Red Wings Forced to Grind It Out

Detroit has discovered how tough it is to score against Carolina, so the play of Coach Scotty Bowman’s reunited “Grind Line” will be the key for the Red Wings for the rest of the Stanley Cup finals.

With the best-of-seven series tied at 1-1 heading into tonight’s Game 3 at Carolina’s Entertainment & Sports Arena, Kirk Maltby, Darren McCarty and Kris Draper will be counted on to do the dirty work for the Red Wings, thanks to the Hurricanes’ smothering style.

“There’s not a lot of room out there and it’s that they play such a great trapping style,” McCarty said. “You have got to have a lot of patience. With our style of play, this really benefits us a little bit more, where we can get in there and play the body and grind it around. That’s where we are at our best.”

Over the first two games, Detroit’s big guns have been shooting blanks. Captain Steve Yzerman and fellow wingers Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille and Igor Larionov have not scored. The Hurricanes have effectively shut down Yzerman & Co. with their ability to block shots and cut off passing lanes.

That has not been the case for the Red Wing grinders. Maltby and Draper have accounted for three of Detroit’s five goals against Carolina goaltender Arturs Irbe.

“I think we feel confident with our game,” said Draper, who scored the clinching goal in Game 2. “We are a line that likes to get in there and cycle the puck and take it to the net. We feel strong, playing down low, getting loose pucks and creating chances for one another.

“Maybe we feel that we can be a factor in this series.”

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Both teams still seem confused by the officiating. There have been 33 penalties in the two games and minor infractions that might not have been called in the first three rounds of the playoffs are being called now.

Neither Carolina Coach Paul Maurice nor Bowman is complaining, though.

“It works the same for both teams, so there shouldn’t be advantages for one or the other,” Maurice said.

Bowman said it’s not fair to condemn officials because they are only doing their job.

“They get criticized, whatever they do,” he said. “There’s always been criticism that they are not going to call this, not going to call that.

“There’s more focus now. Everybody is watching, especially the hockey world and their supervisors. There’s less chance to get away [with penalties] now.”

Despite the penalties, there hasn’t been a lot of scoring, since neither team has been effective on the power play. Detroit is two for 15, Carolina one for 14.

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In good shape and without any physical problems, Mario Lemieux said he will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins next season.... John MacLean of the Dallas Stars, a 19-year NHL player and two-time All-Star, has retired.