question surrounding Larose is, was his season a fluke. I don’t think so. If Cole can’t happen, look at a free agent signing or make a deal for a big, scoring forward.  I would sign Jussi Jokinen, RFA, to a long term deal and play him on right wing. He can always cover at center, if needed. Patrick Eaves is an intriguing winger. I still think he will be a top six player.  He could find his scoring touch and move up the depth chart. In any case, he is a solid fourth liner. Package Scott Walker in a major deal or move him for a mid-round draft pick or prospect to clear some salary. Tim Conboy is around for insurance and toughness. 

These forward lines will work, although I’m still concerned about team size and we lack a solid number two goal scorer, unless Cole steps up:

Ruutu-Staal-Cole

Whitney-Cullen-Larose

Samsonov-Brind’Amour-Jokinen

Bowman-Malhotra-Eaves

So, after all of that, not much would change with the Canes. Tie up the key free agents, add a player or two, and give some of your young talent a shot at the show. And, you're good-to go! 

Here are some interesting Unrestricted Free Agents I would target:

Center – one of Manny Malhotra, Blair Betts, Dominic Moore

Right Wing –Erik Cole or major fee agent signing

Left Wing – one of Chad Larose, Kyle Calder, Vernon Fiddler

Defence – One of Rob Suderi, Hal Gill, Andrew Alberts, Greg Zanon 

Another option is to make a major deal or major free agent signing to shake things up! 

How about this?

Cole, Babchuk, and 1^st round pick to Ottawa for Danny Heatley. Would be great but forget it, too much action around Heatley. 

Or this?

Walker, Babchuk, and 1^st round pick to Nashville for Alexander Radulov. Not sure if Radulov is returning this year, but wow! 

Or this?

Babchuk to Atlanta for Colby Armstrong. Was impressive alongside Sydney Crosby  in Pittsburgh. Thrashers need defensemen. 

Or this?

Babchuk to the Capitals for Shaone Morrison. There’s your shutdown D-man. 

Or this?

Babchuk and Larose to Toronto for Alexie Ponikarovsky. Burke would move him in the right package.

Major Free agents:

Hossa, Gaborik, Sykora, Antropov, or Gionta. Price will be too high for Hossa and Gaborik, but both would look amazing in a Canes uniform. Sykora would be an excellent signing and possible. Antropov would also be a great option. He’s big and talented and would be a perfect compliment to Staal. Gionta is intriguing, but small in stature. Maybe not major but how about Maxim Afinogenov? He could be a steal right now. He’s underperformed his last few years, but scored 23 goals in 56 games (61 points!) a few years ago. 

As far as the draft goes, I would love to see the Canes grab Carter Ashton or Landon Ferraro in the first round. Both have great hockey bloodlines, good size, and would look good in a Canes uniform down the road. But, let’s leave this up to Tony MacDonald, Director of Amateur scouting. 

So, what do you think, J.R.? 

Penguins Hang on 2-1, Win Third Stanley Cup in Franchise History

The Penguins overcame the NHL’s 38-year-old Game 7 road jinx, captain Sidney Crosby’s mid-game injury and a furious third-period surge to beat Detroit 2-1 on Friday night, win the Stanley Cup and prevent the Red Wings from winning their fifth league championship in 12 seasons.

Fittingly, Crosby passed the Cup (after a few touches) to Mario Lemieux. Super Mario is now the first Hall of Famer to win the Stanley Cup as a player and then as a primary owner.

Evgeni Malkin, who recorded 38 points this postseason, was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP.

From a Red Wings perspective, they followed their poor play in Game 6 through Game 7, and they paid the ultimate price. Actually, the Penguins out-Detroit-Red-Wings'd the Detroit Red Wings. The Pens controlled puck possession, forced turnovers, limited scoring chances, and kept the Detroit blueline under forechecking pressure.

Speaking of which, Detroit's defence last night was atrocious. Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart had particularly awful games, turning over the puck multiple times, including the opening goal for Maxime Talbot. Jonathan Ericsson and Brian Rafalski were not much better.

Detroit had a chance to send Game 7 to overtime, but couldn't get the job done when Nicklas Lidstrom slapped a puck at a yawning cage with about one second to go. Marc-Andre Fleury, standing on his head this game, lunged and made a beautiful diving save to ensure that the Pens would not have the same destiny as last year.

