No. 1 star, Michael Frolik(notes), Florida Panthers:
The 21-year-old center, who burst on the scene with 21 goals and 45 points as a rookie last season, kept Florida's recent hot streak intact by contributing his first multi-goal effort of the season. Frolik scored the first of his two goals at 18:21 of the first period to tie host Buffalo. His power-play goal, and sixth marker of the season, at 17:58 of the third period gave the Panthers a 4-2 lead and was one of four visitors' goals scored in the final period. After a slow start, Florida has now won six of nine games.

No. 2 star, Alex Auld(notes), Dallas Stars:
The backup goalie strolled into Detroit and stopped 31 of 32 shots to enable the Stars to halt the Red Wings' three-game winning streak. Auld spearheaded a perfect night on the penalty kill as Dallas snuffed out all four of Detroit's power plays.

No. 3 star, Brian Boucher(notes), Philadelphia Flyers:
The Flyers' backup gave Ray Emery(notes) a rare night off and rewarded the coach's decision by winning on the road. Boucher was up to the task, especially in the third period when Los Angeles managed to slip only one of 21 shots past the goalie. Boucher stopped 37 shots in all.

Honorable mention: Panthers defenseman Keith Ballard(notes) hit the score sheet with three assists, three blocked shots and three hits during 25:08 of ice time. … Brad Richards(notes) and James Neal(notes) had two assists apiece while Stephane Robidas(notes) contributed seven hits and an assist during 23:49 of ice time for the Stars. … Coyotes forward Scottie Upshall(notes) scored the game-winning goal late in the third period just 19 seconds after the host Wild tied the game. Radim Vrbata(notes) scored a goal, added an assist, had seven shots on goal and six others wide for Phoenix. … Patrick O'Sullivan(notes) earned the game-winning goal for Edmonton, which rallied impressively. … Rookie Chris Durno(notes) picked up his first NHL point on the second of Milan Hejduk's(notes) two goals.

Did you know?: The six goals allowed to Florida were the most Buffalo has surrendered in a game this season.

Dishonorable mention: Tough night for Derek Roy(notes) as the Sabres' center was scoreless, a minus-2 and lost nine of 11 draws. … Even tougher night for referees Stephane Auger and Dennis LaRue in Detroit, both bungling Brad May's(notes) apparent game-tying goal early in the third period. … It wasn't much better in St. Paul where Owen Nolan(notes) was whistled for a phantom high stick late.

No. 1 star, Ryan Miller(notes), Buffalo Sabres:
The Sabres' goalie continued his Vezina-like start by out-dueling Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff(notes), who was sporting an 0.99 goals-against average over his last four games. Miller made 25 saves in regulation and three out of four in the shootout as Buffalo snapped the Flames' four-game winning streak. The league leader in goals-against average, Miller has sparked the Sabres into a tie with the New Jersey Devils for having allowed the fewest number of goals for the season with 35 apiece.

No. 2 star, Rick Nash(notes), Columbus Blue Jackets:
The team's captain scored a goal in regulation and the winner in a shootout to help the Blue Jackets bounce back from their worst home loss in franchise history earlier in the week to knock off the visiting and desperate Ducks. Nash put two shots on goal, was credited with one block and one hit during and a season-high 26:06 of ice time spread over 34 shifts.

No. 3 star, Kyle Okposo(notes), New York Islanders:
The 21-year-old second-year forward, suffering from swine flu that forced him to miss New York's most recent game, intercepted a clearing attempt and snapped a shot past Carolina goalie Manny Legace(notes) with 14.4 seconds remaining in overtime to improve the Islanders to 6-2-3 in their last 11 games. Okposo also added an assist during his impressive 21:23 of ice time.

Honorable mention: Brian Pothier(notes) scored a go-ahead goal, Dave Steckel(notes) won 15 of 18 draws and goalie Semyon Varlamov(notes) stopped 29 of 30 shots as the Capitals won a fourth straight without the injured Alexander Ovechkin. … Islanders rookie John Tavares(notes) enjoyed the first multi-goal game of his career with a pair at Carolina. … Two goals and a pair of assists apiece from Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) and Maxim Afinogenov(notes), along with two goals from rookie Evander Kane(notes), led the Thrashers' assault of the Kings. … Miikka Kiprusoff made 32 saves during his 400th career game. … Mathieu Garon(notes) had 32 saves and improved to 17-4 in shootouts to win during his first home start for Columbus. … Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith(notes) scored a goal and added an assist during 26:27 of ice time.

