Cats Stopped By Wings

 

Florida Panthers' Nathan Horton, right, looks around the defense of Detroit Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom during the first period of their NHL hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)

DETROIT (AP) -Valtteri Filppula fooled Tomas Vokoun with a move that the Florida goalie could have seen on TV this week.

Filppula converted one of a Detroit-record two penalty shots in the Red Wings' 5-2 victory over the Panthers on Saturday night, using the same move he used to beat Nashville's Dan Ellis on a penalty shot Monday night.

Filppula beat Vokoun with a fake and a high backhand shot.

"I figured I'd go with the same move," Filppula said. "I figured the goalie wouldn't have seen it yet."

It was the first time in team history that Detroit has had two penalty shots in a game, and Filppula's goal was the Red Wings' first successful regular-season attempt since Nov. 27, 1992.

"I've never been in a game with two penalty shots, ever," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.

Filppula was given the penalty shot with 8:43 left when Vokoun threw his stick as Filppula attempted to score. In the second period, Pavel Datsyuk was awarded a penalty shot after being pulled down on a breakaway, but Vokoun stopped him.

Game Highlights
Starting Lineups
Panthers		Red Wings
Jokinen	C	Zetterberg
Peltonen	LW	Datsyuk
Horton	RW	Cleary
Bouwmeester	D	Lidstrom
Allen	D	Rafalski
Vokoun	G	Osgood
PhotoGallery
Panthers vs Red Wings
Quote of the Game
"That's a first-place team. But it's not too much to ask players to work their butt off on every shift" - captain Olli Jokinen
Stat of the Game
Receiving credit for the only assist on Radek Dvorak's second period goal, Tomas Vokoun moved to the top of the league in assists by a goaltender with four. He was tied with his goaltending counterpart in the game, Chris Osgood.
3 Stars Presented by Szrio Jewelry
1. Pavel Datsyuk 2. Brian Rafalski 3. Tomas Vokoun

Rafalski also had an assist, Datsyuk had a goal and an assist, and Johan Franzen added a goal for the NHL-leading Red Wings, 3-for-6 on the power play. Henrik Zetterberg had two assists, and Chris Osgood made 33 saves.

Olli Jokinen and Radek Dvorak scored for Florida, and Vokoun stopped 41 shots.

Franzen's power-play goal 8:58 into the second period tied it at 2 for Detroit. He put in a rebound from a goal-mouth scramble for his fourth goal.

Cleary gave the Red Wings a 3-2 lead, putting a rebound between Vokoun's pads 5:40 into the third period for his 10th goal.

Cleary played on Detroit's top line with Zetterberg and Datsyuk because Tomas Holmstrom missed his second game with a knee injury.

"I always wonder why Homer smiles every day. Now I know," Cleary said. "They (Zetterberg and Datsyuk) have the puck all night. As a player, that makes it easy."

Rafalski made it a two-goal cushion at 6:44, scoring a power-play goal on a slap shot from the high slot. It was Rafalski's fourth goal.

"When the game was 4-2, some of our guys quit playing," said Jokinen, the Panthers' captain. "That's a first-place team. But it's not too much to ask players to work their butt off on every shift."

The Red Wings actually had a two-man advantage because Rostislav Olesz had been hit in the left leg by Mikael Samuelsson's shot a few seconds before Franzen scored and could barely move in the high slot area, holding his left leg off the ice for much of the time. Olesz was helped off the ice after the goal but returned in the third period.

Florida scored twice early in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

Just 46 seconds into the middle period, Jokinen's attempted pass in front bounced up off Detroit' Nicklas Lidstrom's stick, hit his chest and bounced into the empty side of the net. Dvorek was credited with a goal at 4:59 when the rebound of his shot caromed in off Chris Chelios' skate.

"Just one of those things," Babcock said. "No sense worrying about it."

Datsyuk gave Detroit a 1-0 lead with a 5-on-3 power-play goal 6:18 into the game. He converted a cross-crease from Zetterberg for his 13th goal.

"We stood around and weren't part of the game," Vokoun said.

Notes: Detroit C Kris Draper (knee) and LW Kirk Maltby (back) also missed the game. ... Florida LW David Booth (knee) didn't play. ... The Panthers last played in Detroit exactly four years ago, Dec. 15, 2003. ... It was Babcock's 200th win.