If I Were NHL Commissioner

      Gary Bettman has been the Commissioner of the NHL since 1993 and in my opinion is the worst commissioner in the history of sports. Under his watch the NHL has gone from one of the big four sports in America to a niche sport that has to fight to have its games televised. He has presided over three work stoppages, two that cut seasons in half and one the eliminated an entire season. He has instituted rule changes that have taken the teeth out of the game and wonders why more players are getting hurt. He refuses to change things that will improve the on ice product and can’t figure out why the sport’s popularity is fading. He needs to be replaced as soon as possible and pretty much anyone would be better. As a matter of fact I would be interested in filling the position. If I were hired there are quite a few things I would change.

One of my main goals would be to repair the relationship between the NHL and the player’s union. Currently it is so toxic that neither side thinks they can trust what the other is saying and that needs to change. The players need to realize that the owners have to make their money and that without them there wouldn’t be a league to play in. The owners need to realize that the players want to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can, before their careers are over and without them their wouldn’t be a product to put on the ice. In other words both sides cannot exist without each other. I think it is totally ridiculous that relations between Bettman and whoever is running the union are so bad that there have been three lockouts since 1994. The management side of the NHL and the owners has never really accepted the union and it is my belief that Bettman has tried to break the union every time the collective bargaining agreement has come up for renewal. The NHL made 4.1 billion dollars last year and is scheduled to make even more this year. I see no reason why there isn’t enough money to go around and as long as neither side is too greedy everybody should be able to get along. While my ideas might be considered radical I think they will make the NHL a better product and maybe return some of the luster to a sport that was fallen from its once lofty perch.

My biggest complaint over the years has finally been addressed; moving the Red Wings to the Eastern Conference. I can’t believe it took this long to move them but I’m happy about it. Bettman could have done a better job and re-aligned the entire NHL and made travel a minor issue. My plan would put Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York Rangers, Detroit and Chicago, all of the original six teams in one division; I would put Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey and the New York Islanders in another division. The final Eastern Conference division would be Ottawa, Washington, Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay. In the Western Conference one division would be comprised of Minnesota, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis and Dallas. The second division would be Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Colorado and Phoenix and the third division would be Vancouver, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. If you examine that setup travel would mostly be within one time zone or at worst a few games one time zone away. I would also change the number of games in a season from 82 to 75 and set it up differently. Teams would play non-divisional conference foes twice, once on the road and once at home. They would play divisional opponents eight times, four at home four on the road, except for the six team division which would play each other seven times rotating every year which team would have the extra home game. That would add up to 62 games for the divisions with five teams and 65 games for the six team division and have teams play clubs from the other conference to make up the difference.

I would also change the playoff system and the number of teams that qualify for the post-season. Rather than the best eight teams in each conference making the playoffs, I would have the three division winners and the next best two teams qualify. I would give the team with the best record in the conference a bye in the first two round to make up for the odd number of teams but I would keep all series as the best of seven. That would mean if you were a conference winner you would play between eight and fourteen games to win the cup and every other team would play between sixteen and 28 games. Lowering the number of qualifying teams and giving a two round bye to the conference winner will make the regular season mean something, which would be a great change from the current system where more than half the teams in the league make the post-season and teams go through periods where they coast, this would end that and force teams to play all out all season long.

There are two rule changes I would tackle if I were Commissioner. The first rule I would change would be the instigator rule, I think that is one of the main reasons players are getting hurt more often recently. If that rule is removed the players will police themselves and the number of illegal hits and other incidents will go down. If players have to worry about dealing with enforcers and the enforcers don’t have to worry about an extra two minutes the game will return to a level of incidents from years past. I would also change the way goalies are treated outside the crease. I wouldn’t make them completely fair game but if they’re outside the crease handling the puck and a players runs into them trying to get the puck there shouldn’t be a penalty called. As it stands now if a player taps a goalie anywhere on the ice he is whistled for goalie interference or roughing, that is just stupid and gives an unfair advantage to the goalkeeper. I would also start a committee of players, owners, NHL officials and refs to settle once and for all the issues regarding what is and isn’t a penalty for interference, hooking, slashing etc. The current system of refs being instructed by the league to call penalties tightly in the beginning of the season and players and coaches having to figure it out is ridiculous. The players, coaches and refs need to be on the same page from the first game to the last, season after season. This committee would be charged with coming up with a standard for each penalty, that the refs would stick to all season, including the playoffs and the players would learn to play around.

