Power Play Powers Flames to 3-2 Victory
Lombardi celebrates his PP goal by doing his Riverdance celebration
Larry MacDougal - AP Photo
Calgary scored their first even-strength goal of the series and it ended up being the game winner. Jarome Iginla was finally able to get a leg up on Nicklas Lidstrom when he went in from the right wing after blowing past the Wings defenseman at the 9:21 mark of the third period. His shot beat Dominik Hasek low blocker side to give Calgary a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.
But it was the power play that kept Calgary afloat and gave them a chance to pull out the win. Four of Calgary’s five goals have come with the man advantage. Tonight they went an impressive 2 for 6 with the man advantage. The first power play goal gave them a 1-0 lead at the 9:20 mark of the second period and the second knotted the score at 2-2 at the 4:43 mark of the third.
Bert makes Brad Stuart believe he can fly
Jeff McIntosh - AP Photo
The big controversy for Detroit prior to the game was whether Todd Bertuzzi would play and who would sit to make room for the power forward. Jiri Hudler was scratched tonight so Bert could play on the fourth line alongside Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. Betuzzi registered 2 hits, 1 giveaway and had 2 shots on goal. He didn’t have much of a presence but given how little hockey he has played it isn’t a surprise that it might take him a game or two to find his game.
Henrik Zetterberg continues to adjust to returning the lineup. He’s played in 3 games and doesn’t quite yet look like the player he was prior to being injured. Reports are that he feels fine so it could just be that it will take him a little time to adjust to actual game situations.
Detroit had a great chance to draw first second blood when Wayne Primeau took a high sticking penalty that resulted in a 4:00 power play for Detroit. However the Flames killed the penalty, which ended up being an important PK for the Flames. On the night the Wings went 0-4 with the man advantage. Their struggles on Special Teams have been well documented in this space and it bit them in the ass tonight. The first period would end with there being no score.
Todd Bertuzzi started to make a small impact on the game at about the 6:20 mark of the second period. He made some nice hits along the endboards in the offensive zone to help the team establish some presence in the Calgary end of the ice. The third line also started to buzz shortly after that, with Kris Draper forcing a turnover near the blueline by intercepting a pass and going in all alone on Kiprusoff. Zyuzin hit him as he drove towards the net and Kiprusoff stopped the shot.
Danny Markov was called for a tripping penalty at the 9:01 mark of the second period and Calgary wasted no time responding. Matt Lombardi put the puck past Hasek on a 3 on 2 rush towards the net at the 9:20 mark of the second period, giving Calgary a 1-0 lead.
The Wings responded a little over 2 minutes later as the third line continued to do good work for Detroit. In a faceoff in the Calgary zone, Kris Draper won the faceoff, went to the net, and strong-armed a the puck past a defender and around Kipper to tie the game at 1-1 at the 11:30 mark of the second period. It was an ugly goal, the kind you need in the playoffs. The good news is Detroit responded quickly to knot the game at 1.
Early in the third period the third line went to work again, with Dan Cleary laying a big hit in the offensive zone to force a turnover. He gained control of the puck and centered it to Kris Draper, who one-timed the puck past Kiprusoff to put Detroit up 2-1 at the 0:39 mark of the third period. The lead would last for a little over 4 minutes before an interference penalty was called on Mathieu Schneider. The Flames would score another power play goal when Henrik Zetterberg couldn’t control a pass from Nick Lidstrom. The puck when to Mark Giordano, who shot the puck from the right point and beat Hasek to tie the game.
Inspired by the movie Blades Of Glory, Danny Markov and
Kristian Huselius work on their figure skating routine
Jeff McIntosh - AP Photo
It’s tough to complain too much with how Detroit has played thus far. One even-strength goal over three games is pretty solid work. The just have to somehow cut down on the penalties or improve their PK. The second PP goal for Calgary was just one of those things where Zetterberg couldn’t control the puck and it went right to Giordano. Along those lines I really wouldn’t complain if Bill McCreary didn’t officiate another game in this series.
The big debate tonight and tomorrow will be what Hudler could have done if he was in the game or if Bert was put on the second line. But make no mistake, the third line came up huge once again. They scored both goals for the Wings tonight and Dan Cleary has really done a fine job for the Wings so far in this series. He’s skated hard, he played very well along the boards, and he’s played with an edge without going overboard. He has been one of Detroit’s unsung heroes so far in this series.
Calgary Flames Dan Cleary Jiri Hudler Kris Draper NHL Playoffs Red Wings Todd Bertuzzi3 Comments
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You can really tell that Cleary is playing well just based on the Flames reaction to him. It seems like every time Dan is on the ice, he attracts a mob of Flames who try to push him around. Luckily, he does not back down.
[…] Other reactions: Gorilla Crouch Behind the Jersey Quo Vadimus The Real Deal […]
[…] Dave at Gorilla Crouch offers up his postgame comments: It’s tough to complain too much with how Detroit has played thus far. One even-strength goal over three games is pretty solid work. The just have to somehow cut down on the penalties or improve their PK. The second PP goal for Calgary was just one of those things where Zetterberg couldn’t control the puck and it went right to Giordano. Along those lines I really wouldn’t complain if Bill McCreary didn’t officiate another game in this series. […]