Red Wings Take 2-0 Series Lead over Flames

The Detroit Red Wings jumped out to an early lead in game two of their first-round playoff matchup with the Calgary Flames and rode that lead to a 3-1 victory, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series.

Pavel Datsyuk scored just 62 seconds into the first period to get the Red Wings on the board. Datsyuk stole the puck along the right wing boards in the Calgary zone and cut to the side of the slot, whipping a wrister over the shoulder of Flames’ netminder Miikka Kiprusoff.

The Flames tried to get physical with the Wings to get back in the game but it just put them in the penalty box and Detroit made them pay.

With the Red Wings on a five-on-three at 3:50 of the first, Nicklas Lidstrom put a one-timer past Kiprusoff from the top of the right circle.

The Flames wouldn’t cut into Detroit’s lead until 2:42 of the second period when a Dion Phaneuf blast from the right point deflected off of Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios and fluttered over the glove of goaltender Dominik Hasek for a power play goal. It would be their only goal of the game.

Valtteri Filppula added an insurance goal for the Red Wings at 6:05 of the third period, fighting past Kristian Huselius to get to the rebound of of a Johan Franzen shot on a rush, lifting it over Kiprusoff.

All three Detroit scorers had also scored in game one of the series.

For the second straight game, Kiprusoff kept his team in it, making 48 saves on 51 shots against. Hasek faced only 13 shots, stopping 12.

The Red Wings went 1-for-8 on the power play, scoring on one of two five-on-three chances. The Flames scored once on five chances with the extra attacker and one five-on-three.

The series shifts to Calgary for game three on Tuesday night from the Pengrowth Saddledome.

---

The Red Wings were without forward Todd Bertuzzi for the third-straight game… Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr left the game in the second period. He had missed game one.