(Sports Network) - Here we go again.

The Red Wings are back in the Stanley Cup Finals to defend their title after Darren Helm scored the game-winning goal 3:58 into overtime, as Detroit vanquished Chicago, 2-1, in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals at Joe Louis Arena.

Patrick Kane tied the game for Chicago with 7:07 remaining in the third period, but in the extra session, Red Wings defenseman Brett Lebda fired a shot from the point that caromed off the active boards to the left of Chicago goaltender Cristobal Huet. Tomas Holmstrom knocked it out of Huet's pads across the crease and Helm banged the puck into the wide-open net.

"(Lebda) got a good shot through. (Holmstrom) got a whack at it. I just saw it sitting there (in the crease), got a good whack on it and just made sure it went in," Helm said about his series-clinching goal.

Dan Cleary also scored for Detroit, which will try to become the first club to repeat as champions since they did it themselves in 1997 and '98.

However, a familiar foe stands in its way and is looking for redemption.

Last spring, the Red Wings skated off with their 11th title in team history following a six-game triumph over Pittsburgh. With the heartbreaking loss still fresh on many of the players' minds, the Penguins, who swept Carolina in the Eastern finals, look to return the favor this time around. It marks the first time the same two clubs will meet in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals since the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers clashed in 1983 and '84.

Game 1 of the 2009 Finals is slated for Saturday in the Motor City.

"Obviously it's not very easy in the cap world today," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said about returning to the Cup Finals. "It's very difficult. But to have the opportunity with Pittsburgh again should be a lot of fun. There should be a lot of hype about the series."

After falling two wins shy of hockey's silver prize, then-Penguins forward and pending unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa adopted an old adage: If you can't beat them, join them.

Hossa spurned an offer to stay in the Steel City and opted to sign with Detroit, believing he had a better chance to win the Cup there. He'll learn shortly if it was an astute decision.

Lebda assisted on both Detroit goals and Chris Osgood made 30 saves.

Detroit wrapped up the best-of-seven set on Wednesday despite the absence of two of its best players in forward Pavel Datsyuk, an MVP finalist, and six- time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom missed the last two games with an undisclosed lower-body injury, while Datsyuk has been out since Game 2 of this series with an injured foot.

Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson was also scratched for Game 5. Ericsson took the morning skate on Wednesday, but complained of abdominal pain and was taken to the Detroit Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and underwent successful surgery. The team said Ericsson is expected to return for Detroit's next game.

Chicago was also missing key players from the lineup. Leading scorer Martin Havlat never seemed to fully recover after a jarring hit from Detroit rearguard Niklas Kronwall in Game 3, while goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin remained sidelined with a lower-body injury that forced him to exit after the second period of that same contest.

Huet made his second straight start in goal for Chicago and finished with 44 saves in defeat.

"I thought (Huet) played great," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. "He should be commended on the game he played. Kept us in there. We weathered the storm in the first period. (He) gave us a chance to be in the game. Made some key saves throughout the game."

The Blackhawks enjoyed an incredible season of resurgence. Chicago was back in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and with young stars like Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp, a solid defense corps anchored by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and a fervent fan base, the future is bright in the Windy City.

"I think we should all be proud of the year we had," Quenneville added. "It was a great group to work with. These kids have been great all year long. They matured. They developed. But it was a really good working experience. We got to find out what playoff hockey is all about."

Cleary finally ended the scoreless stalemate in the third period. Chicago forward Andrew Ladd tried to flip the puck into the neutral zone, but Hossa knocked it down. Lebda wound up with the puck at the left point and fired a hard, low shot that was redirected in front by Cleary at the 6:08 mark.

The first goal of the series for Kane tied the game with just over seven minutes to play. Kane came down the right wing with speed and launched a rising backhander over the left shoulder of Osgood.

In the dying seconds of regulation, Huet was lying on his belly and managed to get his right pad up to deflect a Johan Franzen shot from the left side of the net, literally saving Chicago's season and sending the game to overtime.

After a wobbly performance in Sunday's 6-1 loss, Huet protected his net valiantly in the first period. Detroit bombarded the Chicago netminder with rubber, but Huet was up to the task, stopping all 21 shots he faced.

Osgood, meanwhile, was not nearly as busy at the other end of the ice, making only nine saves in a scoreless opening frame, including a pair of magnificent stops on Colin Fraser. Kane made a nifty cross-ice pass from the right circle to a streaking Fraser and Osgood flashed the right pad and got a piece of the rebound.

Chicago outshot the Red Wings, 11-10, in a goalless middle stanza. The best chance in the second period belonged to Keith, whose one-timer hit the right post with the visitors on a power play.

Game Notes

The Blackhawks have not reached the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, and had not made a conference final since 1995, when they fell to the Wings in five games...Detroit improved to 8-1 on home ice in these playoffs...The Red Wings registered all four shots in overtime...Both clubs went 0-for-3 on the power play.

















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