Overcoming all stats, the Penguins can say that they earned the Stanley Cup this year. Fitting too, that the Penguins would capture Lord Stanley on the 87th game of the playoffs.Crosby's number, of course, is #87.

draft time!

So who will be this year’s version of the canucks first round draft pick? Looking back over the years they have had some great ones, some mediocre ones and some down right bad ones.

Great draft picks:
Kesler, sedans, ohlund, nedved, linden, neely, and lever

Horrible picks:
Jocelyn Guevremont, Richard Blight, Dan Woodley, Alex Stojanov, Libor Polasek, Josh Holden, Nathan Smith, and Shawn Antoski

I guess it is like this for most teams, but wow some of these guys never even played a game! So who will be this year’s pick? Well we get the 22nd pick, providing we don’t trade up or down, so let’s say we don’t trade. Well, we are pretty deep at centre and tender. Defence is solid and may even get better if we sign jaybo. So that leaves the winger positions, which means either Carl klingberg or zack kassian. Kassian is a bonified tough guy with tons of offence skill, he proved his point last year how tough he really was and thus this year no one wanted to fight him and he scored more. Klingberg is a speedster who could play well with a guy by the name of Marion gaborik!

Time will tell who we draft and it is truly tough to pick as you never know who will trade up to get a certain player. One thing is almost for sure this year is that every team in the first round should get a decent player unless that player decides to become a Patrik Stefan clone!

Pens Win 2-1, Force Game 7 Friday Night in Detroit

It's a series that hasn't disappointed at all. And it's still not finished.

Friday night will display Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A year ago, the Red Wings paraded with the Stanley Cup in Mellon Arena after winning 3-2 in Game 6. This time, with the Cup in the building again, the Penguins made certain the silver trophy wasn’t handed out on the silver anniversary of franchise icon Mario Lemieux being drafted in 1984. The Penguins won two of three periods, and thanks to Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy's goals, the Pens evened the series at 3. Kris Draper scored the lone marker for the defending champions.

The Red Wings insist they can’t wait for this one on Friday night, back in the arena where they rarely lose and the Pens appear hesitant and a bit intimidated.

The Red Wings can win their fifth championship in the last dozen seasons, a wave of success that no other team in the four major American pro sports leagues has duplicated during that time span.

Detroit owns a 11-2 scoring edge against Pittsburgh at home and the 11 Stanley Cup championship banners that already hang from the Joe Louis Arena rafters are proof that this team has what it takes to finish the last 60 minutes. They are also 11-1 at home in the playoffs, and 3-0 versus the Penguins at the Joe in the series.

Also, the home team has won each of the last six finals Game 7s dating to 1987, and no road team has raised the Cup following a Game 7 since Montreal in Chicago in 1971. That’s the last time that a team lost the first two games on the road, as the Penguins did, and recovered to win the Stanley Cup.

Still, there’s this for the Red Wings to think about: Two rounds ago, Pittsburgh also lost the first two games on the road, then went into Washington for Game 7 and won 6-2.

Marc-Andre Fleury has yet to post an acceptable statline at the Joe this season, something that is sure to haunt the Pens on Friday night.

For more, visit http://www.voiceofvaleri.com.

Red Wings Rush to Repeat, Ruin Pens 5-0 in Game 5

by: Marc Valeri

The Detroit Red Wings got exactly what they needed: a big Game 5 win and long layoff until Game 6.

After hearing how tired and beat up they were through four games of the Stanley Cup finals, the defending champions unleashed its potent offense and shut-down defence, rolling to a 5-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night that put them a win away from another championship.

The experience-heavy Red Wings now lead the Finals 3-2, and are 60 minutes away from their fifth Stanley Cup win in 12 seasons. Can you say, dynasty?

Detroit’s two-game losing streak in Pittsburgh quickly became a distant memory as the Red Wings returned to the friendly confines of Joe Louis Arena and blew away the supposedly fresher Penguins.

The home team is 5-0 in the rematch of last year’s finals, so the Penguins still have that going for them. Detroit, meanwhile, improved to 11-1 at home in the playoffs.

Much of the credit is due to Pavel Datsyuk, who made his mark in his first appearance in eight games, notching two assists and drawing a key penalty. The Red Wings made the Penguins pay for a lack of discipline by going 3-for-9 on the power play. Detroit was 1-for-10 on the power play coming into Game 5.

