Down, Stars work on stopping Wings

DETROIT (AP) — Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom stand in front of the net, distracting goaltenders and tipping pucks past them as well as any NHL player.

The Dallas Stars plan on helping Marty Turco by getting the pair of Detroit Red Wings out of the way tonight in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

The problem is, teams have been trying to do that with Franzen for two months and Holmstrom for three years since the league made it tougher to clear out such powerful pests.

Franzen has scored an NHL-high 27 times since March 2, a 27-game roll that includes a league-high and franchise-record 12 goals in the postseason.

Holmstrom averaged about 15 goals in the six seasons leading up to the locked out 2004-05 season, and would’ve likely doubled that production for a third straight year had injuries not sidelined him for much of the season.

The players known as Mule and Homer both redirected shots into the net, helping Detroit beat Dallas 4-1 in the Western Conference finals opener.

“Our goaltender has to battle harder to get us space,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said after Friday’s practice. “Obviously, if they’re going to be allowed to stand in the paint, then we have to battle harder to push them out.

“Simple as that.”

Easier said than done, coach.

Franzen is 6-foot-3 without skates and 220 pounds. Holmstrom is 6-foot and weighs 203.

When on the ice, they’re easy to find standing in front of the net.

“Other teams might have a guy that does that, and we’ve got two. Even Dan Cleary had a lot of success playing the same role in the regular season,” Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios said.

Holmstrom is the established pro, playing in his 11th season and filling a role few want because of the abuse teams dish out.

“I’ve never seen anybody who can do what he does as far as getting to the net with a knack for getting position,” said the 46-year-old Chelios, who has played in an NHL-record 256 playoff games. “[Dino] Ciccarelli was a pain like that and Rick Vaive comes to mind, but it was a different game back then.”

Ciccarelli played from 1980-99 and Vaive began his career a year earlier and ended it in 1992.