The Wings did what they had to do today and played a textbook game on the way to shutting out Nashville 2-0. The Preds became the fourth team to be eliminated (after the Blues, Islanders and Devils) and never really got going like they did in the first four games of the series.

Curtis Joseph made the start for the Wings and was solid once again while Tomas Vokoun started for his Predators and gave them a chance to win.

First Period
The game had a very choppy start, with many stoppages of play in the first minute and a half. The Wings got off two shots in that time but both were fairly easy saves for Vokoun to make and didn’t come with very much pressure.

Then, at 1:26, the Wings struck. Ray Whitney finally got himself on the board when he took a shot from the slot area and had it go off a defenseman. He spun around and the puck came right back to him for another try. The Preds defenseman had sort of given up on the play, thinking the threat was gone but that only served to screen Vokoun for Whitney’s second shot, which ripped by him to make it 1-0 Wings. It was just their 3rd shot on goal and once again, Vokoun was left out to dry by his defense.

Exactly 30 seconds later, the Wings scored again. It was the same line (Whitney/Lang/Yzerman) but this time The Captain finally got on the board. Robert Lang had the puck behind the net and was hardly pressured since Mark Eaton had dropped his stick. He centered the puck to an open Steve Yzerman who chipped the puck in past a helpless Vokoun who was once again left out to dry by his defensemen. It was a trend which continued for much of the game but was the last time Vokoun gave up a goal in such a situation.

Less than a minute later, Tomas Holmstrom created a chance when he came in on the left wing and sent a drop pass to a trailing Kris Draper from behind the net. Draper took a shot and Vokoun made the save but the puck still got through and ended up falling on the goalline where it was knocked away by a Predators defenseman. The play was reviewed and obviously found to be “no goal” but Barry Trotz knew it was time to calm his team down and called a timeout.

Henrik Zetterberg had a chance going in with no help at about 3:50 but he was mugged while trying to maneuver around the Preds defense and ended up on the ice with a Nashville player on his back while swiping at the puck. The Preds came back and finally got their first shot on goal at 4:02 and another seconds later but both were saves by Joseph.

The Wings’ Robert Lang took a penalty at 9:46 that I thought was pretty weak since it looked like Greg Johnson fell more because he lost an edge than because Lang hooked up but the refs decided to call it anyway. The Preds got a good set up going early on and got a good shot off but Joseph made the save and did not allow a rebound. The Preds had a couple more good chances to score but missed the net on them and could not convert.

The Wings took another penalty at 12:44 when Jiri Fischer made himself look like a moron at center ice in roughing up Adam Hall. The Preds were slow in getting set up but did eventually, though it didn’t matter because the Wings killed it off regardless.

The Wings went on the power play at 15:39 when David Legwand couldn’t handle Pavel Datsyuk in his own zone and resorted to cross checking. They got very little going, however, and the Preds killed that off as well. Sometime after the power play was over, Mathieu Dandenault face-washed that little punk Jordin Tootoo while on the Wings’ bench and wasn’t called as he should have been. He really got away with one there and better watch what he’s doing from now on because next time he won’t.

The period wound down to an uneventful finish with the Wings still on top. It was another good 20 minutes for the Wings though they did not dominate as much in it as they did in the first period of Game 5. Shots were 11-5 Wings.

Second Period
The second period started out with the Preds generating some decent pressure but the Wings came back with the Two Kids and a Goat Line and got some of their own. Vokoun was forced to make two good saves on Pavel Datsyuk when he came in from the right wing on net and the three Wings players had a good shift overall.

Scott Hartnell blew a glorious chance to bring his team within one at about 2:30 when he stepped around Yzerman and had a clear shot at the net but he sent it wide. Yzerman had been looking for a hit and whiffed on it when Hartnell made the move.

The secondary Grind Line of Maltby/Draper/Holmstrom had a great shift a couple minutes in to the period. Shane Hnidy had gotten away with interfering on Kirk Maltby earlier in the shift and couldn’t control himself towards the end of it when he went after Maltby again at 3:37 with a cross check. The Wings got a good set up on the ensuing power play but couldn’t get a goal with the Preds taking players down and getting away with it.

This was about the time I noticed how quiet the Nashville crowd was. I don’t know if it was because of the television broadcast by ABC keeping the ambient noise down or if it was because the Wings were holding the Preds down so well. I suspect it was the latter.