Did you know?: The Hurricanes have allowed three or more goals in 11 straight games and have not won since Oct. 9.

Dishonorable mention: The Ducks went 0-for-5 on the power play in Columbus and are without a power-play goal in 11 chances over two games. … Defenseman Bryan Rodney turned the puck over with less than 15 seconds left in overtime that resulted in the game-losing goal for the Hurricanes, who tied a franchise record by going a 14th straight game without a win. … Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn(notes) had a brutal giveaway to Patrick Kane(notes) to allow Chicago to jump out in front early on Toronto.

No. 1 star, Anze Kopitar(notes), Los Angeles Kings:
The league's leader in points scored two more goals on Thursday night to help the Kings pin the first road loss of the season on the Penguins, who had won seven straight on foreign ice. Kopitar has 13 goals and 26 points in 16 games as Los Angeles is riding its longest points streak of eight games (6-0-2) since November of 2000. After scoring just 27 seconds after the opening faceoff, Kopitar's second of the night tied the game 2-2 6:17 into a third period in which the Kings scored four unanswered goals. A plus-2 with three hits, Kopitar put seven shots on goals (five other attempts were wide) and won 13 of 23 faceoffs during a forward-leading 22:51 of ice time.

No. 2 star, Jonas Hiller(notes), Anaheim Ducks:
The Ducks' netminder made 40 saves for his fifth career shutout and Anaheim's first blanking since Jan. 17 of last season. Hiller was making his fourth straight start, and spearheaded Anaheim's perfect 5-for-5 night on the penalty kill.

No. 3 star, Jason Spezza(notes), Ottawa Senators:
The veteran center finally found the back of the net for the first time this season and he picked a fine time to do it – scoring 4:17 into sudden death on the power play to send the Senators past the Lightning. Spezza added two assists, too, to enjoy his second three-point game of the season. Spezza put four shots on goal, blocked one shot and won 10 of 18 draws.

Honorable mention: Anaheim's Teemu Selanne(notes) scored two goals, including the game-winner on a power play, and passed Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau to move into 38th place on the all-time scoring list (1,221 points). … Raffi Torres(notes) has eight goals already with two more in Columbus' win. … Rangers goalie Steve Valiquette made 26 saves and Ales Kotalik(notes) chipped in three points during a win at Edmonton. … Ilya Bryzgalov(notes) made 31 saves for a Phoenix win in Glendale. … Evgeni Nabokov(notes) stopped 36 of 37 in regulation before falling in the shootout. The San Jose goalie has permitted only seven goals in the last seven games. … Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg(notes) and Montreal's Michael Cammalleri(notes) each scored shootout winners. … Lars Eller(notes) scored his first goal in his first career game making the 20-year-old the 12th St. Louis Blues' rookie to score in his NHL debut. … Kyle Brodziak(notes) scored two goals in Minnesota's loss. … Alex Burrows(notes) had goal and an assist to support Andrew Raycroft's(notes) 28 saves for Vancouver. … Dion Phaneuf(notes) scored Calgary's game-winning goal in overtime. … Wondering why Patric Hornqvist(notes) at a minus-2 is in this category? He's here because the 22-year-old Nashville forward cranked 10 shots on goal and had 10 shot attempts.

Did you know?: The Sharks have won only four times in 34 all-time regular-season games in Detroit, yet San Jose has won three of nine Stanley Cup playoffs games – including a Game 7 – at Joe Louis Arena.

Dishonorable mention: The Bruins scored a goal for the first time in three games, and only one goal. They went 192:06 between goals, and came within 52 seconds of getting blanked for a third straight game for the first time since Eddie Shore and the 1928-29 team, which did go on and earn Boston its first Stanley Cup the same season. … Chicago's Patrick Kane(notes) and Patrick Sharp(notes) missed consecutive breakaway attempts in the second period against Phoenix. … Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom(notes) was pulled for the first time this season after allowing four goals on 17 shots. … A season-low crowd of 10,878 was announced in Atlanta for the Thrashers' game against the Blue Jackets.

