Red Wings – Penguins Exhibition Postgame Notes

I’d love to give a review of the Red Wings’ 5-1 loss to the Penguins in their exhibition opener (and the first game in Pittsburgh’s new CONSOL Energy Center) but I didn’t actually see any of it.

I swear preseason games used to get more coverage in Detroit. Does anyone have a broadcast schedule from 2001? I thought we saw every game that year. I don’t remember missing any, at least. Since then we get three games at best, most of them home games where tickets are available.

The big news is that Johan Franzen left the game with a charley horse after taking a knee from Brooks Orpik. Todd Bertuzzi jumped Orpik and got ejected for his trouble. Franzen says he’ll be fine and is going to sit for a few days but I have to wonder why the Red Wings obliged the Penguins by sending anyone NHL-worthy to the game.

Five goals against is going to lead questions about Chris Osgood, so it should come as no surprise that The Chief jumps on that. Saler points out that it could also mean trouble with the defense, not just Osgood sucking.

Who knows, since none of us saw it?