Detroit Red Wings | featured news

The Detroit Red Wings look like they're going to get some much-needed help when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Johan Franzen scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and Chris Osgood made 31 saves, helping the defending champion Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The NHL went against its previous plan, pushing up the start of the Stanley Cup finals to avoid a long layoff. The league announced Wednesday night that Detroit will host Pittsburgh on Saturday night in Game 1 of the first championship rematch in 25 years. Last week, the NHL said the finals would begin June 5 if both conference finals were not decided by Tuesday.

Dan Cleary scored twice against the team that drafted him, leading the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday.

Forget all that talk about a playoff series being a long haul. It's been a sprint so far for the Detroit Red Wings, and they are drawing close to the finish line of their first-round series with Columbus.