The Wings find themselves down 3-1 in their first round series after blowing a 2-0 lead and losing in overtime. Balls
I didn’t like the reffing in this game, so it held up to about 80% of games I’ve CSSI’d this year. At least the Wings finally scored a power play goal. Shots were 40-37 Boston.
CSSI Methodology Explanation here
Goaltending
Jonas Gustavsson had a pretty Jonas Gustavssonian game. After rewatching, he performed better than it looked the first time. That’s Gustavssonian.
The Goals
1st Period 11:00 -Detroit Goal (PP): Niklas Kronwall (slap shot) from Pavel Datsyuk
Detroit gets on the board first just four seconds into a double-minor as a faceoff win opens up a shot that finds paydirt through a perfect screen. This one’s supremely easy. The faceoff is to Rask’s net. As soon as the puck drops, Bert heads to the net-front. Datsyuk sweeps it away from Krejci back to Kronwall, who moves a few stops to the middle and fires it. Plus for Datsyuk on the faceoff win and a screener’s assist to Bertuzzi.
2nd Period 04:27 – Detroit Goal: Pavel Datsyuk (wrist shot) from Niklas Kronwall and Justin Abdelkader
The Wings go up 2-0 on a great pressure play in the offensive zone. Kronwall gets a rebound and puts it onto Datsyuk’s stick at the back door for the easy goal. The Wings put on consistent back-pressure while finishing a line change and are able to recover the puck when Brendan Smith steps up on Thornton at the B’s blue line, causing him to try an area pass that Abdelkader breaks up with a stick-lift on Campbell that lets Kronwall get it. Kronner and Pavs give-and-go real quick to turn it up ice while the Bruins finish a change of their own. Pavs & Hank get it in along the right-side boards and eventually deep. Z protects the puck very well coming around behind the net before finding Kronner jumping up into the middle for a one-timer that he blasts just wide. The puck bounces back up to the top of the left circle where Kronwall takes inside position on Lucic and is able to steal the puck and turn back into the zone. Kronner feathers it to the net-front where Abdelkader tries to jam it under Rask on the backhand. The puck kicks out behind the net and right to Kronwall completing his run. With Rask still down at the far post, Kronner hands it to Datsyuk just outside the crease for the easy put-away. This is a great play from the get-go, as Glendening is a big part of what gets the Wings their change (Glendening will get a half-plus). Smith’s step-up to create the turnover will earn him a plus. Datsyuk, Abdelkader, Kronwall, and Zetterberg will all each get additional pluses for the high-pressure cycle that absolutely crushes the Bruins’ defense on this play.
2nd Period 10:14 – Boston Goal (PP): Torey Krug (slap shot) from Patrice Bergeron
Boston gets on the board with a power play goal as Glendening tips a shot from the point over Gustavsson’s shoulder. This one is nearly a carbon-copy of the Kronwall goal in the first period. Glendening loses the faceoff to Bergeron and will get a minus for that. Additionally, Glendening will get another half-minus for tipping the puck past his own goalie.
3rd Period 01:15 – Boston Goal: Milan Lucic (wrist shot) from Carl Soderberg and Dougie Hamilton
Boston ties it early in the third on a soft coverage for the Wings after a Bruins dump-in that finds Lucic all alone in front. Hamilton takes it behind his own net while both teams change, using the edge of the net to cut off a forechecking Nyquist and come out front. Hamilton gets between the hash marks and passes up to the wing very softly just behind Helm coming in to cut off his angle. Lucic tosses it from the center lane to Soderberg coming up the right wing side on a tip into the zone. Soderberg gets it in the corner with Lashoff chasing him down. As Soderberg sweeps around behind the net, he tosses the puck back in front where Lucic stands uncovered for the easy put-in. I’m going to clear Kindl and Franzen on this play as they’re not involved. Helm keeps his minus for letting the play escape the Bruins’ zone in the first place. I don’t like the angle that Lashoff takes here which allows Soderberg to make this play. Lashoff will get a half-minus. The bigger mistake is on Nyquist, who gets beaten to the front of the net on this play. He has to tie up Lucic and fails to. Nyquist will get a minus.