Jiri Fischer got another of his constant penalties at 5:58 and forced the Wings to go on the penalty kill once again. Fortunately, they were up to the task and instead o killing it off in their own zone, they had some very good shorthanded chances. Most notable of these was one of the most lopsided breakaways I have ever seen. Kris Draper took a long bomb pass from Derian Hatcher and had the far side of the red line and the offensive zone all to himself as he broke in on Vokoun. He tried a little move but ended up looking like the Kris Draper of old when he was stoned by the Predators goalie instead of scoring like he has all year on chances like that. I think Draper might have been a little surprised that he had so much space to work with and kind of had a brain freeze. Fortunately for the Preds, Vokoun was fully awake on the play since a goal there would have put them away completely.

The Preds had good pressure going near the half-way mark of the game and got another power play at 10:37. They got no shots off, however, and the Wings killed that off without much trouble.

Pavel Datsyuk had a big chance with about 6:10 left when he undressed Hamhuis and walked in on Vokoun but he was stoned on the play. Soon after that, the crowd began to wake up again and we started to hear some noise though not as many nasty cheers.

Robert Lang took a bad penalty at 16:06 when he tripped David Legwand behind the net in his own offensive zone. Legwand made sure to get his other leg up in the air to get the refs attention and there almost could have been a diving penalty on the play as well. Adam Hall had a huge chance on the power play when the net was left wide open but fumbled the puck and couldn’t get it in. The Preds got a good set up going but again were held to no shots.

The period wound down again with the Wings still on top. All the penalties threw them off on offense but they stayed strong on defense to keep it 2-0. Shots were 9-5 Wings.

Third Period
The Wings came out and had a good shift with Pavel’s line but the Preds came back with some good pressure of their own. Steve Sullivan was called for cross-checking at 4:34 but I didn’t think the play necessarily warranted a penalty since Sullivan didn’t hit The Captain all that hard and it was more Yzerman’s own momentum that took him into the boards. The Wings took the power play anyway but couldn’t score when the Preds killed it off.

The Preds tried to come on after that but couldn’t get much going because the Wings were playing very tight defensively. They also couldn’t stop the Wings from cycling the puck for long periods of time trying to kill the clock. The Wings kept winning faceoffs and, towards the end of the game, sent the puck down the ice for icing only to win the faceoff again.

After an uneventful finish to the game, the Predators fans stood up and saluted their team in the final minute, realizing their team’s season was over. Those fans should be proud of what their team achieved this year and not be too disappointed in a first round elimination. The Preds did better than anyone outside of Nashville thought they would this year and they’ll get better.

Shots in the third were 6-5 Wings for a total of 26-15 Wings.

Notes
Going in to today’s game, this was the only series in which the visiting team had not won a game. That obviously changed today … The Wings have now won their last nine potential playoff clinching games, dating back to losing to the Stars in ’98 … Derian Hatcher had another good game, as did Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg … Steve Thomas disappeared again and only played 5:02. I think he must be hurt because I did not see him after a certain point in the game … Curtis Joseph was solid when he needed to be but was hardly tested throughout the game. It was his 16th career shut out, a category in which he is 3rd all-time behind Patrick Roy (23) and Martin Brodeur (20) … It was Nick Lidstrom’s 162nd consecutive playoff game. He has not missed one since joining the team … There will be a new Stanely Cup champion since the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the New Jersey Devils today … The team with the lead usually kept it in this series since there was only one lead-change throughout it. It was in Game 1 when the Wings scored three in the 3rd period to win 3-1 … If the Flames win tonight at home over the Canucks, they will be the Wings’ next opponent. If they lose they still could be the next opponent but they would have to win Game 7 in Vancouver. If the Canucks end up winning that series, the Wings will face Colorado in Round Two. Neither series is very appealing after the tough time the Wings had with Nashville, though …

Quote of the Day

“Vokoun should be a motivational speaker. He did a great job with us. I just don’t think a guy should spout off like that, especially to this team. But he’s got a future in motivational speaking.”

– Brendan Shanahan in post game interview exercising his right as victor to be a jerk back (I like it!)

Here is the boxscore.