Chris Osgood, on the verge of his fourth Stanley Cup championship—third as the Red Wings starting goalie—made 22 saves for his 15th playoff shutout, third on the NHL career list. He earned an assist on Valtteri Filppula's goal for his fifth career playoff point, and improved to 11-4 in the finals.

The Red Wings unloaded with four goals in the second period—three in a span of 6:42—against the befuddled Marc-Andre Fleury, who left after making 16 saves on 21 shots. Rather than the slingshot boards at the Joe, it was the relentless Red Wings powerplay that sent Fleury to the showers early.

Filppula started the barrage 1:44 into the second period when he made it 2-0 just 5 seconds after Chris Kunitz served a penalty for interfering with Osgood. That was the only even-strength goal of the period.

Nicklas Kronwall pushed the lead to three at 6:11, 18 seconds into Sergei Gonchar's slashing penalty on Datsyuk. Brian Rafalski made it 4-0 at 8:26, and Henrik Zetterberg—last year’s playoff MVP—closed the spurt at 15:40.

That chased Fleury to the bench in favor of backup Mathieu Garon, who made his first playoff appearance since 2004.

Detroit can wrap up the Cup Finals in Game 6 Tuesday night from Mellon Arena.

Detroit held a 29-22 shots advantage, the first time the home team had the edge.

History suggests the Red Wings will hoist the Cup again as 14 of the 19 previous teams to win Game 5 in a series tied 2-2 have prevailed. Pittsburgh won Game 5 in the Motor City last year in triple overtime to force the series to six games, but then was eliminated at home. The Penguins are 1-5 in Detroit in the past two finals, and Crosby failed to score a goal in all six games.

Penguins Dominate and Tie Series; Datsyuk Might Play in Game 4

by: Marc Valeri

The Pittsburgh Penguins may have just played the biggest momentum-swinging period of their playoffs. Now, there is doubt that that the once ‘over’ series is now far from that.

Until Game 4, the finals followed the same pattern as last year’s: Detroit won the first two at home, then dropped Game 3 in Pittsburgh. But the Red Wings couldn’t follow up their 2-1 road victory in Game 4 of last year, one decided largely when they killed off a lengthy Pittsburgh 5-on-3 advantage, and now these finals are the best-of-three.

Jordan Staal’s short-handed goal during back-to-back Detroit power plays started Pittsburgh’s comeback, and the Penguins scored three goals in less than 6 minutes of the second period Thursday night to win 4-2 and tie the series at 2.

Evgeni Malkin, enjoying the best postseason since Wayne Gretzky’s in 1993, and Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist each to help rally the Penguins from a 2-1 deficit a year to the day Detroit raised the Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh by winning Game 6.

Tyler Kennedy also scored and Marc-Andre Fleury, with his second successive excellent game, made 37 saves.

The Red Wings were done in by a bad second period and brutal special teams, even with Kris Draper back in the mix. Pittsburgh has converted on 4 of 9 power plays, and this game swung when the Penguins got a goal—and the Red Wings didn’t—during 3:59 of continuous Detroit power-play time. Detroit was 0 for 4 with the man advantage.

This series is officially up for grabs. The Red Wings - and this coming from a Red Wings fan - are going to lose this series unless they get Pavel Datsyuk back.

Datsyuk, a finalist for the Hart trophy (season MVP), Selke trophy (best defensive forward) Lady Byng trophy (skill and gentlemanly player), and most importantly, a four-time Stanley Cup Champion. He was the Red Wings’ leading scorer in the regular season with 97 points, including 32 goals, and would provide quite a lift. Even if Datsyuk is only on the ice to help with the powerplay, it’s better than not having him in the lineup at all.

Datsyuk’s destiny will ultimately be determined by his Saturday morning skate.

The bigger question is this: with the Penguins having a new-found sense of accomplishment and confidence, is it too little too late? Although the series is tied at 2 apiece, Staal’s second period goal looks like it’s a series changer.

Game 5 is Saturday night in Detroit, with Game 6 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday after the series’ first two-day break.

For more, visit http://www.voiceofvaleri.com.

Not Bad...Not Bad at All.

Ever see the movie, Independence Day, which starred Bill Pullman, Will Smith, and Jeff Goldblum?  It’s a great movie, if you like sci-fi action movies.  Anyway, there is a scene at the end of the movie where Pullman congratulates Goldblum for destroying the alien mother-ship, an astounding feat, and says to him:  

"Not bad…Not bad at all."   