No. 1 star, Anze Kopitar(notes), Los Angeles Kings:
The 22-year-old Yugoslavian-born superstar in training had no three-goal games in the first 245 of his NHL career, but Anze Kopitar needed less than half a game on Thursday night to collect his initial hat trick. Kopitar scored a highlight-reel goal at even-strength 3:54 into the game against the Stars. He notched a power-play goal at 7:17 of the second and capped his big night with a backhander past Stars goalie Alex Auld(notes) at 9:55. Kopitar has eight goals, one short of league leaders Alexander Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk(notes), who are tied at nine apiece. The Kings, winners in overtime, are 5-1 this season and 44-22-8 overall when Kopitar (five shots, 22:09 of ice time) scores a goal.

No. 2 star, Adrian Aucoin(notes), Phoenix Coyotes:
The veteran defenseman became upstart Phoenix's latest hero for the night when his pinpoint wrist shot from the far edge of the right circle caught Chris Osgood(notes) a bit deep in his net 1:57 into overtime for the Coyotes' winner. Aucoin rushed the puck through center and over the Detroit line, out-hustling a couple of Red Wing defenders to get just enough room to attempt the shot. Aucoin, who logged 19:56 of ice time, assisted on Phoenix's first goal, put four shots on target and was credited with two hits.

No. 3 star, J.P. Dumont(notes), Nashville Predators:
The speedy and experienced right wing had a big night for the offensively-challenged Predators, who managed to earn a win on the road. Dumont scored a goal and added four assists, figuring in on the scoring on all but one of Nashville's six goals. His second goal of the season gave the Preds an early 2-0 lead. Dumont had two primary assists in addition to being a plus-3 with three shots during 13:35 of ice time.

Honorable mention: Two goals, three assists and 11 shots on goal for Dustin Penner(notes) during a win over Columbus as the Edmonton forward moves into fourth place in the league scoring race with 14 points. Teammate Ales Hemsky(notes) enjoyed a big night, too, with a goal and four assists. … Nashville defensemen Shea Weber(notes) and Ryan Suter(notes) scored two goals apiece. … Pavel Datsyuk(notes) returned from missing a pair of games with an injury to assist each of Detroit's two goals. … Tampa Bay's second-year forward Steven Stamkos(notes) scored two goals and goalie Mike Smith(notes) won for the first time since last January. … Kovalchuk now shares the league lead in goal-scoring with Ovechkin. … Three assists for Jason Spezza(notes) on a night Ottawa explodes for five goals in the final 18:49 of regulation. … Jaroslav Halak(notes) stopped 21 of 22 shots and, yes, we do have a goalie controversy in Montreal. … Two goals (one an empty-netter) for Zach Parise(notes) as the Devils skate on the Rangers' ice for victory. – Claude Giroux's(notes) trick shot is the decider in a shootout as Philly downs Boston.

Did you know: When Tampa Bay's 19-year-old James Wright(notes) beat San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov(notes) all of 30 seconds into the game it marked the 71st time a player collected his first career goal against the Sharks.

Dishonorable mention: Ryane Clowe(notes) sounds like he's close to being a healthy scratch, following up comments from San Jose coach Todd McLellan in the morning skate that the winger needs to get his game together pronto with another goal-less night – that's 10 straight to start the season after signing a big-money, multi-year contract in the offseason. … The Predators not only coughed up a 3-0 lead in the third period, they surrendered five goals in the final 20 minutes including a game-tying marker while on the power play with 1.6 seconds remaining. … It wasn't so much Ovechkin's second pointless game of the season, but the fact he took a tripping penalty in the final 30 seconds of a one-goal game that puts the Capitals' superstar in this category. … Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec(notes) was mercifully pulled after allowing three goals in an 88-second span of the second period, the first of which was an 85-foot clearing attempt that he claimed hit an ice chip before settling in the back of the net.