Lines
(courtesy GWB)
Maltby-Draper-McCarty
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hull
Whitney-Lang-Yzerman
Maltby-Draper-Holmstrom
Zetterberg-Datysuk-Shanahan
Thomas-Lang-Yzerman
Shanahan-Draper-Holmstrom
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom
Zetterberg-Draper-Hull
Maltby-Draper-Yzerman

Hatcher-Chelios
Lidstrom-Schneider
Fischer-Dandenault
Lidstrom-Dandenault

PP-
Lang-Yzerman-Holmstrom
Shanahan-Datsyuk-Hull
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hull
Whitney-Yzerman-Thomas
Maltby-Draper-McCarty

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-chelios
Lidstrom-Chelios

PK-
Maltby-Draper
Shanahan-Yzerman
Maltby-Yzerman
Shanahan-Draper
Zetterberg-Datsyuk

Lidstrom-Chelios
Hatcher-Schneider

Net-
Curtis Joseph

Today is the sixth game in the Western Conference Quarterfinals series between Detroit and Nashville. The Wings won the first two games, (3-1 and 2-1), lost the next two (1-3 and 0-3), and then won Game 5 (4-1). Game 6 will be on ABC this afternoon, so brace yourself for bad announcing.

The Wings can close out the series with a win this afternoon in Nashville. Kris Draper says it best: “Our performance was good to put ourselves in this position. But now it’s up to us to make sure we capitalize on that.” With possible second round opponents in Calgary and Colorado, the Wings need to notch their first road win in the GEC. Mathieu Dandenault on the feel of GEC:

“The seats are dark. You see the steel all over the place. It’s smaller. It’s just shaped differently from what all the new rinks look like. When you’re a home player, you’re in there every day and get accustomed to it. When you’re a visiting player, it’s different for you and kind of a little bit of an adjustment. It’s not an excuse or anything. But if you’re looking for a reason, that might be a factor.”

Look for Coach Dave Lewis to keep the Predators on their heels with more line shuffling. Associate Coach Barry Smith: “It’s like the old Bowman theory. ‘The better you change, the better you play.’ ”

Marek Zidlicky remains questionable after the crushing Kirk Maltby hit in Game 1. The injury is described as an “upper-body injury,” in all the specifics of playoff hockey injury reports.

The Wings need to score early, as was a pregame note for Game 5. Nashville goaltender Tomas Vokoun, held prematurely as a J.S. Giguere with Preds fans, stopped 82 of 83 shots in Nashville. But Wings fans will remember that many of those shots were from the perimeter, and the Wings had several chances to score with Vokoun out of position. The two Nashville losses really came down to the Wings offense choking. The Wings will likely go with the same lineup as in Game 5, unless Jason Woolley is a gametime decision. Curtis Joseph will get the start, coming off his first playoff win in Detroit.

Blues Falter Again:

It is sad to see Chris Osgood’s Blues fall so hard in the first round, as the Sharks won the series 4-1 Thursday. Their 25 consecutive playoff berths almost make it even worse, as the club has no Stanley Cup in it’s 37-season history. And of those 37 seasons, they have qualified for the playoffs 34 times, but have been eliminated in the first round 16 times. They have lost 7 of their last 8 playoff games.

Doug Weight, third year Blue, on the debacle:

“We really felt good about (Game 5). The team felt like the series wasn’t going to end here, felt like we were going home. … The way we started the series with a 1-0 loss, I would have said we were going to win in (Game) 6. That’s just my opinion. Me, myself. I didn’t tell anybody. I just kept it to myself. I just felt, like, OK, they’re vulnerable at our strengths, our matchups. Our game was ready and yet here we are. I don’t know what to say. You can’t win with (nine) goals in five games. I told you 10 days ago that we could. And you can. But the percentages go down a lot when you’re not going to score a goal. We had chances. But that doesn’t matter. Obviously Nabokov was in a zone (Thursday), in the third period. Made some huge saves early in the series. But we’ve got to score more than one goal in two games and get shut out in the other game. That’s the difference in the series – the power play and the goal scoring.”

Finally, Ozzie weighs in on the Arched City’s playoff woes:

“Personally and as a team, all of us could have played better. Better work ethic could have been there. … It’s pretty frustrating because we get to the playoffs, we felt so good coming in, we were playing our best hockey – to be out this fast is difficult to swallow.”

When the Wings traded Vyacheslav Kozlov for Dominik Hasek during the summer of 2001, Ozzie’s days in Detroit were all but over. He was claimed by the New York Islanders off waivers on September 28, 2001. While many of Hockeytown’s Heroes have left into the sunset, Ozzie left the Wings as a news clip on the ESPN ticker. He played two seasons with the Islanders before a trade that sent him to St. Louis in March 2003. He has had spurts of limited success in his post-Wing career.

Murder-for-Hire?