Well, that's kind of how I feel about the Hurricanes season just ended. Sure, we were disappointed that they succumbed to the Penguins in four straight. But hey, look at it this way. Most of the other teams were long gone and probably working on their golf game and, there we were, among the final four teams still playing at season's end. No way we could have predicted that, particularly considering the fact that making the play-offs was in doubt for most of the season. 

There was a lot to feel good about in this Canes season. Cam Ward established his position as an elite goaltender, one of the best in the league, and he’s only going to get better. The Canes defence brought a new offensive dimension to the party, lead by Corvo, Babchuk, and Pitkanen, all smart moves by JR. Tim Gleason became a beast on defence and Nic Wallin was quietly responsible. There's lots to build on here. 

Upfront, Eric Staal continued his development and improved his overall play, particularly killing penalties and in the face-off circle. Now, all he needs to do is work on his consistency. Tuomo Ruutu, finally healthy, enjoyed a break-out season with twenty-five goals, and Chad Larose established himself as a top six forward, just missing the twenty goal plateau, (19) culminating with a strong play-off performance. I have to admit, at the start of last season, I had Chad penciled in on the fourth line. He won me over with his work ethic, heart, and improving offensive skills. Good for Chad!  Ray Whitney excelled offensively, as he led the team in scoring, and Sergei Samsonov, teased us enough with his ability to create optimism for his future. Matt Cullen raised the level of his play, when moved up to the second line, scoring at a point-a-game pace, during a thirty-game stretch in the second half. Expect more from him next year.

Two late season acquisitions, Erik Cole and Jussi Jokinen, played key roles down the stretch as the Canes battled to get into the play-offs. Jokinen was huge in the play-offs, among the Canes top players in the post-season. 

But, there were some disappointments. Undoubtedly the biggest was Rod Brind'Amour, who struggled through his worst season as a pro, leaving the Canes exposed at the critical center ice position. Scott Walker struggled through an injury-plagued season, scoring only five times.  Might be time for Scotty to consider retirement. Plus, Patty Eaves is ready to reclaim a top-nine forward position.  I still hold out hope that he will find the scoring touch he displayed his first year in the league with Ottawa, when he scored twenty goals. Michael Leighton battled inconsistency as the back-up to Cam Ward. Frank Kaberle played intermittently and was effective some nights and not effective, other nights. Darren Sutter was miscast as the Canes fourth line center, desperately in need of minor league seasoning. 

The Canes will undoubtedly have some major decisions to make this off-season.  At the top of the list will be landing a compliment for Eric Staal, a big dog that can score in bunches and is a threat every time he steps on the ice. The Caps' Ovechkin and Semin, the Pens' Crosby and Malkin, the Wings' Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and the Hawks' Toews and Kane, are all examples of powerful one-two punch combos, something the Canes will need to go deeper in the play-offs next year. 

Restricted free agents Jokinen, Ruutu, and Babchuk, will be locked up quickly. 

Decisions will have to be made on unrestricted free agents, Larose, Seidenberg, Bayda, and Cole. Larose is a lock. Cole could go if the Canes need the cash for a major addition, but I'm betting he'll settle for a reasonable deal to remain in Raleigh and be back at training camp next year. Bayda is 50/50, considering Tim Conboy is already on a one-way deal for 2009 and given the development of players like Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman, (can't wait to see him in a Canes uniform) and, of course, Darren Sutter. 

The big free-agent question surrounds Seidenberg. He was the Canes top defenseman on many nights and carried the Canes blue in the early part of the season. But, here's the dilemma. The Canes are loaded with young talent on the defence. Brett Carson impressed the heck out of me in his brief tour with the Canes. He's big, 6'5" and smooth as silk. Jim Rutherford (JR) was so impressed with Bryan Rodney that he pronounced "He's got a job to lose at training camp next season" when the Canes returned Rodney to Albany for more seasoning. Don't forget, two short season ago, he was toiling in the Eastern League. Heck, he was quarterbacking the Canes power-play and looking good. Talk about poise. Now, that's a story!  And what about Canes phenom Jamie McBain, who signed with the Canes after his college season ended at Wisconsin, a season in which he was under consideration for the Hobey Baker Award. The book on him is that he is a "can't miss" prospect, another offensive-minded stud on the backline. This could be interesting. And if things get really desperate, the Canes still have Conboy, a natural defenceman, and Casey Borer, a solid stay-at-home type available. Talk about a logjam. So, not much room for Seidenberg, particularly if the Canes are unsuccessful in moving Kaberle for the umteenth time. 

