Update (5:18 PM): Steph at No Pun Intended has her post on the game up here. - Matt
Update (2:10 PM): George Malik’s wrap-up is here. - Matt
The Detroit Red Wings took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference Semifinal series with the Colorado Avalanche yesterday by winning 5-1 at home.
I did not take notes on the game, so I just have a few thoughts on it:
… The Wings came out flying for the second game in a row. After watching the Predators swarm for the first ten minutes of nearly every game last round, the Wings’ early dominance has been a refreshing change of pace. The best part about it? With just a few hitches, they kept it up for the rest of the game.
… Just prior to the game, it was announced that Peter Forsberg, who participated in warmups, would not play. They also told us that Scott Hannan was out. Both players would have had an impact on the game, to be sure, but it’s hard for me to see the result being that much different. The Wings were on a mission.
… I thought that was Henrik Zetterberg’s best game of the playoffs. He looked very confident with the puck and made decisions with it we haven’t seen from him in a while. For one thing, he didn’t constantly take it around behind the net, chosing instead to take it to the front much more often.
… Johan Franzen continues to impress. There are shifts in which he just will not be denied. He’s excelling at both ends and looks nothing like a mere third year player.
… Franzen’s linemates, Mikael Samuelsson and Valtteri Filppula, are also having a solid second round. That’s creating a problem for the Avs, who apparently don’t have the depth to stop both the Wings’ dangerous top line and their hot second line. Both the Eurotwins+Homer and Franzen’s line are wrecking havoc in the Colorado end. Even the third and fourth lines have caused problems for the Avs in this series. The Wings’ depth is incredible.
One thing’s for sure: Babcock should not make any changes to the lines for the road games. Keep the Eurotwins together and Franzen with Fil and Sammy. Keep Helm in the lineup and continue to rotate Drake on the third and fourth lines. That is the arrangement that is winning these games. Anything else is a concession to the Avs.
… The Wings’ third pairing combined for a whole lot of fail on the Ian Laperriere goal. Brett Lebda, instead of quickly sending the puck up and out of the zone when there was plenty of space to do so, opted to rattle it around the boards behind the net to Chris Chelios.
Kris Draper by that point had left the right wing boards and was in the middle of the ice, operating under the assumption that Lebda would make the right decision. Chelios, for his part, had a brain cramp. Rather than take a second to think and adjust to Draper’s new position, he sent the puck up along the boards to where Draper used to be, promptly turning it over. Seconds later, the Avs ruined the shutout.
… Chris Osgood, by the way, had another solid game. He wasn’t given a lot of action, facing just 20 shots, but was there to make the save when needed.
… At the other end, Jose Theodore continued his “sick” play. He had no chance on Franzen’s first, but was caught somewhat out of position on his second. Filppula’s goal was a bit of a bad bounce, but Theodore’s poor positioning cost him that one. As for the Zetterberg goal, he didn’t look like a former world-class goalie on that one either.
Peter Budaj, on the other hand, was solid. He faced 20 shots and it took the hot stick of Johan Franzen to beat him in the third. I’d think the Avs would go with him in Game 3, but Joel Quenneville seems intent on sticking with Theodore.
… Brad Stuart did not really stick out in his return. That’s a good thing, for the most part.
… Darren Helm and his fourth line compatriots, Jiri Hudler and Darren McCarty, continue to look great. They had the Avs on their heels a few times yesterday and provided great energy.
… Unlike the NBC broadcast crew, I didn’t think McCarty was foolish to fight Cody McCormick in the second period after the Wings took a 4-0 lead. He would have been foolish to turn down such a blunt challenge. Had the Wings not had a four-goal lead, it’d be a different story. As it was, however, McCarty showed that he was not averse to droppinng the gloves and may have deterred unecessary violence against the Wings’ stars as the game went on.
If the Avs take that fight and make something of it in future games, good for them. It won’t change the fact that this is the Wings’ series to lose.
… The main concern coming out of the game was the fact that the Wings couldn’t find a way to put one or two in the net when the Avs had their meltdown in the second half of the second period. Five penalties in a row should have resulted in something. Of course, by that point, they already had two power play goals, so it’s not the end of the world.
… The Wings did not take their foot off the gas yesterday and they cannot take it off going into Game 3. The extra day between games will be good for resting bumps and bruises, but it can’t dull their resolve. They have to put on a similarly dominating performance Tuesday night and take a stranglehold on this series. There can be no repeat of 1999.
The Avs, whether or not they get Forsberg or Hannan back, will be highly motivated in Game 3. They know the series is not over and that they can take a step toward preserving themselves with a win at home in front of their crowd.
I can’t wait.
Links
Red Wings have now chased Av’s goalie in THREE straight playoff games and counting.