Blues center Mike Danton was arrested by FBI agents early Friday. He was still in San Jose after the St. Louis loss the previous night. He is charged with arranging the murder of an acquaintance. Read the material for yourself, as I don’t want to comment on Danton’s lifestyle or the case before the facts get out:

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Official Criminal Complaint

The Wings sent the message they needed to send tonight in beating the Predators 4-1 and putting them in a very tough position going back to Nashville for Game 6. It was by far their best game of the series and is something they will need to build on for the game on Saturday. For Wings fans, the game lived up to the hype and did not disappoint, except maybe that there weren’t more goals.

Curtis Joseph started in net tonight and wasn’t the savior everyone wanted but that was because his teammates won on their own. He was solid when needed, however, and looked good in his first start since March.

First Period
The Wings started out well, with the Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Hull line playing a shift just over a minute long right out of the gates. Henrik Zetterberg looked especially good, battling down low and generating pressure. The Grind Line came on after that and had another high-pressure shift in the Predators zone. Throughout all this, neither goalie was really tested since the puck was mostly kept along the boards.

Then, at 3:19, Henrik Zetterberg opened up the scoring. Pavel Datsyuk was tripped up when going behind the net but he got up, got the puck and sent a perfect, no-look pass through his own legs right to Zetterberg who took the puck on a string and backhanded it over a prone Tomas Vokoun. Three Predators defensemen were caught behind the net on the play and left Hank wide open to score. For the Wings, it was their first goal in the opening twenty minutes of any game this series and it woke up the crowd. It was also their first shot of the game.

After generating some more good chances, the Wings scored again at 6:22 to make it 2-0. Again, it was the Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Hull line’s solid pressure that lead to the goal. They cycled the puck well in the time leading up to it and their hard work paid off once more. Henrik Zetterberg, battling along the boards, sent the puck to Pavel Datsyuk in the circle who sent another no-look pass to an open Brett Hull. He tipped the puck in past Vokoun who was once again left helpless by his defense when they left Hull uncovered.

The Predators were credited with their first shot eight minutes in, though I don’t think it actually got through the crowd in front of the net. The Wings continued to pass the puck well and to control the puck. They did not give up many chances to the Preds at all and played very tight defense. The puck was hardly ever in the Wings’ zone and when it was, it was usually being carried out by a Wings player. Dave Lewis was really mixing the lines up a lot in the period and did so throughout the game. For once, it actually worked.

Brett Hull took a dumb penalty at 13:18 when he got beat and stuck his knee out in an attempt to stop Vladimir Orszagh from getting out of the zone. Curtis Joseph got his first test on the ensuing penalty kill and passed it with no problem. The Wings then took the puck down the ice and scored on a harmless looking play. Brendan Shanahan took the puck behind the net and sent it out front where it bounced off Dan Hamhuis’ skate. It went under Vokoun and barely crossed the line but still counted. It was Shanny’s 22nd shot this series and just his first goal.

The Wings had to kill off a delay-of-game penalty on Joseph near the end of the period but got some help from Hamhuis when he cheapshoted Kirk Maltby and got a penalty. On the ensuing 4-on-4 play, David Legwand had a near breakaway but Mathieu Dandenault got back in time and Joseph made the stop to keep the score 3-0. The Wings then went on the power play but got nothing done. It carried over into the second period.

The first twenty minutes of this game were by far the Wings best of the series. They did everything right and finally came out on top. Shots were 15-8 Wings.

Second Period
The Wings started out on the carryover power play from the first and got one good shot off (from Mathieu Schneider) before time ran out.

They did not exhibit as much jump to start off the period and gave the Predators more room to work with, which they took advantage of. The Wings were still controlling the puck fairly well, however, and the Predators chances weren’t all that threatening. For about the first five minutes, the play was back and forth, with neither team getting much sustained pressure.

The Wings had to kill off another penalty at 6:54 but again got help from the Preds when Jeremy Stevenson slashed the heck out of Chris Chelios in front of the net to make it 4-on-4. When the Wings came on the power play, they set up in the Preds’ zone and got a goal out of it, this time from Nick Lidstrom. The puck came to him bouncing off the boards and he one-timed it past Vokoun to make it 4-0. It was the first time the Wings had scored four goals in a playoff game since the 2002 Western Conference Finals Game 7 against Colorado.

Curtis Joseph had a huge save with nine minutes left in the period which sprung Brendan Shanahan on a near-breakaway. He was hooked on the play by Mark Eaton, who got a penalty for it which was good but they’re should have been a penalty shot. The Wings had some really good pressure on the ensuing power play, with chances by Datsyuk, Lang and Yzerman but they could not convert. Lang could have shot the puck on his chance but opted instead to hold on to it. That’s the only problem I have with Lang, he doesn’t shoot enough.