I understand that most of these changes would require negotiations with the player’s union and that is why I consider the repair of the relationship between the league and union so important. I believe that if the two sides can learn to trust each other then most of these items would not be a big deal to get enacted. The owners and players have to realize that their sport is failing and changes need to be made if they wish to regain relevance. I think hockey is one of the best sports on earth and I wish more people agreed with me and I think these changes would go a long way to making that happen.  

Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks Series Recap

Chicago Blackhawks (1^st Seed) vs. Detroit Red Wings (7^th Seed)

Game 1 Thursday 5/15/13  Detroit-1  at  Chicago-4

Game One between the top seeded Chicago Blackhawks and the seventh seeded Detroit Red Wings took place in Chicago on Thursday 5/15.  The Wings had not beaten the Blackhawks during the regular season and that trend continued in this game.  The Hawks opened the scoring with a powerplay goal scored by Marion Hossa, his fourth of the playoffs Jonathon Toews and Patrick Sharp at 9:03 of the first period.  Detroit tied the score 1:54 later on a goal by Damien Brunner, his third of the post season, assisted by Gustav Nyquist and Jonathon Ericsson.  The Wings outshot the Hawks 7-6, while Chicago was 1-1 on the powerplay and Detroit was 0-2 with the man advantage in the period.  The second period was scoreless with Detroit getting one powerplay chance and Chicago, two.  The Blackhawks outshot Detroit 17-5 in the period as Chicago took control of play in the period.  The third period saw the Hawks score three goals, the first, scored by Johnny Oduya assisted by Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp 8:02 into the period.  The second goal was scored by Marcus Kruger, his second of the post season, assisted by Daniel Carcillo and Nick Leddy making the score 3-1 Hawks.  The score stayed that way until the Red Wings pulled goalie Jimmy Howard for an extra attacker.  Patrick Sharp scored into the empty net, his sixth of the playoffs, assisted by Niklas Hjalmarsson at 19:11 to give the Blackhawks the 4-1 victory and the early 1-0 series lead.   

Game 2  Saturday 5/18/13  Detroit-4   at  Chicago-1

Game Two, again being played in Chicago saw the Hawks trying to seize a two game lead in the best of seven series.  The Wings were victorious to tie the series at one game apiece.  The first period saw Chicago score first on a goal by Patrick Kane, his first of the playoffs, assisted by Michal Handzus and Patrick Sharp.  The period ended with Chicago up 1-0, the Red Wings outshot the Blackhawks 12-8.  Detroit was 0-2 on the powerplay while Chicago did not get a powerplay opportunity.  The second period saw the Wings score two goals.  The first, scored by Damien Brunner, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Jakub Kindl and Joakim Andersson.  The second goal scored by Brendan Smith, his second of the post season, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Dan Cleary.  The period ended with Detroit ahead 2-1.  The Wings outshot the Hawks 8-5while each team was 0-1 on the powerplay.  The third period featured two more Detroit goals, the first scored by Johan Franzen, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Jonathon Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall.  The second goal was scored by Valtteri Filppula, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg.  Detroit outshot Chicago 10-7 for a three period total of 30 for Detroit and 20 for the Hawks.  For the second period in a row Chicago did not get a powerplay but Detroit was 0-2 with the man advantage.  Chicago still has not given up a powerplay goal this season    

          

