Wings 5, Flames 1
I just got back from the Wings game. First off, it was an amazing game to attend. I’ve only gone to three playoff games in my life (the first two against Edmonton last year and today). It was definitely the most enjoyable by far.
First Period = Close game. Scoreless.
Second Period = Wings break open. Score 3 times.
Third Period = Flames go wacko.
There are so many great things to say about the Wings and some ugly things that need to be said about the Flames. But first, the good stuff…
The Good
The Red Wings scored five goals today. Two came shorthanded! The first goal of the game came from Dan Cleary who scored a beautiful goal on a penalty shot. The other shorthanded goal was Chris Chelios’ first goal in 41 games (and his first playoff goal since 2002).
Henrik Zetterberg scored twice and earned his first goal since missing six weeks from a back injury. It was a relief to see Hank back and I bet today will give him a lot more confidence. He also notched an assist. Both of his goals came on the power play. Pavel Datsyuk also scored with less than five minutes remaining in the third. He also had an assist today. Datsyuk’s goal was also on the powerplay.
The special teams had quite a turnover from Game #4 as they scored three times out of eight power play opportunities. They successfully killed all of Calgary’s power plays and even scored shorthanded, twice. (The Flames’ one goal was shorthanded.)
Captain Nicklas Lidstrom had assists on three of the five goals. Dominik Hasek’s play impressed me today as he made some huge saves and didn’t go mental on us.
Detroit outshot Calgary, 38-24. Detroit won 71% of the faceoffs.
The Ugly
It didn’t seem like the officiating was horrible during the first two periods. I was in the upper bowl and they didn’t show replays on penalty calls so I could obviously be off on that, but that’s the impression I got.
However, things went crazy in the third especially the last four and a half minutes (after Datsyuk scored the Wings’ fifth goal). When I got home, I was reading on LGW about these nasty plays and I had only seen the slash on Franzen so I watched the last 10 minutes of the game on TV (I had recorded the game). And man, Calgary was nasty!! If I was a Flames fan, I’d be ashamed of that performance. Multiple players played dirty in the remaining minutes and it’s disgusting. The Wings may lose in early rounds, but at least they aren’t dirty and play with class.
1) Brett Lebda gets injured. He had hipchecked Langkow 11:25 into the third. While both players were lying on the ice, Langkow slides over and suckerpunches (okay it was an uppercut) Lebda’s face. Lebda didn’t return to the game and probably has another concussion. Just what we need, another injured defenseman, especially one as good as Lebda. When Lebda was taken off the ice, he didn’t put any weight on one leg and had to be helped on the ice and down the hallway to the locker room. I think he had gone feet first into the boards and may have also seriously hurt an ankle or a knee.
2) Kipper is pulled from the game with 3:17 left. The crowd starts chanting “Kipper.” Jamie McLennan, the backup goalie, enters the game and slashes Johan Franzen a couple times on the leg while he’s standing in front of the net. He’s called for slashing. However during the stoppage in play, McLennan whacks Franzen in the midsection and Franzen collapses to the ice. Since it was during a break in play, Franzen did not see it coming whatsoever. McLennan is kicked out of the game and Kipper has to come back in 18 seconds later. I hope that McLennan is severely punished because that was a nasty and quite unnecessary slash. Frotunately, it looked like Franzen was okay and he was shown sitting on the bench.
“It doesn’t belong in hockey,” said Franzen, who said the slash shocked him more than it hurt.
The slash might lead to a stiff suspension from the NHL, which gave the Islanders’ Chris Simon a 25-game suspension for viciously swinging his stick last month.
McLennan didn’t talk to reporters after the game.
“I think the league will take a look at a few things that happened,” Zetterberg said.
3) Jarome Iginla. I am extremely disappointed in him. He’s known as the heart and soul of the team (and captain) and he played dirty. With 42.2 seconds left in the game, Iggy and Mathieu Schneider were skating up the ice towards the Flames end. By the Wings’ blueline, Iginla backchecks Schneider. A few seconds later, he butt ends his stick into Schneider’s stomach. A few strides later, he crosschecks Schneider from behind and is finally given a penalty. Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock was so upset he actually stood up on the bench (you don’t see that very often).
