Stanley Cup Capsules: Staal's goal starts Pens comeback, evens finals

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins' fresh legs and fast feet changed the Stanley Cup finals in a flash, and now a series that looked to be over is only getting started.

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 scoring run 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. All the Penguins' goal scorers are 22 or younger - Sid isn't their only kid - and it may have made a big difference as the older Red Wings played their fourth game in six nights.

"It seemed like all their guys were really slumped over tired and looked like they were frustrated, really," defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "When you see that you just kind of feed off of it."

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.

Game 5 is Saturday night in Detroit, with Game 6 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night after the series' first two-day break. Game 7 would be June 12 in Detroit.

"It's a race to four (wins) now," Pittsburgh's Pascal Dupuis said.

The Red Wings certainly lost all the races in Game 4, done in by a bad second period and dreadful special teams. Pittsburgh has converted on 4 of 9 power plays, and this game swung when the Penguins scored - and the Red Wings didn't - during 3:59 of continuous Detroit power-play time. Detroit was 0 for 4 with the man advantage.

With Detroit up 2-1 following goals by Darren Helm and Brad Stuart less than 3 minutes apart to end the first and start the second, Staal - who had only two goals in 20 playoff games - got loose after Max Talbot's up-ice pass.

The 6-foot-4 Staal used his lengthy stride to thread defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski and beat Chris Osgood at 8:35 of the second. Staal had a record-tying seven short-handed goals as an 18-year-old rookie in 2006-07, but had only one since.

"Max made a great play. I saw Lidstrom and Rafalski both kind of flat-footed," Staal said. "I kind of just buried my head, went for it and kind of snuck it in."

Staal's goal instantly changed a major opportunity by Detroit to seize control not only of the game but the series into a tie game, and the 17,132 jammed into a suddenly rocking Mellon Arena sensed how big the play might be.

"That was a big momentum changer for us," Talbot said. "The building was so loud, it gave us a lot of emotion."

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said, "They have a chance to go up 3-1, but Jordan speeds up ice, makes a strong move to the net like he can with his big body and scores a great goal for us ... and kind of got us rolling."

The Penguins killed the second power play and, less than a minute later, Crosby and Malkin - their signature stars - worked a 2-on-1 rush for Crosby's 15th of the playoffs and 30th point. With 35 points, Malkin has more than any player since Gretzky in 1993.

"They can really pass it," Osgood said.

Kennedy, a Staal linemate who had no goals in five games, finished it off with Pittsburgh's third goal in a span of 5:37 by scoring off two quick passes by Crosby and Chris Kunitz. Kennedy won the race to a loose puck with Henrik Zetterberg, who may be wearying from shadowing Crosby and Malkin shift after shift.

"They had some 3-on-2s and 2-on-1s, and we can't do that against them because they're too skilled," Zetterberg said.

On the Detroit bench, a sour-faced Mike Babcock had the look of a coach wondering if the compressed schedule is favoring the younger Penguins.

"We were playing all right, but the power play hurt us for sure," Babcock said. "It sucked the life out of us."

Before Pittsburgh scored eight goals in two games at home, Osgood had allowed a goal or less in eight of 18 playoff games. His reaction?

"We've got to get some rest," he said.

The Penguins probably would like to play immediately. They rallied to beat the Capitals two rounds ago after losing the first two in Washington, and they're pointing to that comeback as reason for hope they can pull off this one.

"The last couple have been desperation (games) for us," said Crosby, who helped lead the Penguins from 10th place in the Eastern Conference in mid-February into the playoffs. "It's going to be like that all the way through."

The Red Wings had a letdown a few minutes before the start when Hart Trophy finalist Pavel Datsyuk, out for six games with an injured foot, skated in the pregame warmups but decided he couldn't play.

Then, with only 1:12 gone, the Red Wings did what Babcock said they couldn't do with an ailing penalty kill by taking take an unnecessary penalty. Niklas Kronwall tripped Malkin, and Malkin took advantage by scoring with 2:39 gone, with Staal assisting.

Malkin is trying to become the first player since the Penguins' Mario Lemieux in 1992 to lead the NHL in regular season and playoff scoring.

Notes: The Red Wings' 44-52 record in Game 4s is easily their worst of any playoff game. .. Detroit F Kris Draper returned from a groin injury, with rookie Justin Abdelkader sitting out despite scoring goals in each of the first two games. ... Detroit F Marian Hossa didn't score after having two goals each in three previous Game 4s. ... Pittsburgh is 4-0 in Game 4s this spring.