I guess that brings us back to the captain. Many of the Canes supporters feel it is time for Rod to hang them up.  He has served this team very well over the years. But, here's where I sit on this. The Canes must add a top three forward this off-season. That will cost big bucks. About half of that could come from Brind'Amour's salary.  Besides, using Rod as your fourth line center is ludicrous. Interestingly, initial indications from the Canes camp are that Rod will be back. Nonetheless, I have my doubts. 

And what about Paul Maurice?  Another reclamation project for JR. Get this, he was attending the University of Windsor, working on his business degree, when Rutherford reached out to him. Talk about a long way from the NHL wars! All he did was take the Canes to the division finals. You can bet he’ll be returning, along with his talented crew of Ron Francis, Tom Rowe, Tom Barasso, and Kevin McCarthy. They will only get better. 

This summer will be an interesting one for Canes followers. With a few of the right moves in the off-season, the Canes could challenge for the top prize, again. And there is none better at making those moves than the Canes' bossman, Jim Rutherford. The moves he made during the season, including bringing back Paul Maurice (talk about a controversial move!) and Erik Cole, plucking Jussi Jokinen off the scrap heap, and moving Ron Francis into the coaching ranks, were nothing short of brilliant. He never ceases to amaze me! I wonder what he will have up his sleeve this time. I'll be following the draft and free agency with great anticipation. 

Let the games begin! 

It's a Series: Penguins Beat Red Wings 4-2 in Game 3 of Finals

by: Marc Valeri

With some lucky breaks, the Penguins managed to squeeze a win against the defending Cup champs, changing the series from backs-against-the-wall to right-back-in-it.

In a frantic first period, both teams scored two goals, something we haven't seen from either side in prior games. The second was all Red Wings, as they ended the period with a 26-11 shot advantage, including a domination in puck control. The third, however, was a different story, with the Pens scoring a key powerplay marker in the third that proved to be too much.

You can thank Sergei Gonchar for making this a series, 10:29 into the third. A 3-0 lead would have had the Penguins walking the green mile. In fact, had the Red Wings won Game 3 and 4, it would have been exactly one calendar year since the Red Wings took the Cup over the Pens in Game 6 of last season.

In winning, the Penguins had everything they lacked in losing twin 3-1 decisions in the first two games in Detroit, including start-to-finish confidence, resiliency and scoring from throughout their lineup. A sense of desperation, too.

Marc-Andre Fleury was very sharp last night, and didn't allow any softies, unlike the identical 3-1 losses in Games 1 and 2. For once this series, he outplayed rival netminder Chris Osgood, who allowed 3 goals on 20 shots. Ozzie has now lost for only the 3rd time in 13 Finals games.

One thing Detroit did do right was that they were once again married to the Henrik Zetterberg-Sidney Crosby matchup, despite Pittsburgh having last change. Rather than changing the entire line when Crosby hopped onto the ice, the centre was simply subbed for Zetterberg, who had his eye on Crosby the whole time and shadowed him at all times. Crosby managed one assist last night, his first point this series.

It was none other than playoff scoring leader Evgeni Malkin who set up the first three goals. Malkin, almost invisible at times during last year’s finals, has 33 points in 20 games—the most since Joe Sakic had 34 for Stanley Cup champion Colorado in 1996.

Pittsburgh also went 2-for-3 on the power play, with the called interference penalty on Jonathan Ericsson that led to Gonchar’s game-winner.

Most of all, the Penguins stood up to the Red Wings even after the defending champs answered Max Talbot’s first goal with scores by Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. Those goals briefly quieted an all-in-white crowd that could sense it might be watching the Red Wings effectively secure their fifth Stanley Cup since 1997.

So far, the finals have featured the same scenario as last year. Detroit wins the first two at home, then loses a tight Game 3 in Pittsburgh. Last year, the Red Wings took a 3-1 lead by winning Game 4 in Pittsburgh, which allowed them to survive a three-overtime Game 5 loss at home before they finished off Pittsburgh in Game 6.

But the Penguins have played better in each of the three games than they did last spring and, the Red Wings understand the hard part is yet to come. The Penguins must be wondering, too, whether Detroit will be at 100% for Game 4, as they have yet to run on all cylinders this series.