I doubt Iginla will be suspended because he’s Iggy. But I think he deserves to be suspended for a game or two and that has nothing to do with it being the playoffs. If that had happened during a regular season game, I would still think he should be suspended. What upsets me even more is that he made these comments after the game:
“It was really about getting some fights going at that point to keep our energy up and carry some anger into the next game,” Iginla said with several new stitches over his left eye. “We’re not going away.”
4) Nilson crosschecks Kris Draper at center ice. I looked at what Draper had done that play and he did absolutely nothing. Nilson was given a penalty. I was pleased to see Andreas Lilja stand up for Draper and throw a couple punches at Nilson with the referees attempting to hold them back.
One of the NBC broadcasters said this at the end of the game: “Detroit has the fewest fighting majors this year. That’s not their team.” They said this to show that Detroit is angry at the dirty plays by Calgary and are stepping up. They are not the team to just fight anyone. The broadcaster added that this was “completely unacceptable behavior” by Calgary.
Hasek said it best:
“I was really disappointed. Not a little, but a lot,” Hasek said. “Their goalie, what he did and Iginla, he’s the captain of the team and should be in charge.
“Those last 5 or 6 minutes if you were watching on TV, I think it was sort of disappointing.”
I have lost all my respect for the Flames and I hope the Wings are angry and take it out on the Flames tomorrow night. I don’t want the Wings to lower themselves to Calgary’s level, but I hope they come out angry and beat them in skill and level of physical (but clean) play and win the series in the Saddledome.
WINGS WON!!!!!!
Oh, the game definitely did not sell out. A couple sections in the corners had 2-3 completely empty rows by the end of the first. There were numerous empty seats throughout the arena. However, I must say that I thought the fans were louder today than this whole series and even the first two games against Edmonton last year. Go Wings!
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5 Responses to “Wings 5, Flames 1”
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April 21st, 2007 at 11:07 pm
[…] It became even more obvious what was going on when when the NBC broadcasters wondered what Jarome Iginla was still doing on the ice with the game clearly over. With less than a minute left he hit Mathieu Schneider with the butt-end of his stick in his midsection as they were coming up the ice. Then, as they entered the Calgary end of the ice Iginla cross-checked Schneider in the small of his back. Schneider was no where near the puck. Hank and Homer have come to JLA to pump (clap) you up Dave Sandford - Getty Images I’ll say it again: Detroit’s play was inspired. Mikael Samuelsson put a good hit on Iginla late in the second period that opened up a gash on the Calgary forward’s head. Samuelsson also blocked shots. Robert Lang won 71% of his draws. The Wings just beat Calgary every conceivable way in this game and the Flames’ emotions got the best of them. You have to wonder if the league will do anything as a result of McLennan’s and Iginla’s antics. Of course they won’t, but with the way the game ended - with Kris Draper and Marcus Nilson staring one another down with their sticks at the ready in their hands after Nilson cross-checked Draper - the league will take a lot of heat if something really bad happens in Game 6. […]
April 21st, 2007 at 11:35 pm
I did read that Lebda has a concussion, but I don’t think that really matters as he obviously trashed his knee the way he went into the boards.
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:47 am
I am extremely pleased, relieved, and proud of how the Detroit Red Wings team played today against a trashy, low-life team of Calgary. There were criminal moves they made against the ‘Wings players ~ and their two biggest offenders should both be suspended before tomorrow’s game. It’s not what a real hockey fan wants to see ~ schoolyard bully antics! These guys are supposed to be professional in their behavior! Sure, call a guy like Chelios a warrior, that’s a compliment, but those very bad acts of some poorly raised players like McLennen and Iginia should be penalized severely, no ifs ands or buts about it!! And do it now!
GO WINGS!!!
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:06 am
[…] Update (22. Apr, 1:03 AM): Christy has a reaction to the game posted, with a special perspective: she was there. […]
April 22nd, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Paul & 1child2God- Thanks for your comments! I too am proud with how the Wings played and that they didn’t get caught up in the moment in the remaining minutes of the third and do something they would’ve regretted. Now, they’re angry at Calgary and hopefully will have plenty of motivation to go out and win the series tonight in the Saddledome!
Lebda is out for tonight and we’ll just have to wait and see how bad the leg is to determine how long he’ll be out. But with Kronner already out, that’s a big loss for Detroit’s defense.