Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are on the verge of elimination after losing 4-3 in overtime against the San Jose Sharks last night. The Wings took a 3-1 lead into the 3rd period but let off the gas, allowing San Jose back into the game.
The Wings jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period behind goals from Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary. Realistically, the Sharks were very fortunate the lead wasn't larger. Henrik Zetterberg had a goal waived off because he "apparently" kicked the puck into the net. This prompted the Joe Louis crowd into the loudest "Bullshit" chant I've ever heard on TV. The Wings were also awarded a penalty shot when a Sharks defender covered the puck with his hand in the crease. This was probably the first big break given to the Wings by the officials all series, but Z couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.
Devin "Greg Louganis" Setoguchi scored for the Sharks scored with less than 5 seconds left in the first period, mostly due to a lackadasical effort from the Wings' defense. Zetterberg scored what should have been his second goal of the game early in the second period to put the Wings up 3-1. The Sharks had three power plays in the second period, but couldn't capitalize before intermission.
THIRD PERIOD MELTDOWN
There really isn't an explanation for what happened after the second period. The referees didn't screw the Wings (just one power play for the Sharks on a legitimate interference call), and the Sharks didn't take over the game. The Wings simply stopped skating for whatever reason. The goaltending left something to be desired (more on that later), but the defense was equally as bad. The Wings couldn't finish the game, and it ultimately led to their demise in overtime.
SOMETHING DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT HERE
Thanks to @bigmike05 for this picture, which is the Sharks game-winning goal in OT (in case you've developed amnesia in the last 18 hours). For those of you that think this is just a normal line change, Nightmare on Helm Street has identified where the Sharks are in the wrong. Unfortunately, the infraction in this situation is essentially never called, and I'd likely go batshit if this was ever called on the Wings.
I'd like to identify Brian Rafalski, the middle Detroit defender (just above Howard) in the picture. In this situation, Rafalski's sole job is to deny the pass from Thornton (Shark on the left) to Marleau (Shark on the right). Blame Jason Williams all you want for missing the shot (anyone remember Mikael Samuelsson?), but Rafalski deserves the most scorn on this play.
AN OLD FRIEND RETURNS
Regardless of what happens in the rest of this series, the Wings have already made what is likely their biggest move of the offseason. Jiri Hudler, who played this season in the KHL, will return to the Red Wings after his Dynamo Moscow team folded after their loss in the playoffs. I, for one, am happy to see Hudler coming back to Detroit. They definitely could have used his scoring touch this past season with the rash of injuries they had. I'd like to see Hudler on the Wings' third line, mostly because he tends to excel in that role despite his top six talent.
LIKE I SAID...
On Monday, I touched on the fact that Jimmy Howard is still a rookie despite having played all year. He definitely showed his inexperience, especially on the game-tying goal in the 3rd. While his shoddy play in California was largely a result of his D letting him down, there's no reason for Howard to let in the goals he did last night. Despite his struggles, he still gives the Wings the best opportunity to win going forward. Shut up about Chris Osgood.
RED WING REACTIONS
The small mental lapses in this series have ultimately brought us to this most desperate situation.
...I would like nothing more than to be wrong and see the Wings come out guns blazing Thursday night to start a comeback for the ages. But whatever happens, I’m going to be proud of this team and what it’s done this year.
Ansar Khan, MLive:
Only two teams in NHL history have battled back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series -- the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (vs. Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals) and the 1975 New York Islanders (vs. Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals).
Yes, it’s OK if the Wings go down to the top seed in the West and it’s OK if they don’t win the Cup. If they lose this series, they have nothing to be ashamed of. It won’t be the loss of an era or the end of a dynasty or anything else that the MSM and pundits across the hockey universe want to make it. No, it will be the end of a season. Nothing more and nothing less.
Pretty unrelated, but still awesome. The Production Line:
Because [Helm's] made of man, he got up - on his own - a few seconds later, stole Chuck Norris' wife, and went about his business of being so completely and totally awesome that the pants of all 19,000 in attendance became simultaneously tighter. Yeah, even the women. I'm not really sure how it all works down there, so go with it.
Also, check out The Scrappy Octopus for an awesome visual on how this series has gone.
AROUND THE NHL
The Pens beat the Canadiens 2-0 last night to take a 2-1 series lead.
Chicago tied their series at 1 with a 4-2 win on Monday. Game 3 is in Vancouver later tonight.
The Bruins beat the Flyers 3-2 on Monday to take a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is set to face off in about 20 minutes.
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I don't even want to talk about this, but here's the story on that coward who threw a 3-foot leopard shark on the ice during game 2 of the Wings series. Don't enjoy it, revel in the Sharks' jealousy of a fine tradition, and let's hope the next dead shark on the ice is Pavelski (or Arturs Irbe - that'd be cool to see, also).
