DETROIT -- Johan Franzen and the Detroit Red Wings are kicking the Colorado Avalanche when they're down.
Franzen scored three times to lift Detroit to a 5-1 victory this afternoon over the banged-up Avs, giving the NHL's top-seeded team a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal.
Franzen -- a six-foot-three, 220-pound centre known as "Mule" -- redirected a shot in front of the net early in the game, scored on a wraparound in the second period and whacked a rebound out of the air in the third for his first career hat trick.
He had two goals in Detroit's series-opening win.
Colorado's Ian Laperriere scored early in the third period, avoiding a shutout.
Game 3 is Tuesday night in Colorado.
The Associated Press
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