DETROIT — The Red Wings had the game won before the second period ended, schooling their young challengers on how to respond in the playoffs, on how defending champions become champions in the first place.

Saturday night’s 5-0 rout of the Penguins was as good a team effort as the Wings have displayed in the 2009 playoffs and exposed how much Pittsburgh superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin still have to learn.
Had the Wings lost, they would have faced elimination entering Tuesday’s game at Pittsburgh. Instead, the Wings can, just like last year, claim the Stanley Cup with a Game 6 victory at Mellon Arena. At worst, there’ll be an opportunity for a party at home Friday night should the series go to a Game 7. The Red Wings lead the series, 3-2.
The Wings were coming off a performance that had seen them give up three goals in the second period.
“We like being challenged,” Chris Osgood said. “It’s not going to be smooth for you all the time, and I think that’s good for you. It teaches you some lessons, makes things tough on you. We just have the mentality that we like to show people how good we can be and how good we are.”
The Wings hadn’t lost at Joe Louis Arena in the playoffs since Game 2 of the second round, and, after a rough start Saturday, made it clear the Penguins would not follow suit by scoring four goals in the second period. Nearly every Wing contributed a point, even Osgood, who had an assist along with 22 saves.
“That was probably one of our better, more complete games, start to finish,” Dan Cleary said. “We played hard in each area, we were disciplined and capitalized. The power play was great, and Ozzie was good when he had to be.”
Cleary began the scoring in the first period, then Valtteri Filppula, Niklas Kronwall, Brian Rafalski and Henrik Zetterberg unloaded on Marc-Andre Fleury, chasing him after five goals on 21 shots.
Anyone who questioned what Pavel Datsyuk could contribute after missing seven games because of a sore foot got the answer when he set up Cleary’s goal and then Rafalski’s. With all lines loaded, the Wings were, for the first time all series, able to get to Malkin, holding him without a point after he’d racked up seven through the first four games.
Malkin distinguished himself only by taking penalties, as did Crosby. Crosby slashed Zetterberg across his right leg late in the second, shortly after he’d thrown punches at him during a scrum. In all, the Penguins were assessed 48 minutes of penalties.
“You never want to see liberties taken, like (Pascal) Dupuis on Kronwall,” Cleary said of a high-sticking call. “That’s just nonsense. You don’t need that. The game is out of reach. Guys can get hurt like that. The frustration set in early, and we made them pay on the power play.”
Now it’s the Penguins who must show if they can respond to adversity.
“We’ve been through a lot that we’ve had to bounce back from,” Crosby said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have a better effort, but the reality is we have to go home and win one.”