[ABC] no comments
Despite their two 4-3 losses in San Jose on Thursday and Sunday, the Red Wings have not lost their proverbial "pair," as the title suggests. Even with two full days of rest between games 1 and 2, the Wings were unable to capitalize on an opportunity to take this series by the balls last night.
Pic via Detroit News
Game 1: Sharks 4, Red Wings 3
The Sharks scored three times within a 1:19 span in the first period to go up 3-0 and the Wings were never able to fully catch up. Joe Pavelski scored twice on the powerplay (more on that later) while Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi scored the other two San Jose goals. Dan Cleary, Johan Franzen, and Brian Rafalski scored for the Wings.
Game 2: Sharks 4, Red Wings 3
Last night's game started off much better when Pavel Datsyuk scored first on a wrist shot over Evgeni Nabokov's glove-side shoulder. Unfortunately, Pavelski and Ryane Clowe scored for the Sharks to make it 2-1. Tomas Holmstrom evened the score with a power play goal to make it a 2-2 game going into the second period. Nick Lidstrom scored the only goal of the middle period, but Pavelski and Joe Thornton scored in the third period to give the Sharks the win and 2-0 series lead before heading to Detroit.
PAVELSKI THE ASSASSIN
If it seems like I've mentioned Joe Pavelski's name a lot already, it's because I have. He has 4 goals in two games in this series, and 9 in the 2010 playoffs. He's been white hot as of late, especially at clutch times. He scored the game winner in Game 1, and tied the game at 3 last night before Thornton scored the game-winner. Getting the last change before faceoffs will be a big factor in shutting down Pavelski's line in Games 3 and 4.
HE'S STILL A ROOKIE EVERYONE
I've defended Jimmy Howard quite a bit lately, expecting him to bounce back from rough games with strong efforts. Until last night, he's done that throughout the season and first round. I think Howard, while not directly at fault on any of the goals last night, needs to be better. He got beat five-hole on Pavelski's goal in the first (always a no-no, I don't care) and his rebound control on Thornton's game winner was downright awful, regardless of whether Lidstrom's stick broke or not. He needs to have stronger games, especially in San Jose, if the Wings expect to climb out of this hole to win the series.
NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
Despite the 0-2 hole, there isn't a ton of panic going around Red Wings Nation right now. As much as I expected the Wings to hold serve at home against Phoenix, I expect it even more in this series. While San Jose is more talented than the Coyotes, they don't have the same energy and drive that Phoenix did. I'll be surprised if they take Game 4, and downright shocked if they win tomorrow night. Sharks coach Todd McLellan has benefitted a ton from having his choice of which line to put out against the Wings' lineup, and I don't think they'll be as successful without that edge. The key to the series is the Wings getting these next two games before heading back to San Jose.
More analysis (and Red Wing Reactions) after the jump... no comments
After the Wings demolished the Coyotes on Tuesday they hopped on a plane to San Jose for the start of their best of 7 series with the #1 ranked Sharks. The flight landed at 12:19 AM Shark time, which supposedly had airport traffic control workers waiting up with their arms crossed wondering why the hell the Wings' plane was rolling in 49 minutes past curfew. Apparently, planes are not allowed to arrive between the times of 11:30 PM and 6:30 AM in San Jose, unless the late arrival is due to bad weather, mechanical problems or air traffic control — all conditions outside the pilot's control.
What about Mike Babcock giving his death stare to the pilot because he wants his team to arrive the night before their only practice day - you know, because San Jose had the awesome foresight of scheduling an Eagles concert for Friday and Saturday at their NHL team's arena forcing the series to start earlier than expected? Does that fall under the exceptions?
[Deadspin]
no commentsThe Red Wings answered any doubts as to whether they were too old or too slow to keep up with the Phoenix Coyotes by dominating all phases of the game in a 6-1 win last night. Pavel Datsyuk and birthday boy (well, today anyway) Nick Lidstrom both scored twice, with the other goals coming from Brad Stuart and Todd Bertuzzi. Jimmy Howard nearly pitched another shutout, giving up a weird goal off a faceoff in the second period.
A fast-paced, back-and-forth first period left many fans (myself included) checking their shorts before the second period, but Datsyuk scored twice in the first four minutes of the 2nd to put the Wings up 2-0. Phoenix winger Vernon Fiddler scored directly off a faceoff at 8:23 to bring the Coyotes within 1, but The Captain answered the call just over 5 minutes later with a power play goal to put the Wings up 3-1.