Overtime 13:32 – Boston Goal: Jarome Iginla (tip in) from Dougie Hamilton and David Krejci
Boston gets the game-winner they deserved most of the overtime period off a good forecheck that frees up a guy for a shot which tips off two players before bouncing in off the defenseman in front. The Bruins get it into the zone with a long pass from behind their own blue line to the Wings’ blue line along the bench-side boards. This breaks Marchand in for a shot that Kronwall blocks but Marchand recovers. Two passes later and Chara throws a wrister from the point that Gustavsson blocks off to the corner. Iginla and Krejci get to the puck in the corner and Iginla bulls his way behind the net, passing back to Krejci and then receiving the pass back once he’s at the half-wall. Lucic hangs around making space on this play which almost pays off as Iginla tries a centering pass to Krejci that Kronwall deflects off to the opposite side boards. Krejci gets there first and holds off Kronwall while Iginla and Miller come in to help. Miller loses the board battle to Iginla, who is able to drag it a few feet up the boars to create separation before pulling it back to lucic on the interior of the play. Lucic is covered by DeKeyser, but he pushes it back to Krejci, who now has a bit of room to work since Kronwall has had to back off. Iginla drags Miller to the middle of the ice as Krejci comes up the boards to take up the space where Iggy had just been. From here, Krejci finds a lane to get it to Hamilton at the far point and with a bit of space to walk the puck in. Hamilton doesn’t quite get to the half-wall before throwing the puck on net. Glendening partially deflects this before it hits Iginla just below the dot on its way to the net where Lucic and DeKeyser are leaning heavily on one another in a battle for position. The puck hits DeKeyser’s skate and bounces in. Magically, in this entire 30-second sequence, Legwand doesn’t really do anything wrong. This will get Legwand cleared. I think Glendening fails as a center a few times on this sequence, mostly as the Bruins continue to get even numbers in on board battles where he should be. Glendening will get a minus. Drew Miller will get two minuses on this play. He should be farther back in the neutral zone when the pass gets Boston into the Wings’ end in the first place and then he loses the board battle to Iginla. Kronwall will get an extra half-minus for his board-battling, (it’s not as bad for him because it’s his job to simply hold guys off in the situations which present themselves). DeKeyser will get a minus for losing battles on this sequence, including the net-front one.
Penalty Adjustments
1st Period 07:01 – Justin Abdelkader and Dougie Hamilton (roughing): The Wings get a good scoring chance that Rask holds. Hamilton gets rough with Abby trying to clear the net and they scrum after the whistle. Both go off for being mean to each other. No adjustment.
1st Period 10:57 – Justin Florek (high sticking double minor): Miller, Glendening, and Legwand create a speedy rush through center that nearly earns them a scoring chance. Trying to defend against it, Florek high-sticks Miller and goes to the box for four. I’m going to give Miller, Glendening, and Legwand each a half-plus on this rush to cause problems for Hamilton.
1st Period 17:28 – Brendan Smith (tripping): Smith trips his brother in the defensive zone after getting caught flat-footed. Minus for Brendan Smith.
2nd Period 08:03 – Kevan Miller (roughing): Abdelkader is doing a good job on the forecheck behind the Bruins net and gets held up badly by Miller. As Abby tries to free himself, Miller simply nails him. Plus for Abdelkader.
2nd Period 08:16 – Todd Bertuzzi (interference): Bertuzzi and Chara are skating in the neutral zone getting set up for a Wings’ zone entry. Chara flops and Bertuzzi goes to the box. This is a bad call. No adjustment.
2nd Period 13:14 – Gregory Campbell (boarding): The Wings are buzzing again and fighting along the boards when Campbell plants Helm away from the puck, heading to the box for it. Helm will get a plus.
Bonus Ratings
-1 for Riley Sheahan: Sheahan didn’t show up on the event summary at all, save for his 44% faceoffs. Zero shots on goal, and generally non-effective play drove him here.
-1 to Johan Franzen: At this point it’s almost automatic, no? I’m honestly not trying to pick on him, but he’s simply not living up to expectations.
Honorable Mentions:
I thought Legwand skated well and Helm was nicely engaged. Tatar got a ton of shots on net, but nothing terribly notable. Overall, the team looked tired by the end. Just tired.
Current Game Chart
Playoffs Totals Chart
Screener’s Assist Totals
| Player Name | Screener’s Assists Totals |
| Todd Bertuzzi | 1 |
