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Conklin protects late surge as Red Wings roll

Oct 5, 2008 - 11:30 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Ty Conklin signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings in the summer, knowing he wouldn't get the same amount of playing time as he did with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. That hasn't stopped him from shining in the preseason with his new club, though.

Conklin made 21 saves and Johan Franzen scored twice as the Red Wings recorded a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

In the absence of the injured Marc-Andre Fleury, Conklin stepped in and served as a stalwart as the Penguins rolled to an Atlantic Division crown and eventually an Eastern Conference title in 2007-08. The Anchorage, Alaska native went 18-8-0 with a 2.51 goals against average in 33 games.

Counterpart Ryan Miller was just as impressive on Sunday, turning aside 23 shots.

Franzen, who netted 13 goals in the playoffs en route to leading Detroit to a Stanley Cup championship, snapped a scoreless tie 2:54 into the third period and Ville Leino added another just 1:52 later.

The Red Wings open the regular season at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9, while the Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens the following night.