NHL Playoff Morning Papers (Monday Edition): Marc-Andre Fleury says he needs to be better, Evgeni Malkin not suspended for Game 3 and television ratings in the U.S. are down from last year

Stanley Cup Final

Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

• If they get a little luck, Mitch Albom wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Pittsburgh tied up this series back home.  Albom also wonders where Sidney Crosby has been?  Detroit fans know where Evgeni Malkin has been, as he went after Henrik Zetterberg at the end of last night’s game but did not get suspended.  Speaking of Zetterberg, he has been driving Sidney Crosby crazy.  Jonathan Ericsson isn’t playing like someone who had surgery just a few days ago.  There is a reason Darren Helm is the new fan favorite in Motown.  Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press tells readers about Don Cherry’s entrance to Game 2.  (Writer’s note: Some thought it was cheesy, but personally I found it pretty funny.)
• As much as things are different from last year, the fact that the Penguins are down 2-0 in the series makes things very much the same.  Marc-Andre Fleury says he has to be better next game.  He sure does because Chris Osgood has been the star of the series, opines Joe Starkey.  Meanwhile, the Penguins got lucky that Evgeni Malkin wasn’t suspended.  Apparently some think Mike Babcock was out to play headgames with Sidney Crosby.  (Writer’s note: That’s taken out of context in my opinion.  If you watched Babcock’s press conference when he said that, it was matter-of-factly and he didn’t really seem to have much of a problem with it.)  Still with Crosby, former power forward Kevin Stevens loves the way he plays.  Are the Penguins better than they were last season?

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• New Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk says he learned a lot from the likes of Cliff Fletcher, Bob Gainey and Lou Lamorieollo during his playing days.  Tim Cowlishaw thinks Tom Hicks is hoping for a Nolan Ryan-like effect from Joe Nieuwendyk on the Stars organization.  Brian Burke thinks Nieuwendyk will do a good job.
• While the team may be a bit of a mess now, there are certainly some nice pieces in the Avalanche organization, writes Adrian Dater.
• Chris Zelkovich comments on how odd it was to not hear Bob Cole’s voice calling Game 1 of the final.
• The United States television ratings on NBC were down from last year and Jason Brough of the Vancouver Province is wondering why the ratings story was the only story not working on nhl.com

The Coyotes situation

• Bruce Dowbiggen of the Globe & Mail thinks everything is personal when it comes to Gary Bettman.

Calder Cup Final

• The atmosphere in the MTS Centre for Game 1 was absolutely electric.  Moose coach Scott Arniel wants to limit the team turnovers.  Finally, here is an interview Wiebe conducted with Moose forward Mark Cullen.  On the other side, Hershey sniper Alex Giroux is happy with his trade back to the Bears.  (Writer’s note: Is Ken Wiebe superhuman? That’s four articles for one morning.)  A lack of experience cost the Moose in Game 1, explains Gary Lawless.

**Remember that the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show has changed time slots and can now be heard live from 7pm Central time through 9pm Central time.  This week’s guests include Greg Logan of Newsday who will be on the show to breakdown what the Islanders are looking to do with the number one selection in this summer’s Entry Draft.**