Twenty eight seconds into the first period is all that it took for Calgary to get on the scoreboard. Jamie Lundmark scored his first of the season on a pass across the crease from Olli Jokinen. That goal was all that Calgary needed as Miikka Kiprusoff blanked the Red Wings on 40 shots. It was the second consecutive shut out of the Red Wings and the second consecutive game with 40 shots and nothing to show for it.
Lundmark scored on a pass from Jokinen along the boards as Chris Osgood tried to stand back up, leaving the net wide open. Detroit seemingly tied it with power play goal from Brad Stuart at 5:27 of the first period but the goal was waved off for goaltender interference. Dan Cleary, positioned barely in the crease, “prevented the goaltender from doing his job” as he slightly brushed Kiprusoff’s blocker as the puck went glove side–clearly preventing him from doing his job, right? Nevertheless, the officials called it as they saw it and Calgary maintained the 1-0 lead as “boos” greeted the ears of the officiating crew.
That lead would grow to 2-0 as Nigel Dawes scored at 18:29 of the first period on an odd turnover frenzy in front of Osgood. The chance started on a weak shot from Brett Lebda in the offensive zone that lead to a Calgary rush with David Moss and Dawes up against Jonathan Ericsson, Pavel Datsyuk, and a trailing Lebda. Ericsson stopped a cross from Moss, only to have Datsyuk whiff on a clear leading to a poke from Dawes past Osgood for a 2-0 lead heading into the first break.
Detroit fired 17 shots on goal in the second period–as many as Calgary had in the whole game–but could not register a goal. Another controversial moment happened with an early whistle while the puck was loose in Kiprusoff’s crease before Ericsson scored. Once again, the goal was waved off at the discretion of the officiating crew and jeers yet again rained down on Brad Meier and his fellow crew members. Numerous chances in the second period by the Red Wings were unrewarded and a 2-0 deficit with the way Kiprusoff was playing made the outcome more or less decided at the end of two.
Olli Jokinen scored just 25 seconds into the third period–deja vu anyone?–to put the game at an unreachable 3-0 for the sputtering Detroit offense. This time, it was Jokinen who received the pass from Lundmark (reverse of goal number one) and he wasted little time firing a beautiful shot above Osgood’s glove side and into the net. Lundmark’s pass was a wobbler that Jokinen caught perfectly on the tape and ripped into the top shelf to solidify the 3-0 win for Calgary.
Calgary filled the shooting lanes and blocked 17 shots, taking any quality chances away and leaving Kiprusoff with mainly routine saves. The powerplay sputtered again, going 0 for 6 on the night. Detroit’s offensive struggles can be summed up in one stat: 1 goal on the last 119 shots.
Detroit faces fellow Central Division opponents St. Louis tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. ET and Calgary faces Columbus.
Casey’s Wing of the Game: Once again, I’d rather not choose. Darren Helm is who I’ve got though: 9 hits, 4 shots, 9/14 (64%) in the dot. He also showed his incredible speed with a burst past a Calgary defender.