Fleury takes back seat to offense in 2nd period

PITTSBURGH - Marc-Andre Fleury saved the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals.

His offense took care of him in Game 4.

Just 46 seconds into the middle frame Thursday night, Detroit's Brad Stuart scored through a double screen to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead. Two nights earlier, Fleury kept the Penguins locked in a 2-2 tie despite Pittsburgh being outshot 14-4.

They called it their worst period in the playoffs, but because Fleury was on top of his game, Pittsburgh pulled out a 4-2 win in Game 3.

The Penguins rallied from a hole this time and took over with three quick goals that changed the game.

"Well, you can't really compare them," Penguins forward Bill Guerin said of the two second periods. "One was awful, one was really good. It's something that we've tried to work on because we've had that problem before - a good first but a bad second.

"We're just trying to focus and play 60 minutes because the second period is so big and (creates) momentum for the third period."

It appeared Fleury wouldn't be able to steal another second period when Stuart's shot from the right point sailed past Pittsburgh's Sergei Gonchar and Guerin, who blocked his view, and found the net. The Penguins' early 1-0 lead was gone as Detroit connected twice in a 2:27 span bridging the first two periods.

Jordan Staal turned it around with a short-handed goal at 8:35 that tied it. Sidney Crosby and Tyler Kennedy also scored to complete the surge of three goals in 5:37 that built the Penguins' edge to 4-2.

"We want to make sure we make life on him as easy as possible," Crosby said of Fleury. "We don't always do that, but you know we try to. We did a good job of putting a lot of pressure in the offensive zone and creating some good chances. That's a big key for our team. That's where we want to play.

"We definitely owed him one for sure."

The final 20 minutes were scoreless and the Penguins skated off with their second straight 4-2 victory. They sent the series back to Detroit tied 2-2 and guaranteed it would return to Pittsburgh for Game 6.

"They took a lead 2-1 early in the second, and to see my teammates respond and get three goals against that team in the second was huge," Fleury said

After the early hiccup on Stuart's drive, Fleury finished the second with eight saves. His task wasn't nearly as difficult in this middle period because the offense kept the puck at the other end of the ice for the majority of it.

"They got that goal in the first minute of the second period, and I'm sure there were more people than myself thinking, 'Oh goodness,'" Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "Give credit to our guys.

"We get the short-handed goal and come back with (Evgeni Malkin) and Crosby and we get the go-ahead goal."

The Penguins had 11 shots in this second period and scored on three.

"The fans drove us the rest of the way in the second period," Bylsma said. "That was a big momentum period for us and it set us up for the third."

Fleury was busy overall, making 37 saves - including 18 in the first period. For the fourth straight game, the visiting team has held the shots advantage and lost.

-- Ira Podell

Do-it-all Zetterberg wearing down for Red Wings

PITTSBURGH - The Detroit Red Wings ask Henrik Zetterberg to do it all.

It seems to be taking a toll.

"Zetterberg looks really tired," Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik said.

The superstar simply looked worn out at times Thursday night, getting beat to loose pucks and not skating as hard or fast as usual, and the Pittsburgh Penguins took advantage with a 4-2 series-evening win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals.

"I think you should look a little tired at the end of games," Zetterberg said. "If you're not, you're doing something wrong. It's pretty normal."

The Red Wings hoped to give Zetterberg some relief from needing to score, hit, withstand being a target of checks, play on power plays and kill penalties with the return of Pavel Datsyuk.

But the much-needed help did not arrive because Datsyuk was scratched because of a foot injury, sidelining him for the sixth straight game.

"It was a smart move," Zetterberg said. "Definitely, he wasn't ready or he would've played."

Zetterberg and the Red Wings can only hope Datsyuk is healthy enough to return for Game 5 Saturday night in Detroit and Game 6 is Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.

As the Penguins took over the series-evening game - with three goals in a 5½-minute span of the second period - Zetterberg helped them out on the final score.

Tyler Kennedy beat Zetterberg to a loose puck, Kennedy passed it to Chris Kunitz, who got it to Sidney Crosby before Kennedy finished the bang-bang-bang play by firing the puck to the back of the net for a 4-2 lead.

"Me and Kennedy were down on the wall, I got the puck, but I couldn't get it out," Zetterberg said.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock said Zetterberg wasn't the only player who didn't look like himself.

"I didn't think Z and (Johan Franzen) had as much jump," Babcock said.

