(SportsNetwork.com) – Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins aim to bounce
back from their second loss in three games when they visit the Detroit Red
Wings in Thursday’s encounter at Joe Louis Arena.
The Penguins hosted rival Philadelphia on Wednesday and dropped a 5-3 decision
as the Flyers used three third-period goals to skate away with the victory.
The setback gave Pittsburgh a 1-2-0 mark on a three-game homestand, but the
club hopes to stay unbeaten on the road tonight after posting a 5-2 decision
in Toronto on Oct. 11.
Nick Spaling picked up a goal and assist in Wednesday’s setback. Marcel Goc
and Pascal Dupuis also scored for the Penguins and Marc-Andre Fleury took the
loss after stopping 28-of-32 shots.
“We’re playing a team playing in back-to-back games and playing at home, we
should take advantage of that opportunity,” Crosby said.
Crosby and linemate Patric Hornqvist both were held without a point by
Philadelphia, marking the first time the duo was kept off the scoresheet this
season. Pittsburgh’s captain has four goals and five assists through five
games, while Hornqvist has eight points on four goals and four helpers.
Backup goaltender Thomas Greiss is expected to make his Penguins debut
tonight, spelling Fleury, who has started every game for his club this season.
Greiss, who spent last season with the Coyotes, signed a one-year deal with
Pittsburgh over the summer. The German netminder has played in 69 NHL games,
but has never faced the Red Wings.
Detroit hopes to get back in the win column Thursday after getting
dealt an overtime loss Tuesday in Montreal. Detroit had won two straight by
posting a home-and-home sweep of Toronto before dropping the 2-1 decision
against the Canadiens.
Detroit scored the game’s first goal with 6:19 left in the second period, but
Montreal’s Alex Galchenyuk sent the tilt to OT by scoring 3:09 before the end
of regulation. David Desharnais then won it for the Habs by scoring 56 seconds
into the extra session.
Henrik Zetterberg netted Detroit’s lone goal and Jimmy Howard turned aside 34-
of-36 shots in the loss. Montreal outshot the Red Wings by a 15-5 margin in
the third period and OT.
“I thought they were better than us in the third period,” Red Wings head coach
Mike Babcock said. “Price helped them by playing the puck and it’s harder to
get to him.”
Pavel Datsyuk, who missed the first five games of the season with a separated
right shoulder, tallied an assist in his season debut and appeared to put the
Red Wings up 2-0 with just over eight minutes to play in the third.
Datsyuk entered the zone up the right side, skated through the slot and sent a
backhander over the shoulder of Carey Price, but the goal was waved off due to
Justin Abdelkader’s incidental contact with the Montreal netminder.
Red Wings forward Johan Franzen could play Thursday after missing the last
two games with a lower-body injury.
Howard will get the start tonight and he boasts a 3-0-1 record and a 2.33 GAA
in his career against Pittsburgh.
The Pens have won two of three and four of the last six meetings with Detroit
and have claimed three of the past five encounters at Joe Louis Arena.
