On the Wings

Update (12:17 PM): Here’s the game winner:

Look for Filppula’s reaction to the goal on the long view replay. - Matt

The Wings got something of the statement game they were looking for last night, though you wouldn’t know it by the score. By a rough estimation, they controled the puck for 50 minutes of regulation in Game 5 and peppered Dan Ellis with 54 shots.

The game wasn’t perfect, however.

Some thoughts:

… The Wings had the strong start we were looking for, though they only managed to put one of 17 first period shots past Ellis.

… Valtteri Filppula’s goal at 4:20 of the first kicked off a strong game for the young Finn. He was one of the three heroes of the overtime period with his great backchecking leading to the turnover that started Johan Franzen’s breakaway.

… The Wings needed composure last night and they had it. They could have easily been devastated after Radek Bonk scored at 19:16 of the third, but they kept their heads up and looked determined to pull out a win, though there was no hiding the disappointment in Henrik Zetterberg’s voice during the third intermission.

… Speaking of disappointment, it was also evident in Ken Daniels’ voice when he made the call on the Bonk goal. I obviously can’t blame him. That came as a shock, though there was little the Wings could do about it. The Predators saw their moment and pounced. It was exactly what I was afraid of all game.

… I give Nashville credit for keeping their celebration low-key on the tying goal. They obviously realized how fortunate they were to be in that position at all, having had their rear ends handed to them up and down the ice all night.

… Chris Osgood only faced 21 shots. A number of them were quality scoring chances, however, and he really came up big. For all the criticisms leveled at him over the years, you can see how Wings fans have embraced him like they’ve never come to embrace Dominik Hasek. The “Ozzie! Ozzie!” chant went up more than a few times last night.

As a fan who spent most of the game in a state of high tension, seeing Osgood’s calm confidence as he turned aside the puck definitely helped.

… I hope this round is enough to quiet the Pavel Datsyuk doubters out there. He’s was great again last night, even though he was kept off the scoreboard. Henrik Zetterberg has been less so, but still solid.

… Niklas Kronwall is going to be a real force for years to come if he can stay healthy.

… Obviously, the big concern coming out of this game is the fact that the Wings couldn’t get a better scoring average, despite the fact that the Predators were without three of their top centers (Jason Arnott, David Legwand, and Scott Nichol).

A good 20 of those 54 shots (if not more) were long and unscreened. Obviously, a long shot is better than no shot, but I’d definitely like to see in increase in the quality of scoring chances in Game 6.

… The Predators deserve credit for keeping the Wings away from the net as much as they did. Ellis, however, is the real hero of the game for Nashville. His tendency to give up juicy rebounds was not nearly as evident last night as it has been in other games. Had it been, the result may have been different. As it was, however, he made the first save and generally held onto the puck.

… The Wings will need to find a way to get the puck in the net more often Sunday. It’s not going to be an easy game. The Predators, though they took a thrashing so far as puck possession and shots are concerned, have plenty of confidence in their ability to steal a game, even with the Wings playing their style to a “t.”

They are in the driver’s seat again, but if anything, this series has shown that having the wheel doesn’t mean much if you don’t fight to keep it. Game 6 will be interesting.

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