Game Recaps
Wings tie game with 0.3 seconds left, lose in shootout
by Michael Petrella on Mar 20, 2010 12:24 AM CDT
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Well, darn.
The Wings spoiled a chance to take advantage of the NHL-worst Edmonton Oilers, and keep a gap between themselves and the Flames. Instead, they limp into extra time, only to lose in a shootout. The charity point helps, but not as much as it would have if San Jose could take care of business (raise your hand if you're shocked!). With Calgary winning, and Detroit only getting one point out of central Alberta, the two squads are tied with 81 points -- but fear not, Detroit has a game in hand.
The first period was all Edmonton. Andrew Cogliano opened the scoring in the first minute of the game, and the Wings were on their heels from that point on. By the five minute mark, Ryan Whitney had made it 2-0, and Mike Babcock had taken his timeout -- to silently pace the bench and let the guys soak in how little emotion they were showing.
Patrick Eaves, who would leave the game between the second and third periods with what the team is describing as an upper body injury, got Detroit on the board with just over 8 minutes to play in the middle frame. A great pass from Kris Draper behind the net to the high slot found Eaves, who cut the Oilers lead in half.
The rest of the game was pretty uneventful.
Oh, unless you count the last 0.3 seconds.
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Late Holmstrom goal gives Red Wings two huge points
by Casey Richey on Mar 16, 2010 12:04 AM CDT
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Detroit and Calgary faced off for a huge 2 points in the race for the Western Conference 8th seed. With a win, Detroit jumped up 2 points to a 3 point lead on Calgary for that final spot. In a game that could have very easily turned into a 3-point final by way of overtime, the Red Wings found a late third period goal to push them to a 2-1 victory and more importantly, 2 points.
Calgary got on the board first, under 2 minutes into the game. A pass from Andreas Lilja to Darren Helm went through Helm's legs and landed on the stick of Nigel Dawes. Dawes took the puck to the net and put a shot on net. The rebound landed on the tape of Craig Conroy. A handful of Detroit chances and a Brian Rafalski shot off the post were about all that the Red Wings had to show for the first period.
For two teams battling each other for the last spot in the West at the time being, the first period was very tentative and sloppy. Each team registered 10 shots on net but very few were quality scoring chances. The pace picked up considerably in the second period and both teams put their offense on attack. The Wings equaled their first period total in shots with 10 in the second. The biggest shot came with 50 seconds left in the period.
But before that all important shot could be made, another shot had to be saved. Detroit had a power play after Steve Staois was given two minutes for interference on Kris Draper. Curtis Glencross corralled a loose puck and was in on Jimmy Howard with two Detroit players trailing. Henrik Zetterberg got called for hooking and Glencross got a penalty shot out of it. Glencross came in with a ton of speed and didn't deke much, just putting a shot on Howard that he stopped with ease.
Seconds after Howard stopped Glencross' attempt, Pavel Datsyuk picked up a pass from Brian Rafalski and with Tomas Holmstrom standing in front of Miikka Kiprusoff, fired the puck top shelf stick side for a tied game with 50 seconds remaining in the 2nd period. It was Datsyuk's team leading 22nd goal of the season and his 6th in 7 games. The power-play goal continues the team's streak to a whopping 10 games.
The third period was full of chances for both teams. Brian Rafalski took a double minor for high-sticking and it looked to be a crucial turning point in the game for Calgary. Instead, it turned out to be a huge momentum boost for the Red Wings. The Wings killed off the full four minutes and got some spring back in their step. The teams wound up quality chance after chance on net and it wasn't until the dying minutes of the third that the Wings ended the tie.
Detroit managed to keep the puck in the zone on a clearing attempt by Calgary with under 1:30 to play. Even though three of the five Red Wings had vacated the zone in an attempt to get back on defense, Johan Franzen cranked a shot up from the blue line. With Holmstrom in his office in front of Kiprusoff, he deflected a shot that was going well wide of the net into the top shelf for a 2-1 Detroit lead with 1:19 to play.