From the start of the series, Pittsburgh has clearly made a point of getting physical with Zetterberg.

Sidney Crosby landed a huge hit on Zetterberg in Game 1 in what was the first of countless checks the Penguins have landed on him in open ice and against the boards.

"I don't think it's any different than any other series," Zetterberg insisted. "It's a hitting game."

When Detroit beat Pittsburgh and hoisted the Stanley Cup last year, Zetterberg was its best player and won playoff MVP honors.

If the Red Wings are going to respond to losing their 2-0 lead in the series, the Swede will have to deliver again.

"He's done that in the past, and I know he can still do it," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.

Lidstrom, though, acknowledged wondering if Zetterberg was wearing down after Game 3 on Tuesday night.

"I talked to him about it after the last game," Lidstrom said. "He said he felt fine even though he's playing a lot of minutes."

-- Larry Lage

Red Wings' Datsyuk misses Game 4 vs. Penguins 

PITTSBURGH - Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk did not play in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, missing his sixth straight game because of a foot injury.

The MVP finalist participated in the morning skate Thursday, then stayed on the ice afterward in an attempt to be ready to face the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Datsyuk said his status would be determined after the pregame skate and it looked as if he was getting ready to play, skating and stretching during warmups until there was 2:45 left on the pregame clock.

But Datsyuk was scratched from the lineup. When that was announced at Mellon Arena, Penguins fans cheered.

Datsyuk last played May 19, when he blocked a shot with his foot against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock inserted Kris Draper into the lineup and took out Justin Abdelkader, who scored in the first two games.

Specials teams lift Penguins in series-evening win

PITTSBURGH - Special teams were the difference as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 Thursday night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, evening the championship rematch.

"Tonight, it was," Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg acknowledged. "We got opportunities when it was 2-1, got a power play, they scored and it was a tied game for a huge momentum swing."

The Penguins blanked Detroit on its four power plays, scoring themselves on one of them, and got off to a good start when Evgeni Malkin opened the scoring when they had an extra skater.

"I think the penalty kill was a huge, huge part of that second period," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said.

Jordan Staal's short-handed goal, beating usually reliable defenseman Brian Rafalski to the front of the net, made it 2-2 midway through the second period.

"I saw (Nicklas) Lidstrom and Rafalski both kind of flat-footed," Staal said. "And I just kind of buried my head, went for it and kind of snuck it in."

Sidney Crosby's go-ahead goal and Tyler Kennedy's goal in the second period made it 4-2, and the Penguins wisely stayed out of the penalty box to make a comeback challenging for the defending champions.

IRONIC LEADER

Darren McCarty hit rock bottom two years ago because of a wicked cocktail of drinking, divorce and bankruptcy. McCarty was out of hockey in November, 2007, relegated to watching the Detroit Red Wings from the stands with his son. Motivated to get his life and career back, he made sobriety, family and hockey his priorities.

He started a comeback that led to him playing 17 playoff games last season for the Red Wings and winning his fourth Stanley Cup.

McCarty hasn't played once during these playoffs, but still has value to the organization because of the leadership he provides for Detroit's young players, who were his teammates for much of the regular season in the AHL.

"Who would've thunk it?" he asked.

KEEP HITTIN' KUNITZ

Chris Kunitz had 12 points in Pittsburgh's first 16 playoff games, including five in a two-game span against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals.

But, he was scoreless in four straight games until assisting on the final goal in Game 4.

Even when he hadn't contributed with points earlier in the series, the hard-hitting wing was still finding ways to make an impact against the Detroit Red Wings.

Kunitz was credited with 11 hits in Game 3 - more than twice the number of checks anyone else had Tuesday night - and the Penguins said they gave him credit for two more.

"That's leaving your mark in a lot of different places," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "That's what you count on from the guy.

"Leaving a mark, being a presence on the forecheck, going and driving to the net."

In Game 4, Kunitz had four hits to trail only the five checks Detroit's Darren Helm had.

MESS ON MARIO

It's not easy to impress Mark Messier, but Mario Lemieux has done it.

"As a player, he positioned himself as a leader, came here and turned the franchise around," Messier said. "And, now he's done it again as an owner.

"Success seems to follow Mario wherever he goes."

If the Penguins win the Cup, Lemieux will become the first person to win NHL titles as a player and an owner.

CHEAP SEATS

The Penguins invite fans to watch the playoffs on a videoboard outside Mellon Arena, and Dawn Cummings has noticed the crowds getting bigger before each game.

