Datsyuk, Hasek lead Wings past Ducks
Pavel Datsyuk is making a case to receive a contract worthy of a top forward. He scored the lone goal in Detroit’s 1-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. That goal was Datsyuk’s 80th point this year, making him the first Red Wing to tally 80 or more points in two consecutive seasons since Steve Yzerman did so in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.
The Red Wings helped Dominik Hasek secure his 7th shutout of the season by killing off a penalty at the 17:55 mark in which Jean-Sebastien Giguere vacated the Anaheim crease at the 18:54 mark for a two-man advantage. Pavel Datsyuk and Valtteri Filppula were both great on the PK.
Chris Chelios was honored before the game for playing the most NHL games by a U.S.-born player. The ice was choppy due to the warm weather. Mathieu Schneider was mic’d for the game and commented on the “Duck ice” that would serve as the surface for the game tonight. The lines were pretty much what you would expect:
Bertuzzi - Datsyuk - Holmstrom
Calder - Lang - Hudler
Cleary - Draper - Maltby
Samuelsson - Filppula - Franzen
Johan Franzen did play a bit in place of Homer on the top line. Andreas Lilja played in place of Brett Lebda and was paired with Mathieu Schneider.
Dominik Hasek made some big saves during an Anaheim power play near the end of the first period. Right as the period was ending Rob Niedermayer got in a late hit. The Wings responded and Mikael Samuelsson got in a bit of a pushing match with Scott Niedermayer and Andreas Lilja actually fought Travis Moen. It wasn’t much of a dustup but at least the Wings responded and showed they weren’t willing to be pushed around.
Sure it has been an injury concern, but Brad May and Nick Lidstrom
paid a disturbing amount of attention to Dom Hasek’s groin
Jerry S. Mendoza - AP Photo
Detroit got on the board at the 4:50 mark when Mathieu Schneider put a shot on net from the point. Pavel Datsyuk found the loose puck and deftly stick-handled through the scrum and scored while cutting through the crease. It wasn’t a pretty goal and it looked like a play where he used strength more than finesse to score.
The Wings headed into the second intermission up 1-0 but the third period was probably the best period of action. Robert Lang’s line carried play in the offensive zone at the halfway mark of the third. But they couldn’t give their team an insurance goal. The Ducks had their best chance to tie the game when Corey Perry broke in all alone on Dominik Hasek at the 18:55 mark. Perry didn’t score but he drew a tripping penalty on Mathieu Schneider.
The Ducks had the man advantage for 59 seconds before they pulled Giguere to get a two-man advantage. They also took a timeout at the 19:06 mark to try and generate a good scoring chance. But they weren’t able to get the equalizer. With the win Detroit moved into a first place tie with Nashville atop the division and conference. Both teams are also tied with Buffalo for the best record in the league.
Detroit and Nashville will play each other for the last time during the regular season on Thursday night.
Dominik Hasek Pavel Datsyuk Red Wings2 Comments
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[…] Dave at Gorilla Crouch has a nice recap of the game. Dominik Hasek made some big saves during an Anaheim power play near the end of the first period. Right as the period was ending Kyle Calder got hit a little late. The Wings responded and Mikael Samuelsson got in a bit of a pushing match with Scott Niedermayer and Andreas Lilja actually fought Travis Moen. It wasn’t much of a dustup but at least the Wings responded and showed they weren’t willing to be pushed around. […]
[…] Crunch time continues here, but Dave and Christy have recaps of the game, if that’s one you’re looking for. Also, thanks to Justin for posting comments throughout the game. Good to see the guys put the Ducks in their place, eh? […]