Detroit, MI -- (Sports Network) - Maxime Talbot scored twice in the second period to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

A misplay by Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart resulted in a 1-0 lead for the Penguins.

Stuart went behind his net to play a dump-in and tried to make a pass up the middle, but the puck deflected off the skate of Evgeni Malkin to the low slot for Talbot, who slipped a shot through the pads of Chris Osgood at the 1:13 mark of the middle stanza.

The netminders exchanged impressive stops, with Marc-Andre Fleury sliding to his right to deny a one-timer by Detroit's Darren Helm in front and Osgood turning away a hard-charging Matt Cooke.

Talbot made it 2-0 shortly after a successful penalty kill by the Penguins. The gritty forward was joined by Tyler Kennedy on an odd-man rush. Talbot glided down the left wing, drifted into the circle and beat Osgood high on the glove side at 10:07.

Detroit came with a push in the waning moments of the period, peppering the Pittsburgh goaltender.

There was a scare for Pittsburgh as captain Sidney Crosby exited in the second with an apparently left leg injury after he collided with Johan Franzen along the boards. It is not known whether Crosby will return to the game.

Detroit set a physical tone early in the contest, while the Penguins came out a little tentative. Pittsburgh had not fared well at Joe Louis Arena over the last two years in the Finals. The Red Wings have posted a 5-1 record and outscored Pittsburgh 21-6 in the previous six games.

The first penalty of the game was assessed to Stuart for breaking the stick of Malkin with a slash. Pittsburgh spent the majority of the power play in the Red Wings zone, but couldn't put the puck in the net.