No. 1 star, Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals:
Alexander Ovechkin gets all the headlines for his goal-scoring, but besides lighting the lamp twice on Thursday night he was a leader when the Capitals needed it most. Winless in their last four games after starting the second with consecutive wins, Ovechkin knew the last thing Washington needed was a team traveling cross country to step on the Caps' home ice and extend the host's recent slide. Ovechkin and Co. established they would dictate the tempo early. Ovechkin didn't score in the opening period, but he put San Jose on its heels with eight shots on net and another three wide. His two goals within a 28-second span early in the second period broke it open against the Sharks. Ovechkin now has a league-high seven goals for the year and he's the leading scorer with 434 points since the NHL returned from the lockout that canceled the entire 2004-05 season.

No. 2 star, Milan Michalek(notes), Ottawa Senators:
Don't look now, but one of the forwards traded for Dany Heatley(notes) has only one fewer goal than the ex-disgruntled Senator. That's because the left wing Michalek displayed his speed and skill against beleaguered Tampa Bay, which allowed two short-handed goals to quiet Czech and a power-play goal to boot. Michalek has four goals now as a Senator.

No. 3 star, Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
The Swedish-born future Hall of Famer added to his credentials with two assists to become the eighth defenseman in the history of the game and fourth Red Wing overall to collect 1,000 career points. The six-time Norris Trophy winner has 229 goals and 771 assists in 1,336 career games.

Honorable mention: Phoenix's Ed Jovanovski(notes) crashed the net and had a puck deflect somewhere off of him to count as the game-winner 3:37 into overtime against visiting St. Louis, a goal that stood after a lengthy review. … Eighteen-year-old Ryan O'Reilly(notes) scored his first career goal at the Bell Centre in Montreal, the very same building in which the Colorado Avalanche drafted him four months earlier. … Jarkko Ruutu(notes) scored a goal and added two assists while Daniel Alfredsson(notes) chipped in three helpers during the Senators' rout. … The Lightning have played six games this season and Martin St. Louis(notes) has at least one point in ever one of them. … Two assists, two blocked shots in six seconds short of 26 minutes on the ice for Brent Seabrook(notes) of Chicago, which got five blocked shots from fellow defenseman Brent Sopel(notes).

Did you know?: It took four career games to make San Jose the 29th and final opponent – assuming he remains a Washington Capital his entire career and there is no further expansion – against which Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal. Then it took 28 seconds to get career goal No. 2 against the Sharks.

Dishonorable mention: This whole 100th anniversary thing just isn't working out for the Montreal Canadiens. The storied franchise lost at home on Thursday, the 100th home opener in franchise history. … The Sharks didn't start their six-game Eastern road trip off on the right skate. They took five minor penalties in the first period and faced two 5-on-3s in Washington en route to a lackluster loss. … The Predators managed only 13 shots at home against a Blackhawks' team that played the previous night.

No. 1 star, Jordan Staal(notes), Pittsburgh Penguins:
He scored the most pivotal goal of the series, and it might be the one that's looked back upon if the Penguins dethrone the defending champions. Killing the second of consecutive Detroit power plays, Staal took off at center with the puck determined to drive the Red Wings' net. After exhibiting his breakaway speed to gain an advantage, Staal dipped his left shoulder under scrambling Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski(notes) for better leverage. Staal capped it with a skillful shot that beat Chris Osgood(notes) and tied the game 2-2, a strike that ignited a three-goal surge over the next 5:37 to turn a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead. Staal, who also assisted Evgeni Malkin's(notes) first-period goal, managed four shots during his 18:22 of ice time. And yes, we're cutting him some major slack for a 2-13 night in the faceoff circle.

No. 2 star, Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), Pittsburgh Penguins:
The goalie, who seems most comfortable at home, was stellar. There were times when the Wings could have made it much tighter, but Fleury just would not allow Detroit to get that third goal. He had 37 saves in all and spearheaded a perfect 4-for-4 night on Pittsburgh's penalty kill.

No. 3 star, Evgeni Malkin/Sidney Crosby(notes), Penguins:
Pittsburgh's two biggest stars were brilliant. Malkin scored the pivotal first goal and had an assist. He has 35 points to lead all playoff scorers. Crosby had a goal and an assist as well, but more importantly he had the Pens playing the game at a pace that made the Wings look like they were uncomfortable for a change, especially Henrik Zetterberg(notes), which is a huge surprise.

