Alex Auld came up big with 31 saves for the Dallas Stars as they went on to battle their way past the Detroit Red Wings 3-1. Mike Ribeiro notched the first goal for Dallas on a power play 9:26 into the first period. Matt Kinskanen added to the lead early in the second before Henrik Zetterberg found the net for Detroit. From there the Stars defense was able to contain the high-power Red Wings offense, while Loui Eriksson tacked on the insurance with eight minutes to play.

The game was even closer than the box score shows after a controversial Brad May shot attempt 6:24 into the third period. May put the puck just inches past the goal line, but officials waved it off because a whistle had blown seconds earlier.

Detroit head coach Mike Babcock certainly wasn’t pleased with the way the situation was handled. “It wasn’t blown dead. It was a goal,” he said. “The guy never meant to blow the whistle. It was a shot.” Detroit can only look ahead to their next game against the Florida Panthers this Friday. The Stars will next welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to Dallas tomorrow at 8:30 PM.

Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom scored the only two goals in the first period for the Detroit Red Wings to handle the Boston Bruins Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena. Goalie Chris Osgood denied 29 Boston shot attempts, marking his 50th shutout and 394th career victory.

“I don’t put much merit in shutouts,” said Osgood. “The only thing they’re good for is that you know you have a great chance of winning the game. I grew up watching Grant Fuhr play and he was just about winning games, so that’s kind of my mentality.”

The Bruins after struggling in their last two games can only look ahead to matching up against the Canadiens this Thursday in Boston. Coach Claude Julien is done with the excuses, saying “we’re going to have to decide that we’re tired of hearing we had a good effort without winning.” After battling Montreal, the TD Garden will then play host to the Buffalo Sabres. Great Boston Bruins ticket deals are located right here at AceTicket.com!

Despite losing team captain Sidney Crosby early in the second period, the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied to win game 7 of the Stanley Cup championship. Max Talbot provided all of the Pens offense, scoring goals at the start and middle of the second period.  “Max came up with some big goals there,” Crosby said. “We don’t get to this point without everyone contributing. I knew the guys were going to find a way to pull it off.” With Talbot’s goals and Marc-Andre Fleury’s dramatic last-second diving save on a Nicklas Lidstrom shot, propelled Pittsburgh to win the rematch of last year’s championship series. “I knew there wasn’t much time left,” Fleury said. “The rebound was wide. I just decided to get my body out there and it hit me in the ribs so it was good.” The championship is the team’s third, the first since two in a row from 1990-1992.

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For the first time since 1983/1984, the Stanley Cup Championship will be a rematch of the previous year’s. In the 2007-2008 finals, the Red Wings won the series four games to two and sent the pride of the NHL, Sidney Crosby, home without any hardware. Detroit has a chance to extend their dynasty further if they can repeat.  Detroit has won four of the last 11 championships, and has made the playoffs every year since 1990. The Pittsburgh Penguins dominated the NHL in the 1990’s as well, winning two consecutive Cups and qualifying for the playoffs each season for the entire decade. It would take Sidney Crosby’s debut in 2005, as well as Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal joining the team the next year to help the Penguins gain a playoff berth.

The series starts on Saturday night. 2009 Stanley Cup Finals tickets are available now!

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings may be on a Stanley Cup finals collision course again. Both teams won the first games of their respective Conference Championship series’, and seem to have the edge in making it to the finals. The Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Carolina Hurricanes’ late charge on Monday to secure win number one. Pens defenseman Phillippe Boucher notched an assist, and his first playoff goal since 2004. Boucher sat for much of the regular season with a foot injury, and only dressed for four of Pittsburgh’s playoff games so far. Boucher made his presence felt in Monday’s game though.

“He’s been ready, he stayed ready and worked hard,” Pens coach Dan Bylsma told the AP’s Alan Robinson. “He didn’t get a lot of minutes, but when he did he cashed in.”

The Red Wings had an easier time than the Penguins, beating the Blackhawks 5-2 on Sunday night. Former Blackhawk Daniel Cleary victimized the team that drafted him, notching a goal at 8:23 to tie the game in the first period, as well as a late goal that put the nail in Chicago’s coffin.  “I wasn”t in Chicago very long, so no hard feelings,” Cleary said in a post-game press conference. Detroit’s defense was solid, and netminder Chris Osgood stopped 30 of 32 shots that made it to him. The Red Wings have won 4 of their last 5 games, and seem to have the momentum to carry them to the finals.