"We've been coming to every one and I was lucky to get this spot in the front row at noon," the 29-year-old fan from Monroeville, Pa., said 3½ hours before the puck dropped. "These are the best seats in the house. You see all the action, and it gets pretty crazy out here."

Too wild for a Red Wings fan, who was brave enough to sport a Nicklas Lidstrom jersey.

John Simons was booed as he walked through the throng of fans sitting in camping chairs, laying on blankets and inflatable mattresses with coolers packed with drinks and food.

"I tried to watch Game 3 out here, but I almost got into fights," said the 26-year-old resident of Lincoln Park, Mich. "I'm not sure where I'm going to watch this game."

Hundreds of fans had secured spots to sit a few hours before the game, making a wise move because thousands of fans spilled into the area to soak up the atmosphere to take up every inch of grass and concrete.

ONE-TIMERS

Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin has a shot to be the first player to lead the NHL in points in both the regular season and postseason since Mario Lemieux did it for the Penguins in 1992. Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur and Phil Esposito are the only other players to pull off the feat since 1968. ... Detroit coach Mike Babcock joked before Game 4 that he was probably not running for father of the year. "I'm missing my son's graduation today," he said Thursday. "I missed my daughter's birthday on Tuesday." ... Red Wings F Marian Hossa scored two goals in each of the Game 4s in the Western Conference playoffs, but didn't get any of his team-high five shots past Marc-Andre Fleury. ... With so many non-North American players becoming stars in the league, reporters from Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia and Russia are covering the finals.

-- Larry Lage

Tavares, Hedman, Duchene shoot to go No. 1

PITTSBURGH - Unlike this year's NHL top draft prospects, Nicklas Lidstrom's road to the Stanley Cup finals didn't start at the Stanley Cup finals.

In 1989, when the Detroit Red Wings star defenseman prepared for the draft, he didn't travel to Montreal or Calgary, where the finals were that year. Nor did he go to North America to hear his name announced at the draft.

"I remember being anxious about it," said Lidstrom, a six-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman. "They told me to wait by the phone back home in Sweden, and I did. I got a call on a Saturday night, but I was anxious and very happy to be drafted."

Lidstrom lasted until the 53rd pick in the 1989 draft, a wait John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene will never have to worry about.

Although this year's elite prospects all said it will be an honor merely to be selected among the top picks at the June 26-27 draft in Montreal, there is an allure to No. 1.

"You get put in that special category," the 18-year-old Tavares said during a visit to the finals. "Not many guys get that honor, that opportunity to be selected No. 1. I'd love to go No. 1, but then again I'd love to go to any other NHL team that feels I can contribute in a great way, and be part of a team that can hopefully win a Stanley Cup."

Tavares, a center from London of the Ontario Hockey League, is the top-rated North American skater by NHL Central Scouting and the prohibitive favorite to be chosen first overall by the New York Islanders.

But even though he has been considered the top available player for the better part of a year, there is no guarantee he will be headed to Long Island.

Whoever the Islanders choose will immediately enter a world of uncertainty. New York is building a youth movement around former first-round picks Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey, a process going through major growing pains. One season into the plan, the Islanders finished with the worst record in the NHL.

Uncertainty on the ice is one thing, but a greater issue is the unknown regarding the future of the franchise. Islanders owner Charles Wang is trying to get local government approval to build the Lighthouse project - an ambitious development center that would include a refurbished Nassau Coliseum.

If it can't be constructed, the Islanders could be on the move in not long, perhaps to Kansas City, Mo.

Tavares dismisses talk he will look to force a trade should the Islanders pick him.

"If it is Long Island, I'm going to go in there and try to be a good player that can contribute right away and a good teammate," he said. "Try to develop as a leader and a guy that can be counted on all the time. All I control is what I can do on the ice and what I can do to be a good teammate and a good guy to the organization."

Tavares joined Hedman and Duchene in Pittsburgh, after taking part in the NHL combine in Toronto, and spent time in the Penguins and Red Wings dressing rooms.

Tavares had already met Sidney Crosby, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, but talked with him again about pressure and expectations. The 21-year-old Crosby already has played four NHL seasons and appeared in two finals.

"He's really learned how to handle it and spread it out through his teammates and not let it affect him," Taveres said. "He goes about his business in the right way and has such a passion for the game. He is a great person for me to learn from and he is a big role model for me."