Major penalty: Detroit's special teams had only been a minor nuisance – namely the penalty kill – during these Stanley Cup playoffs. But on Thursday night they were downright dreadful. Allowing a short-handed goal on the second of consecutive power plays was a game- and possible series-changing event for the defending champs. Rafalski was too casual at center and lost his defensive posture against Staal. Detroit's power play has now produced as many goals in the series as it's allowed – one. And the Red Wings' penalty kill has allowed four power-play goals to Pittsburgh in the last seven chances. Hello, Pavel Datsyuk(notes)?

Minor penalty: Tomas Holmstrom(notes) had a glorious opportunity early in the third period to cut the Pittsburgh margin in half and give the visitors a boost. But instead of burying a shot that would have made it 4-3 from close range, Holmstrom only found Fleury's pads and couldn't get in position for a second chance.

Did you know?: Detroit is 44-52 all-time in the fourth game of a series, the worst record the Wings have in any game of the playoffs.

Conn Smythe Watch: (The Top 10) 1. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins; 2. Sidney Crosby, Penguins; 3. Johan Franzen(notes), Red Wings; 4. Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), Red Wings; 5. Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins; 6. Darren Helm(notes), Red Wings; 7. Sergei Gonchar(notes), Penguins; 8. Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings; 9. Daniel Cleary(notes), Red Wings; 10. Jordan Staal, Penguins.

No. 1 star, Pittsburgh Penguins' power play:
It wasn't just the fact Pittsburgh converted two of three chances on the power play to win Game 3 and slice Detroit's series lead in half, it was the way the Penguins went about it 5-on-4. Pittsburgh was patient not to rush shots that weren't there, the Pens retrieved pucks that Detroit could have cleared, they won faceoffs, they set screens and they played with the same urgent tempo up a man as when they skated at even strength. Kris Letang(notes) scored 1:13 into Daniel Cleary's(notes) holding penalty late in the first, and Sergei Gonchar(notes) converted 1:23 into Jonathan Ericsson's(notes) interference minor midway through the third to break a 2-2 tie and put the hosts ahead to stay. The common thread was Pittsburgh's ability to tire Detroit's penalty killers and bare down on its chances.

No. 2 star, Maxime Talbot, Pittsburgh Penguins:
The versatile role player stepped up big time by scoring his team's first and last goals in a game the Penguins absolutely had to have. Talbot broke a scoreless tie and allowed the home fans to rattle The Igloo by gathering a puck in the slot that was nearly out of reach and beating Chris Osgood(notes) from the slot at 4:48 of the first period. He put the Wings' comeback hopes to rest, too, by filling an empty net at 19:03 of the third.

No. 3 star, Evgeni Malkin(notes), Pittsburgh Penguins:
Pittsburgh needed offense from one of its two big stars, and that's what it received. Malkin provided the primary assist on the Penguins' three most important goals of the night – the first three – during his 18:58 of ice time that included two shots on goal, a blocked shot and three hits.

Major penalty: Referees Paul Devorski and Dennis LaRue, along with linesman Derek Amell and Pierre Racicot, turned a blind eye to Pittsburgh skating with too many men for 20-25 seconds 13 minutes into the first period with Detroit leading 2-1, but they didn't miss Cleary's hold of the always dangerous Mark Eaton(notes) that led directly to Pittsburgh tying the game and keeping viewers watching the game and the series. We're just sayin' …

Minor penalty: There was a lot of whining below this space following Game 2 why Detroit's Chris Osgood wasn't included among the Sunday Three Stars. He spent a lot of time looking behind himself in that game, not knowing whether he stopped a shot or even where the puck was, and he allowed a weak goal No. 2 on Tuesday. Hey, we're not here to rip Ozzie, who deserves better than he usually receives in terms of reviews, but the fact is Detroit could have stolen Game 3 with a better performance in goal.

Did you know?: Adding his dozen goals this playoff season, Detroit's Johan Franzen(notes) has 25 the last two postseasons, which is fifth most all-time.

