It was reminiscent of the Wings/Avalanche in 2002. After falling behind that series 3 games to 2, the Wings rebounded with an inspired effort to take Game 6 in Denver. Who can forget this Patrick Roy gem?
The Wings forced the Game 7 back in the D. I wanted to watch the game with my Dad and brother (Dr. Rochester), and I recall missing the first few minutes as Mrs. Nofrownmotown and I were still on the road. The Wings were already up 2-0 by the time we walked in the door!
This Game 7 didn't have quite the immediate start, but the Wings played with the exact same sense of urgency. They put constant pressure on Phoenix. In effect, the Wings turned the tables on Phoenix. This time it was Phoenix who had incredible difficulty clearing the puck from their zone. A dreadful Phoenix turnover led to a glorious open shot for Kronwall, who missed. He wasn't the only one. All the Red Wing players missed in the first period. It seemed like Bryzgalov was destined to be the hero. But the savvy Wings were unfazed after the scoreless first.
They continued to absolutely dominate the 2nd period and finally Datsyuk broke through on the power play. He added a second goal minutes later. Phoenix did manage one goal against the run-of-play, but Lidstrom got the goal right back to push the score to 3-1.
The turning point was late in the 2nd when Phoenix had a 5-on-3 for over a minute. Detroit not only stuffed the 2-man advantage but actually scored a goal of their own with five seconds left. Brad Stuart, ironically, capitalized on a Phoenix turnover and scored on a breakaway. Yes, the same Brad Stuart who suffered the turnover humiliation in Game 6 (and the same guy who many Wing fans wanted to run out of town 24 hours ago).
At the end of the 2nd period, the Wings had a staggering 23 scoring chances (on 41 shots). Phoenix had 8. The 4-1 cushion seemed to break the Coyotes' spirit, as the Wings sailed through the third.
Just a dominant, impressive victory for the home team. It's only the first round, but the veterans proved their mettle once again.
On to San Jose with a short turnaround. Terry Foster on 97.1 kept reiterating the statistic that the Wings were 8-1 in games with a 48+ hour turnaround, and 1-5 in all the others. The upcoming game against the Sharks would qualify as a less-than 48 hour turnaround. That does not bode well.
Tigers
Pathetic showing by the Tiger bats last night, and an even worse performance by their gloves. This game was lost in the offseason when Dombrowski failed to address the teams' defensive weaknesses - notably at 2nd base. And Ryan Raburn? If he's not playing 2nd base, he shouldn't be on the team. He's only a minor liability at 2nd base, while he's a massive liability everywhere else. His error against Minnesota last night was downright laughable.
The short turn-around may work in the Wings favor. First of all, they are healthy. Secondly, they are coming off a game where they were firing on all cylinders - they were crisp offensively, defensively, special teams, and all 4 lines. Thirdly, they were able to ease up towards the end, so they didn't have to play hard for a full 60 minutes. Fourth, San Jose has been off since Saturday, so they will have a bit of rust. And Finally, we are playing San Jose. Their playoff collapse is going to be obvious any day now.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching game 7, I was so tempted to write something - but really wanted Mr. NFMT to have the honor. What an amazing display of intensity - is there any way the Wings, or any team for that matter, could keep that level of intensity for every shift of every game? Complete juggernaut.
ReplyDeleteI do remember that game 6 in 2002 - I was there and smiling ear-to-ear. I believe there was a significant contingent representing the D at the Pepsi Center that night, too. Poor, poor Patrick. :)
If I've learned anything watching hockey, it's that momentum does not carry between games. We may very well see the dead Wings on Thursday. That's just how it works I guess.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing... massive shout-out to the Wing fans who made Phoenix like a home game. What an awesome display of fan loyalty! They were loud to boot.
I agree that momentum doesn't carry over from game to game within a series, because of adjustments, and teams have a tendency to respond to adversity. However, in a Game 1 of any series, there is a certain amount of "just show up and play" and at least for the first period, I expect the Wings to look more in-sync than the Sharks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that reset of the Roy "Statue of Liberty" play. That was a great moment in Detroit sports.
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