TAMPA, Fla. — Pavel Datsyuk scored twice and Petr Mrazek had 44 saves in his NFL playoff debut to help the Detroit Red Wings beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series Thursday night.
Datsyuk scored on two of the first four shots the Red Wings got against Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop. Luke Glendening’s short-handed goal gave Detroit a 3-1 lead early in the third period.
Mrazek, named Detroit’s starter for Game 1 over veteran Jimmy Howard, gave up a short-handed goal to Brian Boyle in the first period and a late goal to Nikita Nesterov that enabled the Lightning to pull within 3-2.
Tampa Bay outshot the Red Wings 46-14, but went 0 for 7 on the power-play – failing to even get a shot off on the final opportunity in the closing seconds of the game.
RANGERS 2, PENGUINS 1: Derick Brassard and Ryan McDonough scored in the first period and Henrik Lundqvist made the goals stand up as host New York beat Pittsburgh.
New York shut down Pittsburgh’s top threats, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, for a fourth straight victory over the Penguins in the postseason. The Rangers won the final three games of a second-round series last year, rallying from a 3-1 deficit.
In compiling the best record in the NHL, the Rangers finished 15 points ahead of Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference. But after the first period, these were two very even teams, with Lundqvist and Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury particularly outstanding. Lundqvist finished with 24 saves, while Fleury was far busier in making 36.
Blake Comeau scored in the second period for Pittsburgh.
Game 2 is in New York on Saturday night.
Brassard got things started only 28 seconds in when Fleury sent the rebound of Rick Nash’s hard slap shot directly into the slot. Brassard was uncovered for a quick wrist shot, the center screaming in delight as the puck went in.
The Garden fans were celebrating again late in the period when New York’s slumping power play connected. On its third of four man-advantages – and the only one that threatened – in the opening 20 minutes, McDonough’s slapper from midpoint sneaked past Fleury.
Although New York kept control early in the second period, Comeau lifted the Penguins within one, knocking in a rebound with congestion around Lundqvist’s crease for his first career playoff goal. That perked up the Penguins, with Malkin and Brandon Sutter getting dangerous chances, and Lundqvist flashing his right pad to thwart Maxim Lapierre.
NOTES
SENATORS: Right wing Mark Stone suffered a microfracture of his right wrist and some ligament damage, and his status is “very questionable” for the remainder of Ottawa’s first-round playoff series with Montreal, General Manager Brian Murray said.
Stone was slashed by Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban at 8:23 of the second period of Wednesday’s series opener. After skating off to the dressing room, he returned to action, but wasn’t effective.
Murray urged the league to suspend Subban.
“The disturbing part from our point of view is that there was a threat made before by Subban to Stone,” Murray said.
“There were two attempts on faceoffs to slash him, one connected. Then he two-handed him across the wrist in front of the net. (Stone) has been one of the top five players in the league the last two months of the year. It’s huge loss.”
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