DETROIT — Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said he spoke to Nicklas Lidstrom on Thursday and expects the defenseman to be ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Red Wings face the Penguins on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Finals, which Detroit won in six games.
Lidstrom missed Games 4 and 5 against the Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals because of a lower-body injury.
Holland said MVP finalist Pavel Datsyuk (foot), who missed Games 3-5 against Chicago, and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, who missed Game 5 after having surgery for acute appendicitis Wednesday, will be game-time decisions.
“Pavel skated (Thursday); he’s going to skate (today),” Holland said. “Ericsson’s a little tender; see how he feels (today).”
The news wasn’t so good for forward Kris Draper, who is doubtful for Game 1 with a sore groin. Draper was injured in Game 3 and missed the last two games.
“He didn’t go on the ice today,” Holland said. “I’m saying he’s probably doubtful for Saturday. Maybe he goes out and skates (today).”
It is unlikely defenseman Andreas Lilja (concussion) will play again this season.
Not making things any easier for the Red Wings is being forced to play on back-to-back days for the first time in the Cup Finals since Montreal and Los Angeles in 1993.
“You don’t want my opinion on that,” Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios said.
After playing on consecutive days, both teams will have a quick turnaround to play Game 3 on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh and will get a day off before Game 4 on Thursday night.
Pittsburgh appears to own several important advantages over the beat-up Red Wings. The Penguins are relatively healthy, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are rolling with a league-leading 28 playoff points apiece and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said “the emotion and the stress, all the stuff we didn’t know” last year, are missing.
Gagne undergoes surgery
PHILADELPHIA — Flyers forward Simon Gagne underwent surgery to remove a bone spur and adhesions that built up in his right hip. Gagne is expected to recover in four to six weeks. Denver Post wire services