Holmstrom did what he does best by deflecting the puck and the Wings survived a 6 man attack with Kiprusoff pulled to get the 2-1 win.
Player of the game: Tomas Holmstrom. It was hard not to give this one to Jimmy Howard who played a very solid game for Detroit. But if it weren't for Homer's derriere blocking Kiprusoff's view all night, the two goals wouldn't have been scored.
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Griffins making run, down Rochester 3-2
by Casey Richey on Mar 14, 2010 6:07 PM CDT
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Grand Rapids has put together a good little streak lately, earning a point in 5 straight games. The Griffins have won 3 of the 5 in regulation and the other two went to overtime or shoot out. Although they have considerable work to do to make the playoffs (out by about 11 points), they've played well of late.
The Griffins took on the Rochester Americans on Sunday and made the most of the opportunities given. Grand Rapids took the lead first with a shorthanded goal from Patrick Rissmiller at 8:46 of the first period on a pass from Brad May. Victor Oreskovich scored for the Americans in the first period and Michael Caruso made it 2-1 Rochester in the second period.
Justin Abdelkader slammed home a loose puck on the power play for a tied game late in the second period for his 9th of the season. Ole-Kristian Tollefsen scored his first of the season for Grand Rapids midway through the 3rd period to give the Griffins and Daniel Larsson the win, 3-2. Tollefsen's shot from the point found a path to the net through screens and beat Rochester's Alexander Salak for the game winning goal.
Impressions from the Griffins vs. Americans game:
- Justin Abdelkader is absolutely dominant in the AHL as a first line center. He was all over the ice and it was nice to see him getting serious minutes on the ice and how he adapted to it. He put two shots on net and set up some great scoring chances for his line mates. Detroit fans know his forechecking prowess but it's even more prevalent at the AHL level.
- Daniel Larsson has calmed down a bit in net and showed some great movement in the crease. He needs to work on a lot of things but showed some flashes of solid play. He moves pretty fast across the crease but seems to have a bit of a problem seeing the puck at times. Good glove hand and quick reflexes, could be NHL material in a short amount of time. Larsson went 3-0-1 in the last five games.
- Jakub Kindl is pretty impressive too. He plays pretty tight defense and wasn't afraid to step in front of a shot. I liked the way he pressured the puck carrier or watched the free man. He looked like he wasn't going to give up all that much to the opposition's attack. If Lebda or Meech (or both) aren't re-signed in the offseason, he might be the first to make the jump.
- Patrick Rissmiller is an opportunist. He scored the first goal of the game and was in the right place pretty frequently. Rissmiller makes a lot of the chances he's given and has been on some what of a scoring tear recently. Rissmiller has 4 goals in the last 5 games, pretty good if you ask me.
- Sergei Kolosov was another great player to watch on defense. We did an interview with him recently but it was good to actually see him play a full game outside of the Olympics.. He moves pretty well around the defensive zone and passes well when he's given the puck. Seems to have a good awareness on defense and offense as well. Wouldn't be surprised if he winds up in Motown eventually. Big frame with big potential.
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Rafalski OT Goal Gives Wings 3-2 Win
by joehass on Mar 13, 2010 9:39 PM CST
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And...breathe.
The Red Wings squandered a two-goal lead to the Buffalo Sabres, and as the game went to overtime, there was a definite sense of fear that, while the team had earned a point against a non-conference opponent, that team needed to get two points.
Fortunately, it took them just 31 seconds.
Brian Rafalski put a one-timer past Ryan Miller to take advantage of the fourth power play of the night and give the Red Wings a 3-2 win, reclaiming the eighth playoff spot from the Calgary Flames, who were idle Saturday night.
It was the ninth straight game with a power play goal for Detroit, and their 12th straight home game.
Pavel Datsyuk and Patrick Eaves also scored for the Red Wings, overcoming a pair of goals from Jochen Hecht.
The Wings jumped out early. Johan Franzen took full advantage of the Joe Louis Arena boards to fire a hard pass to Datsyuk, who was skating in towards Miller. Datsyuk fired a hard 12 footer that went past Miller for his team-leading 21st of the season and his fourth goal in five games. Niklas Kronwall picked up the other assist.