Game 3  Monday 5/20/13  Chicago-1  at  Detroit-3

Game 3 was played in a sold out Joe Louis Arena and with the series tied saw each team trying to earn a 2-1 series lead.  Detroit was able to prevail with a 3-1 score and take that 2-1 lead with game 4 in Detroit as well.  The first period was scoreless and featured three Detroit powerplays where Chicago was able to continue their penalty kill perfection.  Chicago outshot the Wings in the period 15-9.  The second period saw the Wings score two goals, the first scored by Gustav Nyquist, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Damien Brunner and Joakim Andersson at 7:49.  The second goal was scored 31 seconds later by Drew Miller, his first of the post season, assisted by Patrick Eaves and Corey Emmerton.  The only two penalties of the period were assessed to Brendan Smith but Detroit was able to kill both off.  Detroit outshot the Hawks 14-8 for the period.  The third period saw the teams exchange goals.  The first goal was scored by Patrick Kane, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Duncan Keith at 4:35 of the third bring the Hawks within one goal.  Detroit re-established their two goal lead on a goal by Pavel Datsyuk, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Johan Franzen and Brendan Smith.  The Wings had four powerplays in the period but were unable to convert as Chicago remained perfect in shorthanded situations. Game 4 is in Detroit on Thursday                                   

Game 4  Thursday 5/23/13  Chicago-0   at  Detroit-2

Game four in this best of seven series saw the Blackhawks trying to tie the series at two games apiece.  The Red Wings were looking to take a commanding 3-1 lead, before the series shift back to Chicago for Game Five.  The first period was scoreless with Chicago getting the only powerplay, which they were unable to convert.  The Hawks outshot the Wings 14-10 in the period.  The second period saw the Wings get on the scoreboard on a powerplay goal scored by Jakub Kindl, his first of the post season, assisted by Carlo Coliaicovo and Johan Franzen.  This was the first powerplay Chicago had given up in eight games.  Detroit was 1-3 with the man advantage while Chicago was 0-1.  The third period saw the Blackhawks pressing hard to tie the score by Jimmy Howard was up to the task stopping every shot he faced. When Chicago pulled Corey Crawford for the extra attacker, Detroit was able to capitalize on the empty net with Dan Cleary scoring assisted by Valtteri Filppula with 39 seconds left in the game.  After the goal the focus shifted to securing the shutout for Howard, the Wings did, giving Howard his second career post season shutout and his first of these playoffs.  With the victory Detroit has a 3-1 lead in the best of seven series as the series shifts back to Chicago for game 5       

Game 5  Saturday 5/25/13  Detroit-1   at  Chicago-4

Game 5 played at the United Center on Saturday saw the Red Wings trying to end the series and upset the #1 seeded Blackhawks.  Chicago, on the other hand were playing for their playoff lives.  Chicago outclassed the Wings to earn a 4-1 victory and force a game six in Detroit Monday 5/27.  The first period saw the Hawks score first on a goal by Bryan Bickell, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Patrick Kane and Michal Handzus at the 14:08 mark.  That was the only goal of the period.  Chicago outshot Detroit12-11 and each team was 0-1 on the powerplay.  The second period had Detroit scoring once and Chicago getting two goals.  The Wings tied the game at the 9:37 mark of the period on a goal by Dan Cleary, his fourth of the post season, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg.  Chicago regained the lead 3:31 later on a powerplay goal by Andrew Shaw, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.  Chicago added another powerplay goal 2:39 later when Jonathon Toews scored his first of the playoffs, assisted by Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith.  The period ended with Chicago leading 3-1, they outshot the Wings 16-11 in the period and were 2-3 with the man advantage while Detroit was 0-2.  The third period saw the Hawks increase their lead on a goal by Andrew Shaw, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, assisted by Victor Stalberg and Brandon Saad.  The victory for Chicago allowed them to stay alive in the series, now trailing the Wings3-2 in the best of seven series, with game six in Detroit.   