DIRTY COYOTES
Brad Stuart scored on a breakaway just after getting out of the penalty box in the final minute of the second period. After Stuart scored, Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle tripped Henrik Zetterberg, sending him flying into the boards. Thankfully, Z is a viking warrior and didn't miss any time. Check out the video. [via Guyism]
To make matters worse for Z, a dumbass Phoenix fan (I'm assuming) threw a beer bottle at him from the stands midway through the third period. Play wasn't stopped, but hopefully that asshole saw some jail time for that. Karma was served on the ice when Lidstrom scored his second goal a few moments later to make it 6-1.
THE BEST PICTURE EVER?
Courtesy of Nightmare on Helm Street. I love the expression on my physics professor's face in the background (the dude near the armpit).
RED WING REACTIONS
Pierre LeBrun, ESPN:
With the whole hockey world waiting intently to see how Alex Ovechkin and his star-studded Washington Capitals will react in their Game 7 against Montreal on Wednesday night, if they were watching Tuesday, they saw how it's done. Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom raised their games, and the rest of the group followed.
A flurry of class posts today from Five For Howling:
The reports of the Detroit Red Wings' demise have been greatly exaggerated. They were written off at various points in the season and it looked like the Coyotes might have had a good shot at knocking them out of the first round. And then, the Red Wings played like the Red Wings that have made it to two straight Stanley Cup Finals.
How good were the Wings? Winging It In Motown has the answer:
Make no mistake: the sole reason the final score was that close was because of the goaltending of Ilya Bryzgalov, who faced 50 shots and made a series of sparking saves in the first 30 minutes that would've made it a much bigger blowout.
How about that offensive explosion by the Wings? They looked downright dangerous for nearly the entire game. The power play was as terrifying as I've seen it look since the mid-to-late-90's when it was practically automatic.
A back-handed Russian Five reference? I'll take it.
JIMMY HOWARD LIKES WHAT HE SEES
Keep staring James.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Wings will go up against the #1 seed Sharks, starting God-knows-when (seriously NHL, get on top of your shit) [Ed. Note - Thursday at 9 PM EST]. Apparently, there are two Eagles concerts scheduled at HP Pavilion in San Jose for Friday and Saturday, so the guess is the first two games of the series will be tomorrow and Sunday. Kudos to the Sharks ownership for having no faith in their team to move on.
no commentsThe Detroit Red Wings are set to face-off against the Coyotes in winner take all game seven action Tuesday night (9 PM ET, don't miss it!). As a Wings enthusiast, I'm hoping more than a few fans like these show up to cheer on the Winged Wheel in Glendale.
Check out their documentary Flight of the Octopi, which explains how you too can bring a little bit of Hockeytown magic to Phoenix.
[Puck Daddy] no comments
The Red Wings took control of a tie game in the third period by scoring 3 goals (one an empty-netter) to run away from the Phoenix Coyotes with a 4-1 win. Pavel Datsyuk and Jimmy Howard led the way for the Wings, who will try to close out the series at The Joe on Sunday.
Drew Miller opened the scoring in the first period with a wraparound shot that snuck between Ilya Bryzgalov's skates. Ed Jovanovski tied the game at 9:45 of the second period on a blatant interference non-call rebound in front of Jimmy Howard. Both teams traded close calls until Tomas Holmstrom and Datsyuk scored goals just over a minute apart in the third period, giving the Wings a 3-1 lead they would not give back. Henrik Zetterberg (who else?) scored an empty-netter in the final minute.
JIMMY HOWARD FOR PRESIDENT OF SPACE
James Tiberius Howard was once again the difference for the Wings, saving 30 of 31 Coyote shots. The .968 save percentage is impressive enough, but seeing some of the saves Howard made put his performance over the top. I think my friend put it best when we were at the bar last night: "I'm a huge, huge Osgood fan, but he's never going to start another playoff game in Detroit." If Howard keeps this up, neither will anyone else for a long time.
RED WINGS REACTIONS
After being down 2-1 in their series with the Phoenix Coyotes, Howard has now posted back-to-back brilliant starts as Detroit put themselves a win away from advancing with a 4-1 victory Friday night.
It is not considered ideal for a team to only play solid hockey for 10 minutes of a 60-minute hockey game. That being said, if you're going to do that, it helps for two other things to happen: You score three goals in that span. You have a goaltender who is playing for a full 60 minutes.
I think [Franzen is] starting to emerge. He’s looked better over the last couple of games and picked up an assist on Datsyuk’s goal. That whole top line was going tonight.
The Wings played like shit in the second. There is nothing you can say about that. And that was their own fault. But the reason for the momentum shift was a bogus penalty and a goal that should have been disallowed.
AROUND THE NHL
The Canadiens beat the Capitals 2-1 to force a Game 6. Washington leads the series 3-2.
Philadelphia beat New Jersey 3-0 on Thursday to win their series 4-1.
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 to get back into the series. Boston leads 3-2 going into Game 6.