The Red Wings kept their foot on the gas: 73 seconds later, Darren Helm put the puck on Eaves stick as he crossed the far blue-line. Eaves kicked it into high gear, held on as Craig Rivet stuck his stick into Eaves skates to try to break it up, and put the puck through an exposed Miller for his 10th of the season.
But the two-goal lead wouldn't last long. Jason Pominville's shot was blocked by Jimmy Howard, but as seems to be a recurring theme, Howard was sloppy with the rebound, which put the puck right on Hecht's stick. He didn't miss, and the lead was cut to 2-1.
In the second period, Hecht struck again. Tim Connolly's shot was blocked by Howard, and the puck squirted out to Pominville. Pominville struggled to handle it, but Hecht took a swing at it. The puck deflected off Howard's right shoulder and into the net to tie the game. It was Hecht's 16th of the season and his second two-goal game of the year (his first was on New Year's Day against Atlanta).
With 1:13 left in regulation, Tyler Myers flipped the puck over the glass in the defensive zone, earning a delay of game penalty. That penalty carried over to overtime. With the play securely in the Wings offensive zone, Nicklas Lidstrom set up Rafalski, who wound up and beat Miller to his right side for his sixth goal of the year and his first game-winner of the year.
The Red Wings will face Calgary in the final game of their regular season series on Monday night.
Player of the game: Brian Rafalski. A game-winner in overtime? That's a player of the game.
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Pair of Franzen Goals Leads To 5-1 Victory Over Wild
by joehass on Mar 11, 2010 9:33 PM CST
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You know your team had a good night when the guy with a pair of goals has to settle for second star of the game.
Johan Franzen's sixth and seventh of the season fell behind Henrik Zetterberg's goal and two assists as the Detroit Red Wings played a full sixty minutes to get a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
The Wings had a 3-0 lead after 10:15, but didn't let up as they've been wont to do lately, and it showed. Zetterberg, who seemed to be struggling over the past few games, played strong over his 19:46 on the ice. Drew Miller picked up his first career short-handed goal. And Tomas Holmstrom scored from 50 feet away.
After a pair of third-period letdowns, the Red Wings kept the intensity going into the third, outshooting the Wild 8-5.
The Red Wings also kept their home power play goal streak going: it's now at 12 straight home games.
Jimmy Howard made 21 saves to further his Calder Trophy campaign. Josh Harding, who got the start after Niklas Backstrom sat out with what the Wild reported as a lower body injury.
To add injury to insult, Guillaume Latendresse was taken to a hospital for observation after Brian Rafalski hit him with a high-stick just underneath the bottom of the helmet. Latendresse fell to the ground in pain, but was able to leave the ice under his own power with assistance from a Wild trainer.
The Red Wings jumped out early. On a passing series that made it look like a power play, the puck ended up on Franzen's stick. His hard shot hit Holmstrom and trickled into the net. Brett Lebda and Holmstrom picked up assists.
With Mikko Koivu serving his second penalty of the period, the Wings scored what may be their oddest goal of the year. Zetterberg made a setup pass to Holmstrom, who was out by the faceoff dot. Holmstrom made what appeared to be a dump in, but his "shot" went off Nick Schultz's foot, and Harding wasn't expecting the change of direction. Holmstrom's 19th of the season was a 50-footer, with assists to Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom.
Fifty-six seconds later, the Wings would strike again. This time it was Kris Draper who fired a shot in that Harding handled, but Patrick Eaves managed to grab the rebound and skate around the back of the net, where he found a wide open Zetterberg with three Wild players near him, but not covering him. Zetterberg buried it to earn his 19th of the season.
With only 11 seconds left in the period, the Wild got on the board. Former University of Michigan player Andrew Ebbett's shot towards the crease deflected off of Brad Stuart's foot and past Howard for his 24th of the year. Martin Havlat and Marek Zidlicky each picked up a point.