The Wings had the Preds on the heels, forcing them to ice the puck by generating pressure and then coming back with solid defense. Then Jiri Fischer took another dumb penalty at 17:37 and the Predators scored on the ensuing power play. It was just a good shot by Sergei Zholtok which beat Joseph cleanly. I don’t think he ever saw it since he was screened, though. The Wings had a good kill going before that goal and it kind of came out of nowhere.

It wasn’t quite as good a period as #1 but it was still better than just about anything they had done so far in the series. Shots were 6-5 Preds.

Third Period
The Predators came out with a whole lot of jump and held the Wings down for the first three minutes or so. Pavel Datsyuk got a good chance about three minutes in but that only led to a Brendan Shanahan penalty when he ran Vokoun trying to get the puck. The Predators set up well in the power play and got some good pressure on the Wings but could not score.

The Wings continued to get some good chances but started to pass too much again and couldn’t finish on them. At about 7:50, they went on a 3-on-2 and Whitney got off a great shot from the Lang feed but Vokoun made a quick toe save to keep the score 4-1.

The Predators spent the rest of the period generating fairly sustained pressure in an attempt at a come back but eventually seemed to get frustrated. Jordin Tootoo high sticked Pavel Datsyuk at 16:09 and got a double minor out of it but fortunately for him, the Wings did not score. Steve Sullivan high sticked Maltby at 19:55 but the game was basically already over at that point.

The Wings de-generated a fair amount in this period but the Preds were making it harder for them to dominate anyway. Shots in the third were 11-6 Wings for a total of 31-20 Wings.

Notes
Steve Thomas replaced Boyd Devereaux and didn’t look too bad in his return from his first career playoff scratch … Hull’s goal in the first was his 102nd playoff goal and his 24th playoff game winner (tied for first all-time with Wayne Gretzky) … The Two Kids and an Old Goat line had five points tonight … Former Wings defenseman Steve Duchesne attended the game tonight. He won a Cup with the Wings in 2002 and was left unsigned … Derian Hatcher had probably his best game as a Wing tonight …

Here is the box score.

Lines-
(courtesy GWB)
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hull
Maltby-Draper-McCarty
Whitney-Lang-Yzerman
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Shanahan
Maltby-Draper-Holmstrom
Thomas-Lang-Yzerman
Shanahan-Lang-Whitney
Maltby-Draper-Yzerman
Whitney-Lang-Thomas
Thomas-Datsyuk-Hull

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Chelios
Fischer-Dandenault

4 on 4-
Maltby-Draper
Zetterberg-Hull
Datsyuk-Hull

Hatcher-Dandenault
Lidstrom-Schneider

PP-
Zetterberg-Dastyuk-Hull
Lang-Yzerman-Holmstrom
Shanahan-Datsyuk-Hull
Maltby-Draper-McCarty

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Chelios

PK-
Maltby-Draper
Shanahan-Yzerman
Zetterberg-Yzerman

Lidstrom-Chelios
Hatcher-Schneider

Net-
Curtis Joseph

Tonight is the fifth game in the Western Conference Quarterfinals series between Detroit and Nashville. The Wings won the first two games with scores of 3-1 and 2-1 but the Predators stormed back at home with two wins of their own, 3-1 and 3-0.

This game is a must-win game for the Wings. They have got to win. I think if they want to do that, they are going to have to totally change their mindset from offense to defense. They need to tighten up their coverage, play it close-checking and look for offense in the transition game. Bombarding Tomas Vokoun with loads of shots will only make themselves more frustrated. They need to go to the net (crash it, actually) and look for rebounds. Get traffic out in front and passes down low to get Vokoun moving side to side. No more of this giving up of glorious chances to the Predators offense, they need to absolutely crack down on defense. They need to stay out of the penalty box, not in fear of the Predators’ power play but so they don’t disrupt their rhythmn (four lines rolling) like they did in Game 4. They need to get their own power play going (put Hatcher in front of the net!) and use special teams to their advantage for the first time this series. They need to get an early lead and maintain it.

The Predators just need to keep doing what they have been doing, skating hard, being opportunistic on offense and holding the Wings to the perimeter on defense.

As everyone already knows, Curtis Joseph will replace Manny Legace tonight but I think the Wings will likely make another lineup change or two as well. I think the best option is to bring back Jason Woolley. To make room for him, they would have to move Mathieu Dandenault to forward and bench Boyd Devereaux/Steve Thomas but that would provide the Wings with some good speed up front.

