The Red Wings took a 1-0 series lead in the Cup Finals on Saturday night, but they did it with some scoring from some unlikely sources. Brad Stuart and Justin Abdelkader had two very rare goals that helped Detroit get past the Penguins in a critical Game 1 of their series.
Brad Stuart got the scoring started midway through the first when his slap shot took a funny bounce off the end boards and caromed off of Fleury’s pads and into the net. Unfortunately for Fleury and the Penguins, their luck wouldn’t get much better as the game went on. In the second period, with under a minute left to play, Johan Franzen’s attempted pass into the slot flipped up in the air and caught a sprawling Fleury offguard as the puck again rebounded off his leg and into the net.
Ruslan Fedotenko scored the Penguins’ lone goal late in the first period, after Chris Osgood was unable to hold on to an Evgeni Malkin slap shot. Fedotenko drove to the net and poked the rebound free, regaining control in time to slide it back across the crease and into the net. The Pens had a few more chances to even the game up, as both Malkin and Crosby got good chances to score, but Osgood proved he was up to the task.
In the 3rd period, the Red Wings got a bit more luck, as Abdelkader scored his first career playoff goal and point early in the period. With Detroit’s fourth line applying heavy pressure deep in the Pittsburgh end, Abdelkader saw his own shot take a funny bounce up in the air off Fleury, and took full advantage. With the Penguins defenders searching for the errant puck, Abdelkader quickly gloved the puck to his own stick and somehow managed to lift it high enough to beat Fleury on the stick side.
Unfortunately, the Penguins actually played a solid hockey game, pressing the Wings with tough physical play and hard forechecking. However, good teams always find a way to win, and Detroit has made a history of defining themselves as a great team. Whether it’s a lucky bounce for one of their grinders or a highlight reel goal from one of their superstars, Detroit showed they know what it takes to win and have their sights set squarely on repeating as Cup champions.