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On January 1st, 40,818 fans piled into Wrigley Field to watch the Blackhawks take on the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. Unlike last year’s bitterly cold and snowy affair, the skies were clear and the temperature was a relatively balmy 32 degrees.  The Blackhawks jumped out to the early lead, leading 3-1 after the first period. Jiri Hudler, who jump-started the Red Wings offense by scoring two of the three Detroit goals in the second period, was impressed by the atmosphere at Wrigley. “I kind of had my mouth open in the beginning,” Hudler told the AP’s Rick Gano. “We were all looking at each other during the anthem—‘Wow, this is awesome.” The Wings’ 6-4 win gives them an eight point lead over the Blackhawks in the Central division.

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The official seating chart for the 2009 NHL Winter Classic has been released! The New Year’s Day matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the season.

Tickets for the 2009 NHL Winter Classic are available now!

The NHL Winter Classic, hockey’s annual outdoor game, is coming to Wrigley field this season. Unlike last year’s Pittsburgh/Buffalo affair, the 2009 Classic may have implications in the results of the Western Conference Central Division.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have stepped it up recently. Both teams have fought through tough schedules to put up 7-1-2 records in the past ten, and have largely avoided the injury bug. With a game in hand, Chicago trails Detroit by 7 points - though the teams have had similar seasons so far. Red Wings RW Marian Hossa leads the team with 24 points, while Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane has 25.

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During January of next year the friendly confines of Wrigley Field will play host to the annual outdoor NHL game; the NHL Winter Classic. The Chicago Blackhawks will be matched up against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. Last year’s Classic featured the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres, and was played at Ralph Wilson stadium. The game set the NHL attendance record at 71,217, and was one of the most-watched NHL games in history.

Blackhawks executives hope that the 2009 Classic will resonate with the fans like the previous edition. The birds-eye-view camera angles and falling snow created an atmosphere that hockey fans raved about.

Prior to a Cubs game, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the classic will be played on January 1st at Wrigley.

 2009 NHL Winter Classic Tickets are available now!

Forget about summer, it’s free-agent signing season in the NHL. Over the past few days, rumors have been flying around about what market will land the big names out there like Jaromir Jagr and Mats Sundin.

Sundin was reportedly offered a 2-year, $20 million dollar contract from the Vancouver Canucks, a deal that would make him the leagues highest paid player.

“We put a major offer together to try and attract the player we felt was the best center iceman on the market,” said Canucks GM Mark Gillis. “It’s an indication we are prepared to do what it takes to attract the best players here.”

The big signing of today was by far the Detroit Red Wings landing Marian Hossa to a one-year deal worth reportedly $7.45 million dollars. The high-scoring wingman was one of the top players who propelled the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals, which they lost to Detroit in six games. Hossa is 29 years old.

The Chicago Blackhawks made two big signings landing probably the top defensemen on the market in Brian Campbell as well as goalie Cristobal Huet. Campbell signed an eight-year $57.12 million dollar deal and Huet inked a four-year contract worth $22.5 million.

The two other big defensemen to reach deals Tuesday were Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden, who both signed with the New York Rangers.

Rozsival re-signed with the Rangers for a four-year contract worth $20 million while Redden signs a six-year, $39 million dollar deal after skating with Ottawa last season.

Defensemen Jeff Finger, formerly of the Colorado Avalanche, signed a four-year $14 million dollar deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dallas landed forward Sean Avery to a four-year, $15.5 million dollar deal.

“We are excited about the opportunity to add a player like Sean Avery to our group,” Stars co-general manager Brett Hull said. “His ability to play the game with skill and tenacity makes us a better team and is a great complement to the players we have here.”

The Washington Capitals will say goodbye to longtime goalie Olie Kolzig after he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning after spending 16 seasons in Washington.

The New Jersey Devils got their hands in the mix of the free agent pool by signing Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik to contracts. Rolston agreed to a four-year, $20 million dollar deal while Holik signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million dollars.

The New York Islanders made a little noise by singing Montreal’s former defensemen Mark Streit to a five-year $20.5 million dollar contract while the Boston Bruins also signed a former Canadien in Michael Ryder to a multi-year deal.

With the NHL salary cap rising up this season, teams have not been shy about dishing out the money to lure top free-agents to their squads. Over the next two weeks, look for almost every free agent out there to receive offers from teams trying to help the players find a new place they can call home.