The Detroit Red Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-1 road win over the Dallas Stars last night in Game 6. The Wings will face-off against the Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins beginning Saturday night.
Some thoughts on the game:
… I went into it feeling a bit tense. A lot of that tension went away when the Wings scored 3:45 into the game. I thought it was ironic that the first goal came with Kris Draper actually in Marty Turco’s face, unlike the waived off goal in Game 4 that previously looked like a turning point in the series.
… The Wings had already looked good prior to the goal, but after that, they were really solid. I just wish they hadn’t taken so many penalties. Darren McCarty had a rough night, taking three, including two in the second period. Not every penalty was a great call, but they detracted from an otherwise great game. On the bright side, they gave the penalty killers the opportunity to shine. They put on a number of excellent kills last night.
… Pavel Datsyuk was feisty. He was throwing his body around even more than usual and looked extremely motivated. He drew a penalty from Trevor Daley in the first by pure effort and looked strong the rest of the night. His goal was great, as was his reaction.
… Henrik Zetterberg helped us set aside fears that his back is slowing down his game by having a big night. His breakaway shorthanded goal was a thing of beauty. He made it look easy.
… Dallas Drake great last night as well. He set up Draper’s goal and scored a gritty one of his own all while continuing to pay attention to the physical side of his game. He got another lick in on Stephane Robidas and did exactly what he was brought back to do.
… Of all the Red Wings who had a big game, I think Chris Osgood has to top the list. He was stellar, especially in the third period when the Stars came out to play. I wrote yesterday that the Wings needed a repeat of his 1998 WCF Game 6 performance and he did not disappoint. I only wish he could have gotten the shutout.
… I didn’t let myself relax until the final minutes of the game. I didn’t believe the Wings could drop a 4-0 lead, but the Stars were determined to make things interesting. With Osgood backstopping them, the defense held, however, withstanding the onslaught that followed the Stars’ one goal.
… Aside from the tension that came out of watching the Wings fend off the attack, I spent most of the third period wishing Detroit would score so that the fans at the AAC would sit down. What did they think they were watching? A college game? I did not enjoy not knowing what was going on along the near boards.
… Stars fans can prop up Brenden Morrow all they want, but his late hit on Nick Lidstrom in the third was pure bushleague. Playing with an edge is one thing, trying to take out the opposition with high hits into the boards is another.
… I thought Andreas Lilja capably answered the fears about his return to the lineup. He played a solid defensive game and didn’t make any major gaffes that I remember.
… Dan Cleary needs to start scoring, there’s no doubt about that. There’s little to complain about his play in the meantime, however. He was great on the PK last night, blocking three shots and showing a lot of hustle. Still, goals would be nice, Dan.
… All in all, a great way to end the series. As long as that play carries over into the Finals, we should be set to have an exciting fourth round. It will be interesting to see how the Pens match up with the Wings, who have beaten them both times the teams have met in the Sidney Crosby era. I especially look forward to seeing how Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk compare with Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since the Wings made it to the Finals. This is what you look forward to every year as a hockey fan. I can’t wait for Saturday.