It’s a l-o-n-g season, for Red Wings _ and the Penguins who aren’t scoring

L-o-n-g season for Wings, Pens who aren’t scoring

PITTSBURGH — Bill Guerin, no goals in the series. Chris Kunitz, one goal in the playoffs — and he plays on Sidney Crosby’s line. Miroslav Satan, one goal in the playoffs.

Clearly, the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t getting much offense from anyone not named Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, who have set up or scored eight of their 10 goals against Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals.

When the Penguins don’t get any contribution from their secondary scorers, it’s obvious what can happen when their primary scorers don’t produce: a 5-0 loss like that in Game 5 on Saturday.

No matter, coach Dan Bylsma isn’t putting any pressure on those forwards who aren’t producing — and they are many — going into a win-or-else Game 6 on Tuesday. The Penguins have only four goals during even-strength play in five games.

“Do we need those guys to score a goal? We don’t need them to score a goal,” Bylsma said Monday. “We need our team to play well, we need our special teams to be better than their special teams. If we do that, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Even if Crosby and Malkin don’t score?

“We don’t need Sidney Crosby to score tomorrow,” Bylsma said, repeating a theme. “We need our team to play well.”

THE STARS IN 6: Bylsma might not need Crosby and Malkin to score in Game 6, but their past play suggests they will.

In three NHL Game 6s, Crosby has three goals and two assists, and Malkin has one goal and six assists. They have combined for five multiple-point games out of a possible six.

However, the Penguins are 1-2 in those Game 6s, losing to Detroit last year and to Washington in the second round this year, both in Pittsburgh, and beating Philadelphia in a road Game 6 this year.

OFF THEIR GAME (6)? Until their second-round series against Anaheim, the Red Wings had won 13 consecutive Game 6s when they had a chance to end a series. They recovered from that defeat to beat the Ducks in Game 7 at home, and they needed only five games to eliminate Chicago in the Western Conference finals. They swept Columbus in the first round.

“I think the experience that we have on our team has really helped us in those situations when you’re going into a Game 6 on the road,” defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. “I think we’ve been able to kind of play the patient style that we can play when we have to, and take advantage of our chances. I think that’s the way we’re approaching this game, too. We know they’re going to be a desperate hockey team.”

THE CAP MEANS FEWER CUPS?: The Red Wings are in position to win a fifth Stanley Cup since 1997. Coach Mike Babcock isn’t certain how many more teams, if any, might win so many championships in so little time now that the NHL has a salary cap.

“I don’t know if it’s possible,” he said. “I was at the All-Star game and they were introducing all the Montreal Canadiens guys who, I don’t know how many they got, like 10 or whatever. The guys on the bench starting poking fun at the guys who only had six. … It’s a whole different world now.”

A longer one, too.

In the Original Six days, the Stanley Cup finals often ended in late April. On Tuesday, the Red Wings — by Babcock’s count — will be playing their 114th game since September, counting exhibitions.

The Penguins and Red Wings will have had only two calendar months without hockey, July and August, when they report to camp in mid-September. They also had only two calendar months off last year.

“You can’t tell me some of you guys ain’t worn out,” Babcock told reporters on Monday. “A let’s-go-home kind of thing is what you’re thinking. So it’s the same for these athletes. Game 114? It’s crazy.”

HE’S 47, BUT NOT FINISHED?: Chris Chelios has played just six games this postseason, none in the finals, but the 47-year-old Red Wings defenseman still wants to continue his career.

“Whether I do or not is another question,” Chelios said Monday. “I really have been enjoying this. This is one of the greatest teams I’ve been associated with. It’s been a fun ride.

“Obviously you want to play, but I completely understand it (why he’s not). We’re where we want to be and I’m where I want to be.”

Chelios extended some NHL records this year by playing in his 24th postseason, three more than anyone else, and 266 playoff games, 19 more than Patrick Roy.

NOTES: The Penguins sold the remaining 500 tickets for Game 6 in 10 minutes on Monday. The team holds back some tickets for every game so that fans other than season-ticket holders can attend. … Several Penguins players are disappointed that fans without tickets won’t be able to watch the game outside the arena on a large-screen TV. An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 fans did so when Games 3 and 4 were televised by Versus last week. NBC does not allow its telecasts to be shown that way. … Bylsma didn’t rule out any lineup changes, but also didn’t say if he was close to making any. Petr Sykora, who scored the overtime goal in Game 5 against Detroit last year, has yet to play in the series.

AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.