For more, visit http://www.voiceofvaleri.com

Red Wings Take 2-0 Stranglehold on Penguins - NHL Blows Rulebook Again

by: Marc Valeri

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This was the case in both Games 1 and 2 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final between the Red Wings and Penguins. The same can be said for the constant flashes of deja-vu had by the Pens.

Different scorers, same situations.

Detroit beat the Penguins 3-1 Sunday night, just as they did the previous night, after shutting them out by a combined score of 7-0 in the first two games of last year’s finals, ultimately taking a 2-0 lead in the series. Detroit is shooting for its fifth title in 12 seasons and the 12th Cup in franchise history.

Just like last year, my friends.

Valtteri Filpulla scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period, sandwiching his tally between goals from youngsters Jonathan Ericsson - who is just hours removed from an appendectomy - and Justin Abdelkader, who became the first rookie to score in consecutive games in the finals since Minnesota’s Dino Ciccarelli in 1981. Abdelkader slapped a bouncing puck on net that beat Marc-Andre Fleury for the insurance marker in Game 2, just as he batted a bouncing puck in Game 1for the insurance marker.

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, where the Eastern Conference champions will battle a modern-day dynasty and history.

32 teams have lost the first two Stanley Cup finals games on the road and only the 1971 Montreal Canadiens rallied to win it all.

Much of the credit thus far has been due to the stellar play of NHL playoff legend Chris Osgood, who was Detroit’s No. 1 goaltender on its 1998 championship team. Ozzie improved to 10-2 and dropped his GAA to a minuscule 1.47 in the Stanley Cup finals.

As Detroit hold every advantage over the Penguins, they still do so without Hart trophy candidate Pavel Datsyuk and one of the league's best defensive-forwards in Kris Draper.

The Red Wings improved to 11-0 this postseason when leading after two periods, moving halfway toward putting another championship banner in the crowded rafters at Joe Louis Arena.

The team is going to be in tough for Game 3 when they head back to Mellon Arena. With Datsyuk and Draper's availability in question once again, the Pens managed to scour some momentum with seconds left in the thirdMax Talbot stabbed Osgood, who had just frozen the puck on a shot from the point.

Evgeni Malkin then blindsided Henrik Zetterberg, and after numerous punches and slaps to the head with his stick, instigated a fight. Malkin received a five-minute major and a game misconduct, but the key here is that he also received the instigator penalty, meaning that a suspension is possible for Game 3. Colin Campbell, however, rescinded the call in typical post-NHL fashion.

How is it possible for the league to automatically rescind a call without looking at it first? It's because the NHL only enforces rules that are convenient.

Because Malkin’s antics came with 19 seconds remaining in the Penguins’ 3-1 loss, it triggered Rule 47.22, which hands down the one-game suspension to players who instigate a fight in the game’s final five minutes. It is a rule to prevent the kind of thuggery and frustration spilling that Malkin displayed. The punishment fits.

Except in the NHL, which includes out clauses with its rules. This suspension can be reviewed by Campbell, the NHL’s executive VP and director of hockey operations, who certainly doesn’t have anything riding on Malkin, the potential MVP, no, sir, and wouldn’t at all let his decision be compromised by the quality of the player involved, no way, no how, because he is a fair and impartial jury of one, yes, indeed.

Campbell said, “Suspensions are applied under this rule when a team attempts to send a message in the last five minutes by having a player instigate a fight.”

For some reason, this was not the case on Sunday. The entire point of the fight was to send a message to Zetterberg and the defending Cup champs – that the Penguins were still around, and that they still had some fight in them, and that he was going to show it by beefing with a guy 4 inches shorter.

And he did this knowing that the league would never, ever suspend him. Players realize the NHL is weak in mind and spirit. It could, ironically, learn something about toughness from them. So they’re going to continue to flout the rule until Campbell or commissioner Gary Bettman or someone else steps in and abolishes it or enforces it.

The league must make up its mind. If it agrees with the principle of the rule, live with its consequences. Otherwise, get rid of it and mete out punishment in its usual manner: devoid of logic and consistency.

Next thing you know, the players will look at the book and wonder what other rules they can break. In fact, that happened Sunday. At the end of Campbell’s statement, the NHL made sure to include this chestnut:

“NHL Hockey Operations also determined that Malkin should have been assessed a game misconduct for not having his jersey tied down.”

Well, that’s grand. An unnecessary elbow. A few good punches. And the NHL is worried about Evgeni Malkin’s clothing.

Like you’d expect anything different.


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