Game 6  Monday 5/27/13  Chicago-4   at Detroit-3

Game six played Monday 5/27 at a sold out Joe Louis Arena saw the Red Wings again trying to close out the series with a victory and Chicago playing to force a Game 7 in Chicago.  The first period had the teams trading goals, the first, scored by Chicago on a backhand shot by Marian Hossa, his fifth of the post season, assisted by Jonathon Toews and Duncan Keith at the 3:53 mark.  Detroit tied the score with 1:09 left in the period on a goal by Patrick Eaves, his first of the playoffs, assisted by Drew Miller and Brendan Smith.  Each team had ten shots in the period and both were 0-1 on the powerplay.  The second period saw the Wings take the lead on a goal by Joakim Andersson, his first of the season, assisted by Jakub Kindl at 10:11 of the period.  Detroit outshot the Hawks 18-10 in the period, while Chicago was 0-2 and Detroit0-1 on the powerplay.  The third period was the difference maker in this game with Chicago scoring three goals.  The first goal, scored by Michal Handzus, his first of the playoffs, assisted by Niklas Hjalmarsson was just 51 seconds into the period.  The second goal was scored by Bryan Bickell, his fifth of the season, assisted by Jonathon Toews and Marian Hossa.  The third goal was a controversial goal, on a breakaway after a blocked shot, Michael Frolik was being chased by Carlo Colaiacovo, Colaiacovo gave Frolik a sleight tap on the gloves with his stick and the Ref called a penalty shot.  Frolik scored on a backhand shot just over Jimmy Howard’s left pad.  It was Frolik’s third goal of the post season.  Detroit closed the gap at the 19:08 mark on a goal by Damien Brunner, his fifth of the playoffs, assisted by Pavel Datsyuk and Dan Cleary but were unable to tie the game even after pulling Howard for an extra attacker.  The win by Chicago sets up a pivotal Game 7 in Chicago Wednesday 5/29.  If Detroit loses they will be only the ninth team in NHL history to blow a 3-1 lead in a best of seven series.    

        

Game 7  Wednesday 5/29/13  Detroit-1  at  Chicago-2 (OT)

Game seven was played in the United Center Wednesday night in front of 22,103 screaming fans.  The Chicago fans were hoping to see the Hawks completed a historic comeback and Detroit fans were hoping to see their underdog team advance to the Conference finals against the LA Kings.  There was no scoring in the first period, a tight checking period where players found little room to maneuver Chicago outshot Detroit 13-11 and neither team scored on the powerplay, with Chicago getting two chances and Detroit one.  The second period saw Chicago take the lead on a goal by Patrick Sharp, his seventh of the playoffs, assisted by Marian Hossa and Michel Handzus, just 1:08 into the period.  The rest of the period went by without a goal being scored as Chicago had 11 shots on Jimmy Howard and Detroit sent six at Corey Crawford.  The third period saw the Wings tie it up as the carried the play in the Chicago end.  The goal, scored by Henrik Zetterberg, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Gustav Nyquist and Dan Cleary.  The period ended with the score tied as each team had nine shots on goal.  Detroit was 0-1 and Chicago 0-2 on the powerplay in the period.  The overtime period did not last long with Brent Seabrook scoring 3:35 into the period, his first goal of the playoffs, assisted by Dave Bolland and Michael Frolik.  The goal sent the Chicago faithful into waves of frenzy as their team became only the ninth team in NHL history to comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to win in game seven.  As the Red Wings and the Blackhawks shook hands, a tradition only followed by the NHL, the Hawks were planning to face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings.  Detroit on the other hand were left wondering how a collapse of this magnitude could have happened to a team with the history of Detroit.

