NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said on Saturday that if the league's salary cap doesn't go unchanged, it could fall five percent. The key will be whether the NHL Players' Association opts to retain a 5-percent inflation clause that's part of the league's labor agreement. The league's salary cap was $56.7 million for 2008-09.

The Red Wings defeated the Penguins 3-1 in Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night. Brad Stuart scored the first goal of the game for Detroit, but Pittsburgh's Ruslan Fedotenko answered five minutes later to tie the game at one goal apiece after one period. Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood proved to be too good for the Penguins. He finished the game with 31 saves. Johan Franzen scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal at the 19:02 mark of the second period, and Justin Abdelkade put the icing on the cake at the start of the third. Game Two will be Sunday night in Detroit.

The Red Wings will be without Kris Draper and Pavel Datsyuk in Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night. Detroit coach Mike Babcock said that Datsyuk will be unavailable for the fourth straight game because of a foot injury. Draper has been out for a while with a lower-body injury. The Red Wings will, however, get Nicklas Lidstrom and Jonathan Ericsson back for the opening game of the Finals.

Blackhawks general manager Dave Tallon told the Chicago Tribune that he's looking to keep the team's nucleus in tact. "The key for us is to keep the nucleus of this team together for the longest possible time," Tallon said. "That's the goal, and we'll achieve that goal." Nikolai Khabibulin and Martin Havlet will both be unrestricted free agents. Retaining Khabibulin, who split regular season time with Cristobal Huet, would mean committing serious money to two goalies. "We have depth in goal," Tallon said. "We have a lot of young prospects. Nik was really good this year. It was positive to see Cristobal have a great finish the other night [with 44 saves] and play like he was capable of playing. He had a pretty good year as well. "We're going to meet and evaluate the direction we're going to head." Havlat has made it known that he'd like to remain with the Blackhawks. "I would love to stay here. ... We'll see how it goes," he said. "We'll find out very soon. We're going to talk quickly, and hopefully it's going to work out."

Pittsburgh's Maxime Talbot told the Detroit Free Press that he'd like nothing more than to be able to taunt Marian Hossa after the Stanley Cup Finals. Hossa, who was part of the Penguins' loss to the Red Wings in last year's Finals, opted to sign with Detroit prior to the season. "There's nothing I'd like more than to be able to shake Marian's hand at the end of this series, look him in the eye and say, 'You chose the wrong team.' "

Pavel Datsyuk and Jonathan Ericsson took part in the Red Wings' morning skate on Saturday. Datsyuk hasn't played since Game 2 against Chicago after hurting his foot blocking a shot in the Conference Finals, while Ericsson underwent an appendectomy on Wednesday.

Sidney Crosby believes that the Penguins match up better with the Red Wings this year. Pittsburgh lost Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals to Detroit last year by a combined score of 7-0. "I think we went in there, very similar to our first year in the playoffs, where we waited to see what it was going to be like. And by that time, it was too late," Crosby said. They lost the Cup to Detroit in six games. "It's a lot different now, knowing what to expect, knowing our opponent a little more," Crosby said. "I don't think we played Detroit last year before the finals. There's a lot more familiarity with everything."

The Red Wings aren't happy with the schedule of the Stanley Cup Finals. Detroit will have just two full days to recharge before starting their series Saturday against Pittsburgh, their opponent in last year's championship triumph. "We're not happy, I have to be honest," Wings general manager Ken Holland said Thursday. "We're disappointed that we haven't had an extra day's rest. It's a double-whammy, the quick turnaround and back-to-back games [to open the finals]. We're disappointed because we think when you win a series in five games or less, that you have earned an opportunity to have a few more days of rest. "But at the same time, we understand and we're not going to dwell on it. Because we don't want to lose our focus with the job at hand. It is what it is. Let's play."

The Canadiens have offered Alexei Kovalev a new contract and their captaincy, according to a Russian newspaper. The newspaper claims that Montreal is looking to sign Kovalev to a one-year deal worth between $6 million to $7.5 million. Doing so, would likely spell the end for Saku Koivu with the Canadiens.

Hurricanes captain Rod Brind'Amour said on Thursday that he had no plans to retire after 20 years in the NHL and would return next season. "I made a commitment a while ago to play and I've got a contract to play it out," he said today. "So it's definitely what the plan is. "Personally you have to believe in yourself. I would not play the game if I did not think I could still do it. And not just as a fourth-line player. My goal is to get back and contribute with this team as I feel like I can. "That's what I have to do now. Next year I will come back and prove I can do that."