DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings kept rolling without their hottest player.
Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg scored first-period goals to help make up for the loss of Johan Franzen and Detroit held on for a 2-1 win Saturday night over the Dallas Stars and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
Stephane Robidas tied it at 1 midway through the first period, but the Stars struggled to get shots to or past Chris Osgood.
Dallas’ Marty Turco made 32 saves, but the former University of Michigan star fell to 0-9-2 in the NHL at Joe Louis Arena. Osgood needed to stop just 17 shots, improving to 8-0 as a starter in the playoffs this season.
Game 3 is Monday night in Dallas.
The game at Joe Louis Arena ended in ugly fashion as Osgood used the handle of his stick to poke at Dallas’ Mike Ribeiro when he skating past the net. Ribeiro then slashed Osgood across the chest from behind the net.
“Even if I did butt-end him, it was an accident,” Osgood said. “I was trying to protect our best player, Nick Lidstrom, so he didn’t get run.”
After watching a replay, Dallas coach Dave Tippett blamed Osgood for the fracas.
“Ribeiro is actually letting up on the guy and Osgood just sticks his stick out and butt-ends him,” Tippett said. “Ribeiro is not going to turn around and chop the goalie like that without having something happening.
“I looked at it and said, `What’s he doing?’ until I went in and looked at the tape.”
Tippett was asked if he expected the NHL to suspend Osgood.
“That’s for the higher powers to figure out,” Tippett said.
Following some scuffling, Ribeiro was called for a match penalty.
The Red Wings had a setback before the game, announcing Franzen was scratched from the lineup and would miss the following game because of concussion-like symptoms. He’s had recurring headaches since early in the previous series.
Franzen has scored an NHL-high 27 times since March 2, a 27-game roll that includes a league-high and franchise-record 12 goals in the postseason. He is the first player to score 12 playoff goals since Rob Brind’Amour for Carolina in 2006.
The player known as Mule matched a team playoff record with a goal in the series-opening win over Dallas, extending his scoring streak to five games. Gordie Howe pulled off the feat in 1949 and ‘64. Ted Lindsay scored in five consecutive games in 1952.
Franzen has 15 points in 11 playoff games, tying Jaromir Jagr of the already-eliminated New York Rangers.
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