Cumulative Round Two Stats:

	G	A	P	S	H	+/-	PIM	TOI
Brendan Smith	1	2	3	10	9	EV	6	131:01
Jakub Kindl	1	2	3	17	11	+3	6	117:38
Justin Abdelkader	0	0	0	18	43	EV	16	116:16
Daniel Cleary	2	2	4	11	16	EV	0	118:36
Pavel Datsyuk	1	1	2	16	12	EV	2	144:50
Gustav Nyquist	1	2	3	15	4	+2	2	84:06
Patrick Eaves	1	1	2	8	13	+1	0	67:52
Drew Miller	1	1	2	4	13	+1	2	78:45
Damien Brunner	3	1	4	15	8	+3	0	88:45
Cory Emmerton	0	1	1	8	14	+2	2	68:03
Kyle Quincey	0	0	0	2	8	-1	4	132:28
Carlo Colaiacovo	0	1	1	4	8	+2	2	106:20
Henrik Zetterberg	1	1	2	25	9	+1	2	136:07
Todd Bertuzzi	0	0	0	0	1	EV	0	7:56
Valtteri Filppula	1	1	2	6	7	-3	0	106:29
Jonathan Ericsson	0	2	2	2	18	EV	2	161:46
Niklas Kronwall	0	1	1	7	4	+1	4	177:34
Joakim Andersson	1	1	2	8	2	+3	4	82:45
Johan Franzen	1	2	3	13	12	-2	0	133:02
Totals	15	22	35	189	212	+11	54
	W	L	SA	GA	SV	SV%
James Howard	3	4	236	16	252	.936
Totals	3	4	236	16	252	.936

Is It Time To Say Goodbye To Johan Franzen?

      The Detroit Red Wings are having an off year and Johan Franzen is no exception, although his point totals are comparable to past seasons the timeliness of his goals just doesn't seem to be there.  He is a defensive liability and is only good for one thing.  It just might be time to say goodbye to the Mule and move on.  He will be 34 in December and has played for the Wings since 2005.  He has scored 164 goals, 142 assists for 306 points in 513 games.  He is +99, has 329 penalty minutes, scored 58 powerplay goals and 37 game winning goals.  It isn't his regular season production I'm worried about it is his performance in the playoffs.
      In the playoffs he has scored 42 goals, 37 assists for 79 points, 14 powerplay goals and 12 game winners.  Franzen has amassed 76 PIM and is +29 in 100 playoff games.  In the 2008 and 2009 playoffs he was unstoppable, scoring 25 of his 42 goals in those years.  Recently he has become human and the aura surrounding him has disappeared.  So far in the 2013 playoffs he has four goals, two assists for six points.  He is -6, has six PIM, scored three powerplay goals and no game winners.  In the 2010 playoffs he played the same number of games scored 2 more goals, ten more assists, he was +8 with 16 PIM, one powerplay goal and one game winner.  In past years if the Wings needed a goal to tie it up late in a game or another goal to pad a lead Franzen was the man but the last three years he has scored a total of seven goals compared to 31 in the three years before that.       
      Franzen just isn't the same player he was in 2009-10, the fear he used to instill in opposing goalies is gone and defenseman seem to be able to push him around unlike previous years.  In past seasons whenever he got the puck Detroit fans would expect him to score, especially if it was the playoffs.  Now, their happy if he doesn't turn it over in their zone.  The Mule has always been a one trick pony, he scores goals, has never been great defensively but now he is a liability.  I'm sure he thinks he has some good years left but I wonder if those years should be with us.  Unfortunately for the Wings they signed Franzen to a long term deal in 2009.  That deal make him a Red Wing until 2020 when he will be 41.  He made $5.2 million this year and is scheduled to make 5 million the next three seasons before it drops to 3.5 million in 2016-17, 2 million in 17-18 and 1 million the last two years of the contract.  I think Detroit will be hard pressed to find a team to take on a contract that size, especially for a one dimensional player with a declining impact.
      This year has shown the Wings have a strong cadre of young players in the minors ready, or nearly so, to step up to the big club.  Tomas Tatar, for one, is ready to join the big club.  He scored 23 goals and 49 points in 61 games with the Griffins this season.  He played 18 games with the Wings this year and scored four goals and three assists.  Tatar has been one of the last cuts in training camp the last three years and looks more then ready to make the jump, the only thing standing in his way is the lack of roster spots.  If Franzen is moved then the Wings would have room for a player of the future.
      Don't get me wrong, I love Franzen and harbor him no ill will.  In 2009-10 he was one of my favorite players but if this year has shown us anything it is the NHL is a league for the young and Franzen isn't young any more.  I believe our fond feelings and memories of the Mule are clouding our judgement and not allowing us to see that Franzen's time has passed and that the Wings and Franzen would be better served to move on. 

