From AP Sports:
So much for the demise of the Detroit Red Wings. Not only are they headed back to the Stanley Cup finals, they’re again looking like the club that dominated the regular season and most of the playoffs.After consecutive losses hinted at vulnerability, the Red Wings bounced back strong in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, getting first-period goals from Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk and Dallas Drake on their way to knocking out the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Monday night.
“We were relentless,” Draper said. “It was just a solid first period and obviously the difference in the hockey game. … We’re back in the Stanley Cup and it sounds great for us.”
Detroit led this series 3-0 before running into trouble. Now that the fear of a collapse is gone, the focus turns to winning its fourth championship in 11 seasons. The Red Wings will face the Pittsburgh Penguins starting Saturday at Joe Louis Arena, with the schedule following a Saturday-Monday-Wednesday pattern.
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The Red Wings and Penguins did not meet this season. They did the two previous years and Detroit won both. … This will be the first Detroit-Pittsburgh finals. … It also will be the first all-American finals since 2003, when New Jersey faced Anaheim. … The team that scored first won every game this series. … Detroit is the first Presidents’ Trophy winners to make the finals since its 2002 club did it.
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