I’m sure the Predators will keep the same lineup.

This game is immensely important. The Wings must win if they do not want to go back to a hostile GEC down 3-2 in the series, something which would make it very difficult for them to win Game 6 given their previous record in that building. I’d rather have them win tonight, lose Game 6 and then come home for Game 7 than have them forced to win in Game 6 just to stay alive. This game basically means the series.

Mitch Albom said it perfectly today: “This series is simply and undeniably a tipping point for the Red Wings’ legacy, the difference between remembering them, decades from now, as a success or a failure.”

It’s just a best-of-three series now and the team with the first win has an enormous advantage. The Wings need to be that team.

The Wings need to prove that they are the better team tonight. Nothing less than complete domination and total victory will do that.

The first goal tonight will be huge.

Well, Dave Lewis has made it official: Curtis Joseph will start in Game 5 tomorrow night in place of Manny Legace.

I’m all for this, actually. I do not put any blame on Manny for the past two losses since most of the goals he allowed were the results of defensive breakdowns and not of any lacking on his part. He wasn’t a game-saver but he most definitely was not responsible for the losses. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of his teammates, in my opinion. However, I do think a chance in scenery would do the Wings some good. Curtis Joseph looked sharp last night in the third period after coming in cold to replace Manny and I think he might provide the spark the Wings need. He has something to prove and I’m pretty sure he’ll be playing his heart out. Hopefully he’ll be the example the Wings need to follow. It won’t be the same as injecting a new skater into the lineup but the Wings need everything they can get at the moment.

This isn’t the solution, however. I think the coaches have done all they can do and it’s time for the players to take things into their own hands. Tomorrow night defines the Wings’ season to this point. It’s either win at home and have a chance at putting it away Saturday or lose at home and have to go into a rocking GEC Saturday to try to pull out a win there.

… Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News does a very good job today summarizing the series so far in his column entitled “Wings lose cool, control.” He hits the nail right on the head repeatedly and I think it should be required reading for the Red Wings even though they probably don’t read the papers.

I think this sums it up better than anything:

The Wings are taking undisciplined play to a ridiculous low. They�re out of position, they�re taking dumb penalties, they�re generally playing like the clueless upstart, which was supposed to be Nashville�s role.

… In the Free Press, Mitch Albom’s column is a bit less effective (the school theme doesn’t work for me, sorry Mitch) but still has some good points.

I like this part:

Familiar Complaint No. 3: Where are all the big guns for Detroit? This is another perennial April question. Year after year, the Wings are loaded with offensive stars, and then come the playoffs and, for some stretch of time, the big flowers wilt. Hey. This isn’t rocket science. Detroit was second in the NHL in offense, while Nashville was 20th in defense. That means the Wings should score more than six goals in four games. Stars like Pavel Datsyuk — is he actually, you know, playing? — Henrik Zetterberg, Steve Yzerman and Shanahan should have some goals by now.

Where are they?

… Michael Rosenberg, also of the Free Press, reminds us that this series is not all that unusual, that much of what we are seeing this year is what we saw last year with the Ducks.

This part here is another perfect summation of the series so far:

The Predators are doing what Anaheim did last year — what so many underdogs have tried against the Wings. They’re clogging the area in front of their own net, forcing the Wings to take shots far from the goal. The Wings shoot and shoot, without success, until Nashville/Anaheim/Whoever gets an opening and dashes toward the Wings’ net with the puck, at which point the Wings have to hope that goaltender Manny Legace/Curtis Joseph/Whoever is fully awake and capable of making the save.

… The Freep’s Wings notebook has this to say:

At least the Wings don’t have to figure out how to win on the road, like the Preds do. That’s why you play for the Presidents’ Trophy — so you can scratch your way past the No. 8 seed with home-ice advantage.

So true. That’s about all it’s good for and it might not even help.

… Just think, if it weren’t for Robert Lang, the series probably would have ended last night. Think about it: He was the man whose great shift caused Tomas Holmstrom’s game-winner in Game 1 as well the guy who scored the insurance goal. He then scored again in Game 2 and held off the Preds defense when that puck was sliding into the net for the game-winner of that game. He’s been a little too pass-happy in the past two games but without him in the first two, the Wings probably would not have won. That trade’s already paid off and given the Wings two more chances than they’ve deserved.

They have to be themselves (the team we saw win the President’s Trophy through all that adversity) Thursday night or it’s over.