2nd Round Playoff Matchup for Detroit Red Wings and Game One Recap

      The second round opponent for the Detroit Red Wings are the 1st seed Chicago Blackhawks.  Chicago finished 21 points ahead of Detroit in the Central Division, they scored 155 goals and gave up 102 compared to Detroit's 124 scored and 115 given up.  In the regular season Chicago had nine players with 20 points or more including leading scorers Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews, with Kane compiling 55 points including 23 goals and Toews getting 23 goals and 48 points.  Detroit had five players with 20 or more points, with Pavel Datsyuk leading the charge with 15 goals and 49 points and Henrik Zetterberg with eleven goals and 48 points.  Corey Crawford will be the Blackhawks goalie, he was 19-5-5 with a 1.94 GAA and a .926 save percentage and three shutouts.  Jimmy Howard will be in net for the Wings, he was 21-13-7 with a 2.13 GAA and a .923 save percentage and five shutouts.  Chicago's powerplay operated at a 16.74% good for 19th in the NHL.  Detroit was 15th with a 18.4%.  Chicago was 4th with five shorthanded goals while Detroit was 13th with three.  I f the Wings can contain Toews and Kane, keep secondary scoring down and make life hard for Crawford then they can steal a couple game and maybe even send Chicago home.
      Well, once again I am lagging behind and Game One was already happened.  The Blackhawks beat the Wings 4-1 to take a one game to none lead in the best of seven series.  The first period saw The Hawks score first on a goal by Marian Hossa, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Jonathon Toews and Patrick Sharp.  The lead only lasted 1:54 before Detroit tied the score on a goal by Damien Brunner, his third of the post season, assisted by Gustav Nyquist and Jonathon Ericsson.  The period ended with the score tied, the Wings outshot Chicago 7-6 while Chicago was 1 for 1 while the Wings were 0-2.  The second period was scoreless withe the Blackhawks pouring 17 shots on Jimmy Howard while Detroit was able to send only five pucks at the Chicago net.  Chicago was 0-2 while the Wings were 0-1.  The period saw the Hawks take advantage of every Detroit turnover and only Jimmy Howard was keeping them in the game.
      The third period was the undoing for the Wings in this contest.  The Hawks broke the tie at the 8:02 mark of the period on a goal by Johnny Oduya, his second the the playoffs, assisted by the two Patricks, Kane and Sharp.    The Hawks added another goal 3:21 later when Marcus Kruger scored, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Daniel Carcillo and Nick Leddy.  As time wound down the Wings pulled Jimmy Howard for the extra attacker and Chicago made them pay,with Patrick Sharp scoring his sixth goal of the post season, assisted by Niklas Hjalmarsson.  The Hawks outshot the Wings 19-9 for the period and 42-21 for the game, while neither team had a powerplay in the period.
     If the Wings have any hope in extending this series beyond four games then they need to accomplish a few things: First they need to quit turning the puck over, this has led to way too many scoring chances and they can't expect Howard to stop every one.  Second, they need to do a better job of getting to loose pucks and winning the battles in the corners.  Lastly they need to keep the Blackhawks off Jimmy Howard, they are getting too many clear scoring chances, they also need to stop trying for the perfect goal and just get rubber on net.  Just as Howard can't stop them all neither can Crawford, the more pucks they get on net the more goals they'll score,  If they don't do these things the Wings will be golfing soon.   Game Two is Saturday 5/18 in Chicago.  Game Three is Monday 5/20 and Game Four is Thursday 5/23 both in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks Game 6 Recap