In the second period, the Red Wings took advantage of a Miller takeaway on Cam Barker in the Wild offensive zone to create a two-on-none with Rafalski serving a penalty. Valtteri Filppula appeared to overskate the goal, but managed to put on the brakes and pass the puck back to Miller. The puck went off Miller's chest and into the net for his first career short-handed goal and eighth of the season. Niklas Kronwall earned the second assist.
Finally, in the third, a neutral-zone turnover was retrieved by Zetterberg, who dumped the puck to Franzen. He skated in and put a wrister in the back of the net for his second of the night, seventh of the season, and sixth in the nine games since returning from the injured list.
The Red Wings host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena.
Player Of The Game: Henrik Zetterberg. Beyond the three points, Zetterberg seemed to have his groove back for the first time since the Olympic break tonight. The team needs him to perform to have a chance to make the playoffs.
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Wings Squander 2-1 Lead, Fall Out Of Playoffs With 4-2 Loss
by joehass on Mar 9, 2010 9:14 PM CST
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The Detroit Red Wings needed to be able to pad out their single-point lead tonight when they faced the team right behind them, the Calgary Flames. And with a 2-1 lead going into the third period, it seemed like Detroit would take advantage of the situtation.
But a 91-second stretch saw that lead disappear, and for only the second time this season, the Red Wings lost in regulation when leading after two periods, losing 4-2 at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings lost to the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 after leading 2-1 on January 23.
Jarome Iginla and Rene Bourque scored in that stretch, and combined with Daymond Langkow's first period tally and Christopher Higgins' empty-netter, Calgary reclaimed the final playoff position in the Western Conference. To make matters worse, with Nashville's 2-1 win over Atlanta, the Wings are now three points behind Nashville in seventh.
Pavel Datsyuk scored in his third straight game and Tomas Holmstrom picked up his 18th of the season. For Datsyuk, he became the first 20-goal scorer for the Red Wings, coming in the 66th game of the season.
Calgary outshot Detroit 15-4 in the third period as part of that stretch, making this the second straight game where Detroit appeared to completely let off the gas. Jimmy Howard was solid between the pipes, making 28 saves. Miikka Kiprusoff picked up with win while stopping 28 of Detroit's 30 shots.
After a scoreless first period, a bad Detroit clear led to the opening goal. Howard's attempt to clear instead went to Ian White at the blue line. White fired a shot that went wide to the left of Howard, but hit the infamous Joe Louis Arena boards hard and came out to his right onto the stick of Langkow. He fired a shot that seemed to stun Howard and ended up in the back of the net for his 14th of the season.
But after an Nicklas Lidstrom stop of a Iginla breakaway, the Wings would tie it up. Brian Rafalski set up Holmstrom as he crossed the blue line, and Holmstrom quickly found Datsyuk. Datsyuk flicked the puck under Kiprusoff's left arm from 10 feet away and barely across the goal line.
Then, with Calgary a man down on a too-many-men penalty, Detroit had a dominant power play. Lidstrom, facing heavy traffic between him and Kiprusoff, decided to fire it towards the side of the net. Holmstrom saw the shot and positioned his stick to deflect it right in past a sliding Kiprusoff. It was Lidstrom's 18th, with Rafalski getting his second assist of the night.
But Calgary would tie it up in the third. On a Bourque drive, Howard made a good left pad save, but the puck simply rolled out to Iginla camped out to Howard's left. Howard had no chance and Iginla netted his 31st.
Then the Flames would take advantage of a fluke. After a load of pressure, Robyn Regehr put the puck near the net. The puck wound up near Iginla, who softly swatted at it, and the shot deflected off Bourque's ankle and into the net, with Howard seemingly unaware of it.
The Red Wings will host Minnesota on Thursday.
Player of the game: Pavel Datsuyk. He has four goals in the last three games, and looked strong on offense Tuesday night.
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Wings explode in 2nd period, hold on late
by Casey Richey on Mar 7, 2010 3:11 PM CST
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What a huge win by the Red Wings over long time rival Chicago. It wasn't just getting the 2 points that was important, but the way the Red Wings bounced back after the first period with 5 goals in the second and then holding off a Blackhawks attack that was firing on all cylinders in the third period.