Instead of the big statement Wings fans were expecting from their team, they got one from the Predators, who shut the Wings out 3-0 tonight in Nashville to even the series up 2-2. The two teams will go back to Detroit to face each other Thursday night in Game 5. We’ve got a series now, folks.

Manny Legace made the start for the Wings but did not finish the game as he was pulled in the third and replaced by Curtis Joseph. Tomas Vokoun got the start for the Preds and got his first playoff shutout.

First Period
The Wings came out of the gates firing on most cylinders. They got some good chances in the first minute and cycled the puck fairly well. They dominated the play for the first few minutes of the period but eventually slowed down as the period wore on.

The Wings had a good number of chances to score in the first 10 minutes but were always held off by the Preds defense and Tomas Vokoun.

The Wings got a power play at 9:15 but it didn’t last long as Brendan Shanahan got a penalty himself at 9:58. The Predators took 46 seconds to score after that. Steve Sullivan took a long bomb pass from Scott Walker and walked in on Manny Legace all alone. Remembering his failed penalty shot in Game 1, he made a move on Manny and beat him high off the backhand. The pass was a questionable one since it was darn close to being a two-line pass.

The Wings had to kill off a Jiri Fischer penalty at 12:46 and did a good job of it. The Predators got a good set up going at first but iced the puck after the Wings cleared it. On the ensuing faceoff, Kirk Maltby had a great chance with Vokoun down but couldn’t finish.

Maltby drew a penalty three or so minutes later when he took a quick shot at a Preds player after the play in front of the net. Scott Walker skated in and gave him some nasty stickwork, which was what the refs saw. The Wings got some good pressure early on their first two tries but the second unit didn’t get anything going so they came away empty handed.

That was pretty much it for the first period. The Wings played pretty well and mostly dominated the Preds but again came out behind. They took some more threatening shots than they have in the other games but still took too many from the perimeter making it too easy for Vokoun to stop them. Shots were 16-3 Wings. Perhaps a more telling category was the faceoffs: 13-12 Wings. Looks like the Wings are losing their dominance in that category.

Second Period
Since two penalties were handed out after the first period expired, both teams started with four skaters. The Predators got the pressure going first and it took a decent shift by (gasp!) Derian Hatcher to keep the score 1-0. After about 3 minutes had passed, the Predators really had the Wings on the heels in what looked like a power play.

After that, the Grind Line got some decent pressure and when things came the other way, Jiri Fischer rocked Scott Hartnell at the blueline with a big open-ice hit. That should have gotten the Wings going a bit but it didn’t.

Tomas Holmstrom got a penalty at 5:32 after slashing Tomas Vokoun, who in turn belted him back with his blocker. Both could have/should have gotten penalties there but Holmstrom was the only one who went to the box. The Wings had a good chance shorthanded but Kirk Maltby sent it just wide and the Preds came back with a chance of their own. The Wings held them off though and kept it 1-0.

I forgot to write down the time but sometime after that, Scott Walker slashed Kris Draper in the face when in front of the net on a huge scoring opportunity. Draper was cut on the play but the refs completely missed what should have been a four-minute double minor. That was probably the key moment in the game since the Wings could have gotten back in it with a power play that long. It didn’t happen, though, and to make any more of it would be just making excuses.

At 10:21, a scrum after the play resulted in three players being sent to the penalty box. Darren McCarty and Derian Hatcher went for the Wings and Jeremy Stevenson went for the Preds. The Wings killed most of the power play off before Brendan Shanahan took an idiot penalty in the offensive zone when he high sticked Adam Hall at least a couple times at 12:18. That put the Wings in another disadvantaged position and led to yet another penalty being called, this time on Yzerman. However, he never had to serve it since Vladimir Orszagh scored at 14:21 just as the Shanahan penalty expired. Dan Hamhuis took a shot from the point that would have completely missed the net had it not changed directions after hitting Orszagh. It just barely slipped in past Manny and made it 2-0 Predators.

The Wings got some more decent chances towards the end of the period and even drew a penalty at 18:15 but they could not get on the board. Shots in the period were 9-6 Wings. The penalties certainly threw the Wings off and they didn’t play all that well offensively anyway. They took too many shots from the perimeter and couldn’t get around the Predator’s careful defense.

Third Period
The Wings came out on the power play but only had 15 seconds and got nothing done.

