(Ed. Note: The Game 1 live-bloggin' was rather awesome, thanks to Matt "Puck Daddy, Jr." Romig and the thousands of readers who either read or participated. I take the wheel tonight, and we'll start rocking and rolling around 7:45ish EDT before Game 2. Please stop by, bring the funny and tell a friend.)

So what was the most hilarious moment of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals? Don Cherry dressed like a Mother's Day bouquet, sharing the same camera shot with Sopranos henchman Barry Melrose? Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins, diving into the finals with the most memorable introductory stumble since The Shockmaster debuted on WCW? That the mainstream sports media couldn't trot out a negative ratings story about the NHL for the first time since, what, 1994?

Those were funny; but the notion that the Penguins could possibly penetrate that Detroit Red Wings' team defense with a performance like that was utterly comical. The Pens and coach Michel Therrien agree, shaking up their lines and bringing Gary Roberts back into the lineup for what they hope is an emotional lift. Sidney Crosby downplayed the line-shuffle -- "We've done it a lot all season, so I don't think it's a huge deal" -- but it's a rather revealing moment for Ryan Malone and Evgeni Malkin. If Therrien sticks with the current combinations, moving Malone up with Crosby and Marian Hossa is a rather brilliant decision for the top line; he's a good compliment to both of their styles. Putting Max Talbot with Malkin is putting one of the best grinders on the roster with a player mired in a devastating offensive slump; perhaps Therrien's hoping for Talbot to open up some ice so Malkin can get a few more shots, but also lead by example?

The biggest news on the Red Wings side of the series is the return of Johan Franzen tonight after missing several games with concussion-like symptoms. Like I said Saturday: It'll be interesting to measure the temperature of his hockey stick after this layoff. Is Franzen still going to be the goal-scoring juggernaut he was before the injury? Better question: Can Franzen still play his aggressive brand of hockey around the crease while the NHL continues its war on Tomas Holmstrom's antics?

Game 2 will hopefully improve on the rather lackluster Game 1; the Penguins don't have to win tonight to still win the series, but they have to counterpunch against that defense and Chris Osgood, who is proving to be one of the best big-game goalies in recent hockey history.