Neither goalie played particularly well today but then again both offenses were ready to rock from the beginning. Duncan Keith started the scoring for the Blackhawks with a blast from the point following a juicy rebound from Jimmy Howard. Keith's shot hit off Brian Rafalski and then went in for a 1-0 Chicago lead at 4:24. Andrew Ladd added his first of three goals midway through the third after a poor pass from Valtteri Filppula landed right on the stick of Ladd; top corner, 2-0.
Brian Rafalski scored on the power play with a rocket shot from the point that beat Cristobal Huet. Nicklas Lidstrom shot another puck from the point with Todd Bertuzzi (more on him later) that beat Huet only 38 seconds later. Jason Williams scored a tap-in goal off of a beautiful pass from Henrik Zetterberg at 9:45. Less than a minute later Valtteri Filppula made amends for his poor pass in the first period by taking a breakout pass and beating Huet for a very quick 4-2 Detroit lead.
Filppula's goal ended Huet's game and Chicago replaced him with Antti Niemi. Huet allowed 4 goals on 17 shots before being pulled by Joel Quenneville. Pavel Datsyuk picked Patrick Kane's pocket late in the third period and scored a great breakaway goal on Niemi with 3 seconds left.
Andrew Ladd added two more goals in the third period for a hat trick. The Chicago attack was buzzing towards the end of the third and almost tied it up several times. The Wings held on late and got a little bit lucky on a few chances.
Shocking stat of the game:
The top for defensemen (Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart) all played 23+ minutes.
Player of the game: Pavel Datsyuk. Datsyuk has been on fire since the Olympics and it continued today. Datsyuk had 4 takeaways, 3 hits, won 53% of his face-offs and oh yeah, has the game winning goal.
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Wings bounce back big against Predators
by Casey Richey on Mar 5, 2010 9:41 PM CST
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Well that was a lot better, huh?
Detroit came out with high energy from the first drop of the puck and pressured Nashville all night long. That pressure resulted in the first goal of the game as Pavel Datsyuk created one of his trademark offensive zone takeaways as he picked Kevin Klein's pocket as Klein circled behind the net. Datsyuk stickhandled a bit and got Dan Ellis to commit before Datsuyk backhanded it up over for a 1-0 lead at 7:44.
Datsyuk started the second goal of the game while the Wings were on the power play. Datsyuk drew several Nashville defenders before making a cross-ice pass to Nick Lidstrom. Lidstrom's shot bounced right to the tape of Tomas Holmstrom who had it easy in scoring his 17th of the year.
Darren Helm added to the reasons why Red Wings fans love him by adding a pair of goals in the second period. The first was off a shot from the slot that beat Ellis top corner, 3-0 Detroit. The second goal was the more beautiful of the two as an outlet pass from Niklas Kronwall during a Nashville power play was collected by a Predator to Ellis' right. Helm took the puck off the defender and put a quick shot on Ellis. As the rebound kicked out to the left, Helm stuck with it and slammed home his 10th goal of the season.
J.P. Dumont added a goal for Nashville in the second period after a Detroit turnover lead to a great passing play from the Predators and Dumont put a shot into a wide open net. Joel Ward scored his 13th of the year early in the third period but it wasn't enough. A late empty net goal by Henrik Zetterberg (18th) solidified the win for Detroit.
The Red Wings played much better in front of Jimmy Howard tonight, allowing only 22 shots on net. They did much better in the face-off circle too, winning 32 of 45. Lidstrom's assist on Holmstrom's goal was his 800th career assist.
Shocking stat of the night:
Datsyuk had an exceptional game in the dot, winning 12 of 15 faceoffs (80%) and Filppula won 6 of 8 (75%).
Player of the game:
Hands down Darren Helm. Hustled all night long (as usual) earned himself two goals, including his 3rd shorty of the year. Helm was a solid 5 of 7 in the face-off circle and also played 4 of his 12 minutes on the night as a penalty killer.
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