Conn Smythe Watch: (The Top 10) 1. Johan Franzen, Red Wings; 2. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins; 3. Henrik Zetterberg(notes), Red Wings; 4. Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), Red Wings; 5. Sidney Crosby(notes), Penguins; 6. Chris Osgood, Red Wings; 7. Sergei Gonchar, Penguins; 8. Daniel Cleary, Red Wings; 9. Darren Helm(notes), Red Wings; 10. Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), Penguins.

No. 1 star, Darren Helm(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
When the experts assumed games on back-to-back nights would handicap Detroit's older legs, they might have overlooked someone like Helm. The 22-year-old is the latest example of the tremendous depth in the Red Wings' organization. You're hearing his name and seeing his contributions more than any other player in red during the first two games of the series. On Sunday, he won a key draw following a Pittsburgh icing and headed straight to the net to provide the screen that prevented Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury(notes) from seeing Jonathan Ericsson's(notes) shot from the point that tied the game. Helm's speed is putting pressure on the Penguins' defense, and he's making Pittsburgh earn every inch of the ice when he's on the forecheck. In addition to two shots, Helm led Detroit with seven hits and won 11 of 17 faceoffs during a productive 16:25 of ice time.

No. 2 star, Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
One big reasons why Sidney Crosby has been scoreless in consecutive playoff games for the first time since, well, the first two games against Detroit last year is that guy wearing No. 5 on his back and the "C" in front. Lidstrom is smothering Crosby's offensive genius before it can even start. Sunday night it was 23:20 of shutdown hockey that included two blocked shots, one hit and a whole lot of perfect positioning.

No. 3 star, Justin Abdelkader(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
A game-clinching goal 2:47 into the third period of Game 2 on the heels of a game-clinching goal at 2:46 into the third period of Game 1 on Saturday, talk about consistency.

Major penalty (during the game): Marc-Andre Fleury has to catch, block or do what ever it takes to stop Justin Abdelkader's half-speed wrister from 40 feet away early in the third period to keep his team believing it could come back from a goal down. Fleury hadn't faced much rubber, and that was probably part of the problem. But he's got to be mentally strong. His team pushed hard enough to score a goal late, but they weren't going to get two.

Major penalty (after the game): The league danced around the rule that should make Evgeni Malkin(notes) ineligible for Game 3 (automatic suspension for instigating a fight in the final five minutes). Sure it's a stupid rule, but do you think the NHL would have rescinded the "suspension" if the name was Fedotenko instead of Malkin on the score sheet?

Minor penalty: Who does Dan Bylsma think Sidney Crosby(notes) is, Dan Bylsma? That's what you might take from the kind of ice time Pittsburgh's superstar received from his coach in Sunday's must-win for the Penguins. And yes, it was a must-win for them. Crosby saw only 19:36 of skating on Sunday, not nearly enough when his team was trailing the entire second half of the game. Sure, Crosby might be struggling against Detroit's defense, but he sure isn't going to break out on the bench.

Did you know?: Teams that have won the first two games of the Finals at home have lifted the Stanley Cup 31 of 32 times.

Conn Smythe Watch: (The Top 10) 1. Johan Franzen(notes), Red Wings; 2. Henrik Zetterberg(notes), Red Wings; 3. Chris Osgood(notes), Red Wings; 4. Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings; 5. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins; 6. Sidney Crosby, Penguins; 7. Marian Hossa(notes), Red Wings; 8. Darren Helm, Red Wings; 9. Dan Cleary, Red Wings; 10. Brad Stuart(notes), Red Wings.

No. 1 star, Cristobal Huet(notes), Chicago Blackhawks:
Yes, he played for the losing team on Wednesday night, a defeat the sends the upstart Blackhawks to the first tee. But was there a better player on the ice at The Joe? No chance. Before Nikolai Khabibulin(notes) injured something in Game 3, Huet's last opportunity to play came before Easter for goodness sake. Huet made 44 saves in all, none better than his lower right-leg lift while on his stomach to deny Johan Franzen's(notes) late-regulation game-winning attempt.