Greg Johnson ended all scoring at 2:02 when he blasted in the rebound off the Scott Hartnell shot on a fairly harmless looking rush. Manny gave up a huge rebound and just missed making the save on the glove side. Since he allowed a third goal on the 10th shot, Dave Lewis pulled him then and replaced him with Curtis Joseph who looked very sharp in his 2004 playoff debut. The goal was not all Manny’s fault however, as Mathieu Schneider put himself out of position at the red line, which left Johnson uncovered in the zone.

The Wings got some decent chances after that and even scored a goal. It was called back, however, because Tomas Holmstrom was given a penalty for goaltender interference. A borderline call if you ask me but that’s just another excuse. Joseph came up big on the ensuing power play when David Legwand was up in his face but couldn’t score. There was another gathering behind the net after the play that resulted in coincidental penalties. The Wings had some good chances on the following 4-on-4 stretch and came even closer to scoring on the short power play after that. Ray Whitney blocked the shot from Steve Yzerman, however, and kept the score 3-0.

The Wings got another power play at 6:22 when Orszagh took out Curtis Joseph but they were unable to convert. Nice to know that even when the oppositions taking runs at their goalie, the Wings can’t build up enough emotion to do something, anything. The period wound down with the Wings making vain attempts at a comeback and the Preds just sitting back holding them off. They gave the Wings some good chances to score but again, they could not finish.

Shots in the third were 16-11 Wings for a total of 41-20 Wings.

Notes
Steve Thomas was benched in favor of Boyd Devereaux, who had a decent game tonight, though he didn’t play much (6:13) … Marek Zidlicky sat out his third straight game. His absence has had very little adverse effect on the Preds’ play, except, obviously, their power play … Final faceoffs were 45-25 Wings. So they regained some of their dominance in that category but still have nothing to show for it … Tomas Vokoun has made 134 saves on 140 shots this series … Derian Hatcher started the game tonight in what was perhaps a show of support from Dave Lewis after his gaffe in Game 3. I wish Lewis weren’t so nice, quite frankly. Derian should have been benched, in all honesty … Steve Yzerman has just one goal in 21 games. He last scored on February 29 in the Wings’ 4-2 win over Philadelphia … Brendan Shanahan had seven shots through two periods of play tonight and ended up with eight … I heard another classy cheer tonight to go along with “Red Wings… You suck!” I think it was “Red Wings are sissies!” Nice, Nashville fans, real nice … Curtis Joseph is highly likely to start Game 5. I hope Curtis can give the Wings the spark they need. He looked good tonight in net and seems to be fully okay … The next game truly is a must win game for both teams. The Wings have got to realize its importance and play like it means something …

Suckiness re-defined
From what I’ve seen so far this series:
Whitney on a breakaway
Hatcher’s cross ice passes and [lack of] speed
Shanahan penalties
Holmstrom’s interference negating Lang’s goal
The Wings on the power play
Datsyuk in the playoffs
Refs missing that high stick to Draper’s face
Two players named Steve (be honest with yourself)
Passing at all costs
Perimeter shots
Chelios
Games 3 and 4
The First Round
The GEC
Winning the President’s Trophy
Playing a young, fast, energetic Predators team

Don’t look now but this series is starting to feel like 2001. I hope I’m wrong. I…. must… keep… the faith. Show me why I should, Wings. Give me something!

Here is the boxscore.

Lines
(courtesy GWB)
Maltby-Draper-McCarty
Zetterberg-Yzerman-Whitney(Yzerman- minus 2 for the game)
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom
Devereaux-Datsyuk-Hull
Shanahan-Lang-Yzerman
Lang-Datysuk-Hull
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hull
Zetterberg-lang-Holmstrom

Hatcher-Schneider(Schneider- minus three for the game
Lidstrom-Chelios(Lidstrom- minus 2 for the game)
Fischer-Dandenault
Lidstrom-Schneider

4 on 4-
Datsyuk-Hull
Zetterberg-Yzerman
Maltby-Draper
Zetterberg-Datsyuk

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Chelios
Lidstrom-Dandenault

“PP”-
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom
Yzerman-Datsyuk-Hull
Holmstrom-Lang-Yzerman
Shanahan-Datysuk-Hull
Yzerman-Lang-Holmstrom

Lidstrom-Zetterberg
Schneider-Chelios
Lidstrom-Schneider
Whitney-Lidstrom

PK-
Zetterberg-Yzerman
Maltby-Draper
Shanahan-Yzerman
Whitney-Zetterberg
Lang-Whitney

Hatcher-Chelios
Lidstrom-Chelios
Hatcher-Schneider
Schneider-Chelios
Lidstrom-Hatcher

Net-
Manny Legace
Curtis Joseph