nhl league News
Detroit 5.6 : The Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in 11 seasons with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the NHL finals on Wednesday. Henrik Zetterberg scored a goal and set up another, while defenseman Brian Rafalski and Valtteri Filppula also scored for the Red Wings, who have claimed the Stanley Cup 11 times in their 82-season history, the most of any US based team.
N. Jersey 31.5 : The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Anssi Salmela of Finland on Friday. The 23-year-old had 16 goals and 16 assists in 56 games with Tappara of the Finnish League last season. His 16 goals were tops among defensemen in the league. Salmela represented Finland at the 2004 World Junior Championship and the 2008 World Championship.
Detroit 27.5 : Johan Franzen has been cleared by doctors and put in the lineup for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After scoring an NHL-best 12 goals in 11 playoff games, the Detroit Red Wings forward, known as "The Mule," had been sidelined since May 8 because of recurring headaches. Franzen was cleared to return to practice last Friday and had been waiting for doctors to give him the OK to play in a game.
Detroit 24.5 : "I'm feeling good," Johan Franze said Friday after practicing for about an hour. "I was excited to be back out on the ice. It was a lot of fun to be with the guys again. I'm out of shape, but otherwise I felt good." Franzen, who leads the NHL with 12 playoff goals in only 11 games, has been out with recurring headaches and concussion-like symptoms since Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. Although he is feeling much better, Franzen will be sidelined again Saturday night when the Red Wings open the Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Detroit 23.5 : Johan Franzen is expected to miss Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, but Detroit coach Mike Babcock says he will return at some point in the series. Franzen skated with his teammates Thursday and was cleared to practice Friday. The center known as "Mule" leads the NHL with 12 goals in the playoffs despite being scratched for the last five games of the second-round series against Dallas because of concussion-like symptoms.
Detroit 20.5 : The Detroit Red Wings are back in the Stanley Cup finals for the 23rd time and the first since 2002, when they won their 10th championship. After two consecutive losses, the NHL's top-seeded bounced back strong in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, getting first-period goals from Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk and Dallas Drake on their way to knocking out the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Monday. The Red Wings will open the Stanley Cup finals at home Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Philadel. 19.5 : Kimmo Timonen returned for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Pittsburgh on Sunday after sitting out the first four games with a blood clot in his left ankle. The blood clot, which developed after Timonen was struck on the foot by a puck during Game 4 against Montreal in the second round, was initially expected to sideline the All-Star defenseman for at least the Penguins series and possibly the rest of the playoffs. However, Timonen was in the Flyers' starting lineup Sunday.
Philadel. 17.5 : If Kimmo Timonen gets through practice without any problems Saturday, and can deal with numbness and pain in his injured foot, he expects to be in the lineup Sunday in Pittsburgh. "At least now I know there's no danger," the 33-year-old Timonen said Friday after skating on his own for 35 minutes. "It's just a matter of how much pain I can take. It takes only 15 minutes to skate, and I can't feel my toes. That is the biggest thing. When that happens, the pain comes in, but I'm sure we've got some medicine for pain."
The All-Star was all but ruled out for the season a week ago when it was revealed he had a blood clot in his left ankle. But after a visit to his doctor Thursday the prognosis got a whole lot better. Timonen was injured in Game 4 of the second round against Montreal when he blocked a shot.
Philadel. 16.5 : Braydon Coburn was ruled out Thursday for a second straight game after his swollen left eye didn't show enough improvement. The Flyers defenseman was struck in the face by a puck in the opening minutes of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals last Sunday. "I think he's getting closer, but definitely not playing tonight," said coach John Stevens. The Flyers are missing Coburn and another top defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who is likely out the rest of the season due to a blood clot in his ankle.
Pittsbur. 15.5 : Pittsburgh went into Game 4 without forward Gary Roberts, who sat for a second straight game due to pneumonia. Penguins coach Michel Therrien said Roberts' case was "mild" and that the 41-year-old winger was on medication. Roberts is listed as day to day.
