Wings 5, Ducks 0
Possibly one of the most enjoyable games to watch this postseason as a Wings’ fan in a 5-0 victory.
Plenty of scoring? Check.
Physical hits? Check.
Bertuzzi goal? Check.
Giguere pulled? Check.
Hasek shutout? Check.
Since I have a German test tomorrow morning, this will be brief and I’ll add on to this post during my lunch break.
Tomas Holmstrom got two goals, one of which was actually a wristshot. Big Bert and rookie Valtteri Filppula each scored a goal. Johan Franzen got the Wings on the board first. It was great to see the Wings outhustling the Ducks and put forth a great offensive effort.
Goaltender Dominik Hasek was in fine form as he went far out of his crease a couple times to stop shots or poke the puck away.
It obviously didn’t hurt that Anaheim kept going to the penalty box making it hard for them to come back. The Wings only went 1/9 on the power play, but were able to successfully kill off their four penalties.
Anaheim outshot Detroit in the first and third periods, but did not play better than the Wings in either period. The Wings outshot Anaheim, 13-2, in the second. Overall, Anaheim barely outshot Detroit, 29-28.
Wings’ fans had quite a scare 11:40 into the second period when Homer was hit by both Rob Niedermayer AND Chris Pronger. His helmet flew off by Pronger’s hit and then a second later, Niedermayer hit him. He had to be helped off the ice and suffered two cuts on his forehead. Fortunately, he was able to return to play in the third period. Niedermayer was given a five minute penalty for boarding and a game misconduct. I felt that Pronger actually got Homer more than Niedermayer did and was disappointed when Pronger did not receive any penalty for that nasty hit. I’m just happy that Homer is okay and got two goals and assist out of tonight’s game.
Go Wings!
Update:
Paul at Kukla’s Korner has some nice screenshots of the Pronger and R.Niedermayer hit last night. I don’t think the NHL will suspend either player, but I believe Pronger deserves a one game suspension.
Matt @ On the Wings liked what he saw last night:
I thought just about every player in the Winged Wheel played great. Players who stood out as playing especially well: Tomas Holmstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Todd Bertuzzi, Valtteri Filppula, and Mikael Samuelsson just to name a few. Dominik Hasek was stellar once again as well. He’s playing with an edge now, almost relishing contact and finding a confidence that allows him to make many of his best saves from the top of the crease rather than on the goalline. I love it.
Oh, and Mike Babcock’s decision to suddenly change up their lines: genius. It worked great. The Versus commentators couldn’t understand how it was possible the new lines could play so well together without any practice. It was comical. I especially liked the Swede Line, with Henrik Zetterberg centering Mikael Samuelsson and Johan Franzen. They cycled the puck well and generated a lot of problems for the Ducks.
Dave @ Gorilla Crouch:
Tomas Kopecky had a mixed game in his first action since early in the season. He took two penalties but was physical, despite not being credited with a hit in the game. He skated a team low 7:05 amongst the forwards. Detroit has reclaimed home ice with the win and will have a chance to put themselves in the driver’s seat if they can pull out a win in Game 4 on Thursday night.
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3 Responses to “Wings 5, Ducks 0”
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May 16th, 2007 at 12:08 am
One little editorial issue:
Hasek shutout? Czech.
Sorry, it’s late…
May 16th, 2007 at 1:06 am
Big win tonight! It’s great to see the Wings play well at even strength. Game four is going to be big!
May 16th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Hoser- Haha. Czech is right.
Dave- It was a great game to watch and definitely helps boost your confidence in the Wings. Hopefully, they’ll come out strong tomorrow and steal two games in Anaheim. Go Wings!