Pittsburgh and Ottawa face off in Game 6 tonight. Ottawa won a triple-OT thriller in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Pittsburgh leads the series 3-2.
San Jose may have finally realized that they're the top seed in the West, beating Colorado 5-0 on Thursday. The Sharks lead the series 3-2 going into Game 6 tonight.
Chicago and Nashville are tied at 2 games apiece going into Game 5 tonight.
Vancouver put a 7-2 stomping on Los Angeles last night to take a 3-2 series lead.
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Apparently, stupid people think the Red Wings are too old to hang with the Coyotes of Phoenix. To those people, I have just one question: Have you seen Pavel Datsyuk stick handle recently?
Game 5 is going on right now and the Red Wings are winning 1-0. More thoughts will be posted after the game.
no commentsOnce again, Jimmy Howard responded after a bad game to get the Red Wings back into the win column. He stopped all 29 Phoenix shots to lead the Wings to a 3-0 win over the Coyotes in Game 4 of the Western conference quarterfinals. Henrik Zetterberg scored in the second and third period, with Pavel Datsyuk also finding the scoresheet for the Wings.
Zetterberg opened the scoring at 15:33 in the second period, tipping a Niklas Kronwall shot past Ilya Bryzgalov. I thought that Z's stick looked a bit too high (if he touches the puck above the plane of the crossbar, it's no goal) but the referees agreed that Z was in the clear and the goal stood. The Wings killed off a 17-second 5-on-3, plus the ensuing 5-on-4 Phoenix power play before Dangle Dangle one-timed a pass from Johan Franzen into a wide-open net to put the Wings up 2-0. Z added the final tally less than a minute later, pinballing the puck off of Bryzgalov's back from the corner.
HOWIE! HOWIE! HOWIE!
Simply put, Howard was awesome last night (that's what she said). Howard made some solid saves when the Wings needed him to most, justifying Mike Babcock's decision to stay with the young gun after his rough outing on Sunday. Some even called for Chris Osgood to get the start last night, but Howard shut those idiots voices up, even going old school on one save when his helmet came off.
EXPLOOOSSSSSSIOOOOOONNNNNN!!!!
The Red Wings have made a habit of scoring goals in bunches this series. While that's all fine and dandy for now, they likely won't be able to maintain that tendency throughout the playoffs. Getting sustained offensive pressure has been difficult at times in this series (see Games 1 and 3) and won't get any easier going forward, unless the Wings inexplicably play the San Jose Sharks in the next round. With how this year's playoffs have gone so far I'm not making any more predictions, but whoever the Wings see will likely try to clog the neutral zone like Phoenix has all series long.
RED WING REACTIONS
Howard turned in his most clutch performance in the most important game of the season for the Detroit Red Wings.
THAT was a playoff game. Nothing feels more tense than scoreless playoff hockey, and that's what we had for more than half of Game 4. Jimmy pulled his sack out for this one and put it on the foreheads of all that whispered Chris Osgood's name the last two days.
Game 4 was a statement game for Detroit. And it was made loud and clear.
The Wings PK went 6 for 6. It was unfuckingbelievable. They even killed a 5 on 3 for 17 seconds after a weak Lilja hooking penalty late in the 3rd.
UNCLE MIKE
Mike Babcock gives Jimmy some praise after his stellar effort in Game 4.
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The Wings needed to split in Phoenix or the series outlook would be bleak. That's what people say anyway -- if the road team takes just one game, the home ice advantage is flipped and it's really anyone's series at that point. That's what the Wings did on Friday night, as they will go back to Detroit and JLA with an even, 1-1 series.
The octopus trumped the snake in game 2 as the Red Wings came out on the better end of that if-you-can-score-I-can-score-too, five goals in four minutes, fuckfest during the 2nd period (3-2) and went on to score four more goals in the final period for a total of seven in the final forty minutes (and the game). My video game hockey team is extremely jealous.
Henrik Zetterberg led the way and brought the Detroit hats (and octopi) to the ice when he netted his third goal of the night, an empty netter that poured salt into the already downed, wounded, but still fucking annoying Coyotes.
Other goals were scored by Valeri Flippula (2), Pavel Datsyuk, and Justin Abdelkader. Abdelkader was inserted into the lineup to bring the Wings some grind, and he did that, but he also turned in one of the more impressive goals of the young post-season:
The goal gave the Wings a 4-3 lead, but it was short-lived. It's unfortunate it wasn't the game winner because it would have made for a nice little storyline, but Abdelkader's presence was definitely felt, either way. He only saw the ice for a little over eight minutes and he had virtually a hit per minute and scored this pant tightening goal. The Wings outhit the Coyotes 38-1.
Game 3 will be at the Joe on Sunday at 3 PM EST, assuming Jay Leno doesn't try to steal the time slot.
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