What looked to be a very competitive Stanley Cup Finals certainly wasn't the case in Saturday's Game 1, where the Red WingsPens to the tune of a 4-0 victory.
Pittsburgh tries to get the series home even at 1 on Monday night at Joe Louis Arena, with Detroit the -170 money line betting favorite (over/under: 5.5) on WagerWeb.com.
Pens coach Michel Therrien has shaken things up after that Game 1 effort: Pascal Dupuis was dropped from captain Sidney Crosby's line and was replaced by Ryan Malone during Sunday's practice. Dupuis instead skated with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy.
In addition to the line changes, Therrien is going with 42-year-old Gary Roberts, who was upset about being scratched on Saturday. Roberts has plenty of playoff experience, something Therrien felt his team was lacking in the opener.
Even though he's 42, the Penguins hope to get a boost - both physically and offensively.
"He's going to be a physical presence," said Crosby. "He's a guy that can go out there and really give you momentum with a big hit or creating that energy that you need sometimes."
But probably the player most targeted at getting a spark due to these line chances is Evgeni Malkin. The Russian star has one goal, one assist and is minus-2 over the past five games. His inability to control the puck in front of his own net led to the Wings' second goal in Saturday's 4-0 loss.
"First of all, we still have a lot of confidence in him. He's a world-class player," Therrien said. "He needs to stay focused. He needs to stay on top of his game. He needs to skate. He needs to battle. And if he's doing those things."The plan is to have Malkin line up with Petr Sykora, with whom he has enjoyed great success this spring, and newcomer Max Talbot, a gritty forward with good speed who has toiled mostly on the fourth line but has contributed in key postseason moments with two goals and five assists.
Detroit is hoping for the return of Johan Franzen, tied with teammate Henrik Zetterberg for the NHL lead with 12 playoff goals. He has been out six games with recurring headaches but had his first full-contact practice Sunday.
He's expected to go through a strenuous workout Monday to get his heart rate up. If he doesn't experience any symptoms, he could be back immediately.
The Detroit penalty killers were stellar on Saturday, as they stifled all five Penguins' power plays and came up with a short-handed goal.
In the second and third periods, the Red Wings scored all their goals, and held a 25-7 shot advantage. They also got penalized just once, while the Penguins went to the box four times.
Detroit accomplished those things by matching, and therefore neutralizing, the Penguins' strengths of speed, skill and dedication to defense.
"We knew that we were going to have to play really tight, especially on all their centermen," Detroit defenseman Niklas Kornwall said. "They've got some big bodies that really skate and move the puck at the same time.
Henrik Zetterberg's eight shots were more than all the Penguins generated in the final 40 minutes, and Detroit outshot Pittsburgh 27-10 at even strength.
"I wouldn't change anything," Crosby said. "We had our chances, but we didn't put them in. it was pretty tight.
"I don't think they did a whole lot to shut us down."
Betting trends: Penguins are 24-6 in their last 30 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game. Penguins are 4-0 in their last 4 games following a loss of 3 or more goals. . Red Wings are 23-3 in their last 26 games as a home favorite of -151 to -200. . Over is 5-0 in Penguins last 5 games as an underdog of +151 to +200. . Over is 6-1-2 in Red Wings last 9 playoff games as a favorite of -151 to -200. .Penguins are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Detroit. dominated the visiting
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