KINGS REPORT
Red Wing forward Tomas Holmstrom gives new meaning to the phrase “taking one for the team.”
The rugged Swede takes hit after hit without flinching as he stands in front of the opposing team’s net and tries to screen goalies.
Monday, he was slightly farther away from King goalie Stephane Fiset than usual when he tipped Nicklas Lidstrom’s power-play blast into the net for the second goal in Detroit’s 2-1 victory, but he doesn’t mind standing in traffic and serving as a human pincushion.
“That’s my role,” he said. “If you stand in front of the net, you know you’re going to get banged up once or twice more than if you stand in the slot. You have to pay the price.”
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The Red Wings this season ranked eighth in penalty killing at 85.9%, but they have killed all 16 disadvantages they faced in their first three playoff games against the Kings.
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