Hedman, a 6-foot-6 Swedish defenseman, nervously awaited the chance to introduce himself to countryman Lidstrom. Hedman poses the biggest challenge to Tavares' dream of going No. 1, but Duchene has also risen, and is also on the Islanders' radar.

"We're not a big country," Lidstrom said. "We're about nine million people, so we take a lot of pride in having a lot of Swedes play in the league and still being drafted and being one of the top picks."

All three No. 1 contenders have made visits to Long Island and Tampa Bay, which owns the second pick. Colorado is third.

"I know whatever is supposed to be will happen," said Duchene, an 18-year-old center from Brampton of the OHL. "I'm just looking forward to it. There is no need to be nervous. It's kind of the start of the rest of your life, so it's a lot of fun and an exciting time."

While every team covets a player with the goal-scoring ability of Tavares and Duchene, big, strong defenseman like Hedman - cut from the mold of Anaheim's Chris Pronger - are hard to find.

"If I go to Long Island ... they have a bunch of good players," said Hedman, the top-rated European skater. "Okposo and Bailey are young and they're still developing. They also have the old guys like Doug Weight, and a good defenseman like Mark Streit, a good goalkeeper in (Rick) DiPietro.

"If I'm going there, I'm dedicated to win and I'll do whatever it takes to help the Islanders to reach the playoffs next year."

-- Ira Podell

Elsewhere

Avalanche hire Joe Sacco as coach

DENVER - Joe Sacco envisions a fast and feisty team taking the ice, one that attacks and stays aggressive.

Perhaps a version of himself when he was a forward in the league.

Sacco, who spent 13 years in the NHL, was introduced as the new coach of the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, a day after the club fired Tony Granato and shook up its front office.

Flanked by newly appointed general manager Greg Sherman on his left and assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre to his right, Sacco talked about carving out a revamped identity for a team that's coming off its worst finish since moving to Denver in 1995.

"We want to be a team that plays with a lot of energy. We want to play on our toes, we don't want to play on our heels," Sacco said. "We want to be a team that attacks, we want to be a team that doesn't sit back."

Most of all, Sacco wants this team to return to glory, when the Avalanche were perennially challenging for a Stanley Cup crown.

Sherman shares that vision.

"We all want the Avalanche to return to the standards that made this franchise so successful," he said. "There will be no shortcuts to return to those standards."

Sacco, 40, was promoted from the Avalanche's American Hockey League affiliate, where he coached the Lake Erie Monsters the last two seasons.

He should be quite familiar with this roster, considering he coached players like T.J. Galiardi, Ray Macias and Derek Peltier at Lake Erie.

"I certainly think it will help," Sacco said.

He inherits an Avalanche squad that missed the playoffs for a second time in three seasons as it stumbled to a last-place finish in the Western Conference. The team is strapped by salary cap issues and has both of its goalies, Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft, unsigned for next season.

"I can't worry about that right now," Sacco said. "That will all take care of itself."

The same can be said of captain Joe Sakic as the Avalanche wait to see if he returns for a 21st season. Sacco would love nothing more than to coach Sakic.

"But that's going to be his decision," Sacco said.

And the Avalanche aren't in any hurry to rush him along.

"Joe has earned (the right) to take his time and make his decision as to what his future holds," Sherman said.

A former NHL forward, Sacco appeared in 738 games over a 13-year career that included stints with Toronto, Anaheim, the New York Islanders, Washington and Philadelphia.

The native of Medford, Mass., was also part of the United States hockey team that finished fourth at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France.

The hiring of Sacco caps off a whirlwind few weeks in which the Avalanche flirted with hiring Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy to be their coach - only to have him turn them down - and made sweeping changes to the organization, firing Granato and five others.

The team also announced a new management structure Wednesday, promoting Sherman to general manager. He takes over for Francois Giguere, who was let go in April.

In Giguere's absence, president Pierre Lacroix stepped in and ran the team. Lacroix wasn't present Thursday as he recovers from complications following knee-replacement surgery.

With Lacroix's newly assembled management group intact, they made their first decision: hiring Sacco.

"He truly deserves this challenge," said Sherman, whose team has the third pick in the NHL draft later this month.

Lefebvre accompanied Sacco to the Avalanche after serving as an assistant at Lake Erie. He thinks Sacco's style will resonate with the players.

"Joe's a demanding coach but also understanding," said Lefebvre, a member of the Avalanche's Stanley Cup winning squad in 1996. "He likes to let the players know what their roles are on the team."

-- Pat Graham