      The first round series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks continued on Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.  The Ducks had the lead 3-2 and were looking to close out the series Friday.  Three periods were not enough to settle the contest for the third game in a row and the fourth game out of the six so far.  Detroit blew a two goal lead late but pulled it out in overtime 4-3 to force a Game 7, 10:00(EDT) Sunday in Anaheim.  Given the tenor of this series it would be no surprise if Game 7 goes into overtime as well.
      The first period saw the Ducks carrying the play in Detroit's end but Detroit scored first, on a goal by Pavel Datsyuk, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Jonathan Ericsson.  There was only one penalty in the period, a tripping call to Ryan Getzlaf, but Detroit was unable to capitalize on the man advantage.  Detroit outshot the Ducks 11-7 in the period.
      The second period saw the Ducks tie the game at 11:31 on a goal by Kyle Palmieri, his third of the post season, assisted by Emerson Etem.  The Ducks outshot the Wings for the period 14-6 for a two period total of 21 for the Ducks and 17 for Detroit.  There were no penalties in the period. 
      The third period saw a lot of action with each team scoring twice.  Detroit scored the first two goals.  The first, a powerplay goal, after Kyle Palmieri was called for hi-sticking, scored by Henrik Zetterberg assisted by Mikael Samuelsson and Pavel Datsyuk at 6:19.  Daniel Cleary scored his second of the playoffs at 11:30, assisted by Justin Abdelkader and Valtteri Filppula.  Filppula figured prominently in the first Ducks goal of the period, when he was going behind the Detroit net and thinking he had a trailer dropped the puck.  He did have a trailer, unfortunately it was Emerson Etem who slid the puck past Jimmy Howard for his second of the post season at 16:32.  51 seconds later it was Bobby Ryan scoring his second, assisted by Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin to tie the game.  The period ended with the Ducks outshooting the Wings 16-9 for a three period total of 37-26.  This would be the third overtime game in a row but it didn't last long.  Henrik Zetterberg was the hero scoring his second of the game assisted by Niklas Kronwall and Pavel Datsyuk 1:04 into the extra frame.
      This win for the Wings sets up the most dramatic thing in sports: a Game 7. This will take place Sunday 5/11 at 10:00(EDT) at the Honda Center in Anaheim.  If that game goes into overtime it will set a NHL record for overtime games in a single series.  If the Red Wings can upset the Ducks in Game 7 then they will earn the right to advance to the second round and face the first seed Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks will play the San Jose Sharks.  If the Ducks emerge victorious then they will face the Canucks and Chicago will play the Sharks.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks Game 5 Recap

