The Wings took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals last night with a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars.
Some quick thoughts on the game:
… Despite the fact that they statistically dominated the Stars, i don’t think the Wings have fully hit their stride in this round. They looked a bit sloppy offensively and never really got going. Even Pavel Datsyuk, who is usually very smooth with the puck, looked a little off his game.
… Defensively, though, I thought they were real solid. Chris Osgood had another strong game.
… Darren Helm looked great on his goal. A nice shot, but one Turco probably should have had. He took Helm too lightly.
… On the Wings’ second goal, the Stars took Holmstrom too seriously. They were so concerned with him that Henrik Zetterberg had an easy time of it putting it back in the net.
… The Stars seem to be on the edge of a meltdown. Their frustration is obvious, from Marty Turco’s sneaky cheapshots on Holmstrom and Filppula, to Steve Ott’s antics.
The ultimate example was Mike Ribeiro’s absolutely uncalled for two-hander to Chris Osgood’s chest at the end of the game. Just prior to that, Osgood have moved his stick slightly as Ribeiro went by, catching the Stars forward with the butt end. That was unecessary on Osgood’s part, but certainly did not warrant a chop like Ribeiro gave him. If Ribeiro was that upset, he should have confronted Osgood face-to-face.
Personally, I do think Ribeiro should be suspended. You simply cannot use your stick like that. Osgood looks pretty foolish to have rolled around like that, but that doesn’t change the fact that Ribeiro two-handed him in the chest after the buzzer. The League has to take action, even if it’s only a game or two.
… Game 2 seemed to be another indication that perhaps the Stars have run out of steam. They’ll no doubt look better in Game 3 as they play in front of their home crowd, but it will have to be a major improvement if they want to make this a competitive series.
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