NHL Morning Papers: Conference Finals (Thursday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the four remaining playoff teams:

Detroit (1) versus Dallas (5):

• The Wings obviously did not want to lose last night, but the loss will serve some good, writes Michael Rosenberg. Mitch Albom clearly did not agree with the referees’ decision to disallow a Wings goal because Tomas Holmstrom was allegedly in the crease. It looks like Johan Franzen (concussion) can take a step forward in his rehabilitation process. In other Wings news, the team has signed Swedish goaltender Daniel Larsson to a two-year contract.
• The Stars caught a break with the Holmstrom call last night, writes Brandon George. Stars coach Dave Tippett reunited an old AHL line last night and the decision paid off. It is fair to say that Mike Modano is still the man in Dallas. Meanwhile, Stars owner Tom Hicks has been extremely pleased with the fan reaction to the Stars’ recent playoff run.

Pittsburgh (2) versus Philadelphia (6):

• It took a while, but the Marian Hossa trade is sure working out for the Penguins, writes Dave Molinari. Heading into tonight’s game, the Penguins want to make sure they do not get ahead of themselves. Let’s be honest, who expected the Penguins to be this dominant in the playoffs?
• The Penguins defense has been the story of this series, writes Rich Hofmann. The Flyers can still comeback in this series, writes Ed Barkowitz. Barkowitz’s optimism is curbed by the fact that every time the Flyers have been down 3-0 in a series, they have lost. Meantime, it appears some people are selling counterfeit Conference Finals tickets.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.

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