Detroit completes sweep of Colorado

Red Wings advance to Western Conference Semifinals with 8-2 win

Johan Franzen scored his second hat trick in three games fueling the Detroit Red Wings in a 8-2 rout Thursday night that completed a sweep of the injury-plagued Colorado Avalanche.

Franzen's scored nine goals in this series matching Colorado's total in the four games.

In his first taste of the Detroit/Colorado rivalry, Franzen dominated the Avalanche. The player nicknamed "Mule" scored on a breakaway in the first period and added a short-handed backhander and a redirection into the net in the second, when the Red Wings scored four times to take a 7-1 lead.

The Red Wings advance to the Western Conference finals against the winner of the Dallas/San Jose series which the Stars lead 3-2. #2 San Jose plays @ #5 Dallas on Sunday night in Game #6. Fans can find all of the Stanley Cup Playoff scores online at Pro Hockey Fans.

> Find a great selection of Red Wings apparel & gear available online through Pro Hockey Fans and get a Niklas Lidstrom or Henrik Zetterberg Fathead online at Sports Shop!

Some key stats from Detroit's Game #4 win:

• Detroit outshot Colorado 40-31 in the game, but had a 35-17 shooting edge and 7-1 lead in the game after the 2nd period.

• Detroit goalie Chris Osgood improved to 6-0 in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs after allowing 2 goals on 31 shots for a .935 save percentage.

• Seven Detroit players tallied 2 or more points in the game led by Henrik Zetterberg's 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists), Pavel Datsyuk (3 assists) and Johan Franzen (3 goals).

By Kevin Chaves
ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

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