No. 2 star, Darren Helm(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
Detroit's latest unexpected hero found himself in the right place at the right time to punch home the game- and series-winning goal on Wednesday night. Helm ended the suspense at 3:58 of overtime to cap a long Red Wings' possession that had the Blackhawks scrambling in their own zone. You could just sense the end was coming. And don't forget about that eye-catching stat of 12 hits Helm doled out. Pittsburgh might want to be aware of this guy.

No. 3 star, Brett Lebda(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
An assist on both of his team's goals, four shots, two blocks and a pair of hits during 32 shifts spread over 25:05 can't be ignored.

Major penalty: Steve Bartman. Yeah, Chicago, let's blame him for this too.

Minor penalty: Moving the Stanley Cup Finals up to a Saturday start from the earlier announced June 5 date is obviously the right thing to do, but the league went back and forth on this over the last couple of days, and the final decision was news to a lot of people on Wednesday. We're wondering if television executives tell Gary Bettman what to wear each day, too?

Conn Smythe Watch: (The Top 10) 1. Evgeni Malkin(notes), Penguins; 2. Johan Franzen, Red Wings; 3. Sidney Crosby(notes), Penguins; 4. Henrik Zetterberg(notes), Red Wings; 5. Chris Osgood(notes), Red Wings; 6. Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), Penguins; 7. Marian Hossa(notes), Red Wings; 8. Nicklas Lidstrom(notes), Red Wings; 9. Sergei Gonchar(notes), Penguins; 10. Jordan Staal(notes), Penguins.

No. 1 star, Marian Hossa(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
The veteran winger scored Detroit's two biggest goals of Sunday's Game 4 rout. His short-handed effort at 8:41 of the first period not only broke a scoreless tie, but set the tone for the afternoon of extreme disappointment for Chicago. The Blackhawks simply couldn't afford to allow a goal when they were on the power play, trying to rebound from a 2-1 series deficit, and knowing the next game is in Detroit. Hossa's second of the game, and sixth of the postseason, was even more pivotal: It came just 12 seconds after Chicago scored its first goal to tease fans into thinking it could rally again.

No. 2 star, Valtteri Filppula(notes), Detroit Red Wings:
A goal and two assists was a pretty good imitation of what injured and unavailable Pavel Datsyuk(notes) might have contributed. Filppula provided yet another example of how many interchangeable parts the Red Wings have at their disposal.

No. 3 star, Mike Babcock, Detroit Red Wings:
With the luxury of a four-goal lead and all the momentum he could ask for, the savvy coach lifted goalie Chris Osgood(notes) after two periods in Game 4, a move that accomplished two things – gave Osgood a head start in terms of rest and mental preparation for Wednesday's upcoming clinching win, uh, er, Game 5 in Detroit and gave backup Ty Conklin(notes) some live bullets in case he's needed at some point during the Wings' inevitable march to their second straight Stanley Cup and 12th championship trophy overall.

Major penalty: Chicago coach Joel Quenneville threw a hissy fit at the outset of the second period that not only failed to get any favors from the officials, but provided the exact wrong example for his team. Suddenly, instead of focusing on changing momentum, the Blackhawks became a very undisciplined, selfish team and took minor penalty after minor penalty that enabled Detroit to put the game away early.

Minor penalty: Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet(notes) had to stop Johan Franzen's(notes) wrister just 21 seconds before the first intermission because: a) it wasn't that difficult of a save (Huet was too deep to cut down the angle to the far corner) and, b) it's the wrong time to give up a goal – Chicago headed right into intermission, heads down, trailing 2-0 instead of trying to regroup from only a 1-0 deficit.

Conn Smythe Watch: (The Top 10) 1. Evgeni Malkin(notes), Penguins; 2. Johan Franzen, Red Wings; 3. Sidney Crosby(notes), Penguins; 4. Henrik Zetterberg(notes), Red Wings; 5. Chris Osgood, Red Wings; 6. Cam Ward(notes), Hurricanes; 7. Marc-Andre Fleury(notes), Penguins; 8. Marian Hossa, Red Wings; 9. Jonathan Toews(notes), Blackhawks; 10. Eric Staal(notes), Hurricanes.