Update (12:25 PM): IwoCPO’s thoughts on the series are here and George Malik’s wrap-up is here. - Matt
The Detroit Red Wings advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals with yesterday’s 3-0 Game 6 win over the Nashville Predators. Their second-round opponent will be determined by the result of tomorrow night’s Game 7 between the San Jose Sharks and the Calgary Flames. If the Flames can win on the road, they’ll face the Wings next. If the Sharks pull out a win, they’ll face Dallas and Colorado will face Detroit.
The Wings put on a strong performance in the clinching game. They weathered a major first period storm put on by the Predators and gradually took control of the game. The opening frame was just about all action, with the teams trading chances up and down the ice. Both goalies looked very good. Detroit had a tendency to turn the puck over in their own zone during this period, which made things interesting for Chris Osgood.
The second period was more settled, but still had its moments excitement. One such moment that stuck out was the Predators exploitation of a bad line change around the 8:00 mark. A Brett Lebda turnover at center led to Rich Peverley outmuscling Darren Helm at the Detroit blueline and breaking in on Osgood alone. He lost control of the puck in open ice, however, which was more a demonstration of the poor quality of the ice surface than any knock against him.
The Wings went on the penalty kill at 13:37. Seven seconds later, they scored a shorthanded goal to make it 1-0. The goal came just after a faceoff at center. Nick Lidstrom received the puck from Henrik Zetterberg behind the red line and sent in a medium-strength shot that bounced in front of Dan Ellis in the slot and went in over his shoulder. It was definitely a tough break for the rookie goaltender, but a great one of the Wings. They went on to kill off a critical 5-on-3 following Kris Draper penalty at 14:43.
To the Predators credit, their play only dropped a little after that. They certainly didn’t give up after what could have been a backbreaking sequence of events.
Toward the end of the period, Pavel Datsyuk carried the puck into the zone and drove to the net like a much larger man. He got off a backhand shot and ended up barreling into Ellis as he lost an edge, knocking the net off. It seemed like a pretty straightforward play, but there was a bit of a delay as it was reviewed to make sure the puck didn’t go into the net. In the end, they made the right call: no goal.
The Wings extended their lead at 3:52 of the third with a goal from Jiri Hudler. The play began with Darren Helm carrying it into the zone on the left wing. Darren McCarty went up the middle toward the net, drawing David Legwand into Ryan Suter and leaving Hudler free as the trailer. Helm slid the puck across and Hudler unleashed a rocket that beat Ellis from 43 feet out. It was a well-deserved reward for the fourth line’s hard work throughout the game. Unfortunately, they hardly saw the ice for the rest of the game after that.
Detroit didn’t let off the gas, but had a definite defensive mindset after that. The Predators continued to come at them until the very end of the game, but the Wings limited them to just seven shots for all that. Nashville would gain the zone and set up a play that would only be broken up by a well-placed Detroit stick or skate, even if only at the last second. If a shot did get through, Chris Osgood made the save.
Late in the period, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Tomas Holmstrom wrought havoc in the Nashville zone, culminating in Datsyuk ringing a shot off the crossbar after forcing Ellis down and out.
Ellis was pulled with about a minute and a half remaining and Nashville put on a good amount of pressure, but as time wound down, it was evident that a comeback was not going to happen. Brian Rafalski finished it off when he pulled down a shoot-in attempt up the middle and put in the empty net from 134 feet.
The Nashville crowd cheered the Predators all through the period, down to the buzzer, and through the handshake. Regardless of the reality of the lack of support for the Predators state-wide, there is no doubt that the folks at the Sommet Center are high on their team.
Darren Helm and Dallas Drake both had strong games. Helm will be pushed out when Kirk Maltby (hamstring) returns, but he’s a great guy to have waiting on the sidelines in case of injury. Drake, as the NBC crew says, just needs to fine-tune his radar and he’ll be laying people out left and right.
The usual suspects, Holmstrom, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg, looked good. I thought Brad Stuart looked as good as he has since returning from his injury. Brian Rafalski finally looks like a playoff veteran. Niklas Kronwall had another big open ice hit. His reputation is developing as he starts playing like he did in Grand Rapids.
The Wings escaped the first round in good shape: no major injuries, no massive travel miles, and no Game 7. They also seem to be hitting their stride and should be ready to handle whoever gets thrown at them.
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