beerman0303: Disregarding the play of the goalies, which team has played better hockey and how wide is the gap?

Shelly Anderson: If you just look at skaters, I'd call it a toss-up. There are times Detroit has clogged the neutral zone, but the Penguins probably have had more and better scoring chances. And the Penguins probably have a slight edge in physical play in what has been a physical series so far. The Red Wings are getting more offense from their secondary -- or even tertiary -- scorers.

ajt123: Well at least we have looked a little better than last year, but the result is the same ... Does Detroit just have our number or what exactly are we lacking to beat them?

Shelly Anderson: The Penguins can be better on faceoffs, particularly in key situations. Two of Detroit's goals have come off faceoff wins, I believe both after icing calls so that with this season's rules the Penguins had to go with tired players on a faceoff in their offensive zone.

praveen: Isn't Osgood the definition of clutch. Last year and this year, he just gets better as the playoffs progresses. Who cares about regular season?

Shelly Anderson: Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood is the subject of my story that will be in the Post-Gazette tomorrow. He was talking today about how he is fortunate to play on a team that regularly gets to and advances a way into the playoffs every year because he can gear his whole season toward getting ready. He wasn't happy with his regular season, but he loves the postseason, especially the final. And he seems to be especially inspired playing against the Penguins, not because he has any animosity but because they challenge him.

NCPenguinFan: I am not an expert in hockey, so I am not sure of all the rules, but shouldn't there have been a penalty on Detroit on these three plays - the broken stick just before the goal, the defenseman lying in the goal when Crosby tried to score, and the defenseman on top of the goalie in game 1?

Shelly Anderson: The Penguins certainly thought there should have been a penalty on former Penguins winger Marian Hossa when he seemed to slash winger Pascal Dupuis last night in the moments before Detroit scored a goal. Henrik Zetterberg, a tremendous two-way player, helped goaltender Chris Osgood twice this series by using his body to smother the puck in the crease. There is a debate over whether he closed his hand around the puck, which certainly is an illegal tactic.

pdupuis: What do you feel the chances are of Fleury stealing a game or two even if -- and I know that is a mighty big IF -- the series even gets back to Detroit?

Shelly Anderson: It's not a big a stretch to think the Penguins will win at least one of the next two games at Mellon Arena. There didn't seem to be much sentiment for a sweep before the series started. The Penguins came back from an 0-2 road start in the second round against Washington, although, granted, Detroit is a far more well-oiled machine. As for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, he certainly has the talent to be the difference in a game in this series. He has given up two fluky goals after bounces off the Joe Louis Arena lively boards and one soft goal to rookie Justin Abdelkader. Eliminate those situations in the next two games, and it could be enough for the Penguins to win. You would have to think they're going to get more than one goal at some point.

beerman0303: Does playing seven defensemen make more sense in the fact that the defensemen would be fresher and better suited to deal with the Wings pressure and net traffic, and it would also allow Sid and Malkin to see more ice time and possibly better matchups when double shifting with the fourth line?

Shelly Anderson: After shifting to seven defenseman in the wake of a knee injury to defenseman Sergei Gonchar, and even after Gonchar returned, coach Dan Bylsma switched back to his preferred lineup of six defensemen and the full contingent of 12 forwards, with winger Pascal Dupuis getting back in the lineup. Sometimes, having regular shifts with regular partners is just as important as the slightly fresher legs defensemen might have, to it's hard to say there's an advantage. Bylsma at times shuffled his lines in Game 2, sometimes still playing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with fourth-liners, and sometimes putting those two together.

RGBB_1: Why does it seem like there are more Red Wings on the ice at once?

Shelly Anderson: Because Detroit plays a very strong game. The Red Wings make the transition from defense to offense very quickly and in amazing unison. Credit coach Mike Babcock for that.

Nat: Has any further info been provided with Sykora's status -- i.e. injury/healthy scratch? Do you expect to know more once the playoffs are over?

Shelly Anderson: Winger Petr Sykora has been a healthy scratch for much of the playoffs. Whether that is based on his slump, a suspected shoulder injury or a combination of the two is conjecture, but until this weekend the Penguins have been winning without him, so it's likely coach Dan Bylsma saw no reason to change things. If nothing else, we'll get an idea of the nature of things when we see what happens with Sykora this summer, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

ajt123: Did it appear to you that the puck under Zetterberg's arm was a goal?

Shelly Anderson: The play was called no-goal by the officials on the ice. For it to be overturned on review and called a goal, there would have to be conclusive video evidence the puck crossed the goal line. No replay I saw showed such evidence.

craigmarilynmonroe: Do you think Malkin's fight at the end of the game was a show of selfish frustration? Luckily for him the NHL changed its rules this playoffs and decided to cast away with the instigator suspension.

Shelly Anderson: There's little question there was an element of frustration when Evgeni Malkin engaged Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg in a fight in the closing seconds of Game 2. We don't know exactly what was going through his mind because no one has been able to ask him. It's highly possible Malkin also was trying to provide a spark to his teammates going into Game 3 at home tomorrow.

ajt123: Fleury is a better than average goalie in my opinion however he does not seem to be able to shake the enigma status as he still has a tendency to let in the soft goal. Do you think this will haunt him forever and will his reputation be further tarnished if they lose this series?

Shelly Anderson: I can't predict the future. Every goaltender -- that includes Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden, Tom Barrasso and Chris Osgood -- gives up soft goals. Marc-Andre Fleury seems to draw a lot of heat when he does. Maybe that dates to his earliest NHL days when he relied more heavily on his athleticism than his technique, but he has improved the balance of the two at this point. The Penguins certainly are more than happy to continue with Fleury as their franchise goaltender, and regardless of what happens this series, it seems probable that Fleury will get many more chances to play in the postseason.

beerman0303: Any new word on the injury front? Will Datsyuk or any of the other injured Wings be returning to the lineup for game 3?

Shelly Anderson: The Red Wings didn' t practice today and coach Mike Babcock had no update on star Pavel Datsyuk, but his foot seems to be a problem. Babcock said Kris Draper (groin) could have played in Game 2, but he didn't want to change his lineup. He said he hasn't decided whether Draper will play tomorrow.

Shelly Anderson: Thanks, everyone. We'll return next week if the series is still going.