Johan Franzen was one of the few Red Wings who skated Tuesday as the team prepared to continue the Stanley Cup finals.
Then again, Franzen needed the practice, since Wednesday night’s Game 3 in Pittsburgh will be only Franzen’s second game since being sidelined two-plus weeks because of concussion-like symptoms.
Franzen played 16 minutes 21 seconds in Monday’s 3-0 victory, set up the third goal and served as something of a target for the Penguins. Franzen was run into by Gary Roberts, took a punch to the head from Roberts and was clipped in the leg by Maxime Talbot.
“Felt good,” Franzen said Tuesday. “It’s playoff hockey, so you have to expect getting hit a few times.”
If anything, the Penguins’ style inspired Franzen.
“I’m going to try to give some cheap shots as well,” he said.
Roberts suggested after the game the hit was Franzen’s fault, saying, “He actually tried to throw his shoulder into me, I think. I was trying to backcheck and he threw his shoulder into me and my shoulder hit him, maybe hit him on the side of the face. But there was no intent there.”
Roberts’ postgame accusation was one of many absorbed by the Red Wings, who also heard Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien complain they clutch and grab.
“They’re good on obstruction,” Therrien said. “It’s going to be tough to generate any type of offense if the rules remain the same. So it’s the first time we’re facing a team that the obstruction is there, and we’re having a hard time skating to take away ice.”
Both Therrien and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said Chris Osgood dived to get the two goalie-interference calls, one on Petr Sykora and another on Ryan Malone.
“I don’t think he’s a guy who purposely stays out of the way from that kind of stuff,” Crosby said. “He’s not afraid to get in there and stir things up.”
Osgood said he’d been called worse than a diver, adding: “I’m more concerned about the next game than about this game.”
He is taking a 137:33 shutout streak into Game 3.
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