      Game 5 of the first round match-up between the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks took place Wednesday night in Anaheim.  The best of seven series was tied at two games apiece going into the contest.  The winner of the game would take a 3-2 lead and history says that 73% of the time the winner of game five will win the series, making this game very important.
      The first period saw the teams trade goal with Detroit opening the scoring on a powerplay goal by Johan Franzen, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Damien Brunner at 5:28 of the period.  Anaheim tied the score with 2:19 left in the period on a goal by Kyle Palmieri, his second of the playoffs assisted by David Steckel.  The Ducks outshot the Wings 18-9, while Detroit was 1-2  and Anaheim was 0-2 on the powerplay in the period.
      The second period saw both teams score and had the Wings get a long powerplay.  Detroit scored first again with Mikael Samuelsson lighting the lamp assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk at 10:08.  The Ducks even the score with 32 seconds left in the period on a powerplay goal by Ryan Getzlaf, his third of the post season, assisted by Francois Beauchemin and Sheldon Souray.  The Wings outshot the Ducks 15-9 while the Ducks were 1-1 with the man advantage while detroit was 0-1 even though the had a long powerplay after Daniel Winnik was giving a major for boarding.
      The third period was scoreless with Anaheim getting five shots for a three period total of 33 and Detroit getting six for a total of 29 shots.  There were two penalties in the period with Brendan Smith and Matt Beleskey both going off for roughing at 16:53.
      The overtime did not last long with Nick Bonino scoring his third of the series assisted by Ben Lovejoy at 1:54 into the overtime period.  The Duck outshot the Wings for the game 34-31 while both teams were 1-3 on the powerplay.
      The series now shifts back to Detroit for Game Six on Friday, time to be announced, where Anaheim will try to close out the series with a victory.  If Detroit can come up victorious on Friday then the series will return to Anaheim for Game Seven on Sunday, time TBA.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks Game 3 Recap

      Game three between the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks took place Saturday night at the Joe Louis Area in Detroit, both team were looking to take a two games to one lead in the best of seven first round series.  At the end of the game it was the Ducks that had the led and the Red Wings and their fans who were fuming.  The Ducks had a 4-0 victory and one the Wings top three forwards had been kicked out of the game and would be facing suspension for a hit in the second period. 
      The first period was scoreless but featured four Anaheim penalties as well as three by Detroit,  with neither team being able to cash in on the powerplay.  The Ducks outshot the Wings 13-7 in the period.  The second period was the period that turned the game in favor of the Ducks.  The game remained scoreless until the 15:11 mark when Justin Abdelkader crushed Toni Lydman coming out of the corner to the left of Jonas Hiller.  Abdelkader was called for a five minute major for charging and was also giving a game misconduct, sending him to the showers early.  The replay that I saw showed that Abdelkader stopped striding before the hit, one of the criteria for charging, it also showed that Abdelkader hit Lydman shoulder to shoulder before sliding up to make contact with the head.  As with any big hit in today's NHL this one will be looked at by League Disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan who could decide to suspend Abdelkader or not, that will be revealed Sunday.  The result of the play was a five minutes powerplay for the Ducks, who would remain on the powerplay no matter how many goals they scored.  It didn't take the Ducks long to cash in with Nick Bonino scoring assisted by Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf  18 seconds after the penalty call.  The Wings were able to settle down and kill of the remaining 4:42 of the penalty which ran into the third period.  That third period was the killer for Detroit with the Ducks scoring three more goals.  The first was a shorthanded unassisted goal scored by Ryan Getzlaf 6:33, into the period, the second goal scored by Emerson Etem assisted by Teemu Selanne coming at 8:04 just 2:10 after the Getzlaf goal and a powerplay goal scored by Matt Beleskey assisted by Saku Koivu and Bobby Ryan at 13:34.  The Ducks outshout the Wings for the game 29-23 and were 2-6 on the powerplay while Detroit was 0-6 with the man advantage. 
      I just found out that Justin Abdelkader will be suspended for two games after the hit on Toni Lydman in the second period of Saturday night's game.  In a video released by Brendan Shanahan regarding the incident he stated "Abdelkader elevates at contact, turning what could have been a hard, full body check into a high, violent check with significant contact to the head that caused an injury,".  Abdelkader will miss game four Monday night in Detroit as well as game five in Anaheim.  I believe this could be a case of Shanahan handing down a punishment that was more sever then normal because he didn't want the Ducks and their fans to scream "bias" because Shanahan was a long time Red Wing player, winning three Stanley Cups with Detroit.  It will be interesting to see what effect this has on the Wings both for the perspective of who will take Abdelkader's place in the lineup and what will it mean to the rest of the team.  Will they just fold and lose the next two game or will they turn this into a rallying point and fight back to make this a series?