Wings Hold Off Blue Jackets To Sweep Series

After three blowouts, the Red Wings had to know they were due for a battle. Little would they realize they would be contributing factors in the war.

Giving up a pair of two-goal leads, the Wings were in for a wild third period that didn't disappoint. But the Blue Jackets made a critical error, as they were called for too many men on the ice with 1:34 left. That gave the Red Wings an opportunity that Johan Franzen capitalized on when he swatted in a loose puck to the right of Steve Mason to give the Wings a 6-5 victory and a sweep of the Blue Jackets.

After three games in which the Wings made mincemeat of the Blue Jackets, it looked like it'd be the same Thursday night as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead at the first intermission: Nick Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary each scored.

But Columbus hung four goals on the board on 14 shots against Osgood. Rick Nash and R.J. Unberger scored to tie the game at three. Marian Hossa scored back-to-back goals to reset the two goal lead, only to have Kris Russell and Fredrik Modin score to tie the game up at five at the end of two periods.

The teams went back and forth in the third, until the Blue Jackets were caught on a line change with too many players (which sent Jason Chimera into a fit of rage to the point where you wondered if he was going to get two for unsportsmanlike conduct). On the ensuing power play, after a minor scrum in front of Mason, Franzen put the puck just past the post for the game winner.

Player of the game: Johan Franzen. Scoring the game-winner with less than a minute left? That's a paddlin worth the player of the game.