Western Conference Quarterfinal, Game 7(5) Detroit 6, (4) Phoenix 1 - Red Wings win series 4-3
The Red Wings have a long history of crushing the Cup dreams of upstarts. Even on the rare occasion that they're the underdogs; the men of the Winged Wheel bring a prestigious and intimidating aura. In a nasty Game 7 road environment on Tuesday night in Glendale, Arizona, the Red Wings gave the Phoenix Coyotes just enough hope to make the inevitable result hurt. Not surprisingly, Detroit's top players led the charge. Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg have been there before – actually, they’re in this type of do-or-die situation almost every year – so it was no surprise that they were the best players on the ice. Datsyuk and Lidstrom scored twice each, and Zetterberg racked up three assists in leading Detroit to the second round. Power plays and goaltending were once again the focal point. After Phoenix netminder Ilya Bryzgalov had stymied the Detroit power play in Game 6, the Wings turned the tables in Game 7.
For one period, though, Bryzgalov picked up where he left off, stopping all 17 Detroit shots. The Red Wings' man advantage, which had squandered its chance to close out the series Sunday afternoon at home, broke through early in the second period, cashing in on its second opportunity of Game 7 to give the Wings a 1-0 lead 2:01 into the middle frame when Datsyuk scored his fourth goal of the series, one-timing a loose puck past Bryzgalov. Datsyuk’s second goal in 1:41, this time during a 4-on-4 situation, made it 2-0. The Coyotes cut the Wings’ lead in half on Vernon Fiddler’s goal at 8:23 of the second, and Phoenix was back in the game. Once again, however, the power play swung the momentum, as it so often does in the playoffs. With the Wings enjoying another 5-on-4 edge, Lidstrom’s slap shot from the point put Detroit back in front by two at 13:52. The death blow would be struck during the final seconds of the middle period. When Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart was whistled for hooking with 2:13 to play in the second, the Coyotes and their fans saw an obvious chance to seize momentum and enter the third period trailing by just one.
Phoenix coach Dave Tippett called timeout to get his lineup and strategy in order. It was the chance Phoenix was hoping for. But, as hockey fans have learned, the tease factor is always high when you’re facing Detroit. Just when you think your team has a leg up, something strange and disastrous happens. This time, it was a defenseman on a breakaway. Not only did the Wings kill Stuart's penalty, but as the power play expired, Stuart exited the box and found himself chasing a loose puck through the slushy late-period Arizona ice. The puck slowed just enough for Stuart to catch up, and his fresh legs made the difference, as he outraced a diving Mathieu Schneider, picked up the loose puck on a partial breakaway down the left wing, and beat Bryzgalov to the blocker side to put the Wings ahead 4-1 with five seconds left in the second period. Game over. With that incredible momentum swing, the mighty Wings ripped the heart out of another Johnny-come-lately challenger. Phoenix was the higher seed, but Detroit is still Detroit, killing the Cup dreams of another Western Conference foe. Next up for the Red Wings is a conference semifinal series against the top-seeded San Jose Sharks, a pack of perpetual playoff failures. Clearly the favored (wink, wink) Sharks would have rather faced the Desert Dogs than the Winged Wheel, which has appeared in the last two Cup Finals and has dominated the West for the past decade and a half. Nobody wants to tangle with the octopus. Round two will be billed as Datsyuk and the Dreamcrushers versus Patty (Marleau) and the Playoff Patsies. Most hockey fans will admit -- begrudgingly -- that the underdog is actually the favorite. Here we go again.
By: James Lambert |
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