Strike One: Wings Whiff on First Chance to Eliminate Hawks

Did you get to watch Game 5? If you didn't, don't worry. You didn't miss much.

Detroit entered the United Centre with their first of three chances to end the Chicago Blackhawks' season yesterday evening.  They had spoken to the media prior to the game and admitted that the toughest game of any series to win is the fourth and final victory.  The Red Wings knew they had to stay on top of their game and play as well as they had over the previous three games.

They KNEW it, but they certainly didn't execute it.  The Wings were slow out of the gate, and flat from then on as Chicago dictated the play all night long.  Eventually the Blackhawks just wore down the Wings and before we knew it, we were staring at a 4-1 deficit that was not to be overcome, bringing the series lead for Detroit down to 3-2.

I was watching the CBC feed, so I don't know if it felt this way to anyone watching the NBC broadcast, but to me it felt like our bottom two lines completely vanished in this game.  The line of Brunner, Nyquist and Andersson faded into complete obscurity after the 1st period and the fourth line was scarcely any better, leaving Chicago with only two of our lines to really focus on shutting down.  Pavel Datsyuk, though a magician he is, was smothered the entire game.  Even still, he did get off a shot that rang the post behind Corey Crawford, but that was the closest he would get to the back of the net.

Jimmy Howard was good.  Some would argue a goal or two against that could be called soft, but he once again made critical saves to keep his team in it as long as he could, but when you're basically on your own, watching your teammates chasing the puck with no real sense of urgency, you know you're in for a long night.  In contrast to the many one-and-dones the Red Wings got out of their offense, Chicago maintained puck possession and were so deeply entrenched in our zone they may as well have set up tents.  This loss was not on Howard, it was on the entire group of skaters who didn't skate--they literally watched Chicago win this game.

Overall, it was just a terrible effort from a team that could use the luxury of ending the series early and getting a little rest.  The only good thing to come out of this loss is that, should Detroit advance, it potentially postpones the Conference finals for an extra couple days, giving injured defenseman Danny DeKeyser more time to heal and possibly make it back into the lineup, something Detroit would desperately love to see happen.

Game 6 is tomorrow night at 8 PM Eastern.  The Wings will need to learn from their mistakes in Game 5 and come out with a much smarter and more organized game if they want to close this series out at home and advance to the Conference finals.

Wings Shut Down Hawks, Push Chicago to the Brink

Go back in time to before the 2nd round started.  Ask any fan on either side of the fanbase what the series score would be after Game 4.  I guarantee you not a single soul would answer you, "3-1 Detroit".  Not even the slappiest of Wingnuts--including myself--would have dared to say it.  You might have gotten a 2-2 tie from a few, but that'd be the line in the sand.  Anything more pro-Red Wings would have been seen as sheer lunacy.

Well, call me crazy folks because here we are, reveling in a 2-0 shutout victory over Chicago, and standing just one win away from moving on to the Western Conference Final.

Detroit got the pleasure of scoring the first playoff powerplay goal the Hawks have given up in the last...well, forever, as Jakub Kindl opened the scoring, while Danny Cleary buried the empty-netter late to finish off the Blackhawks for the third consecutive game--this was also the first time that Chicago had allowed that particular lowlight all year!  Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard made 28 saves in the win, many of them critical and monstrously huge.

Chicago looked like their frustration had carried over from the previous game, especially with Hawks captain Jonathan Toews.  The Chicago leader was out of sorts all night long, his worst moments coming when he managed to get himself put in the penalty box three times in a row!  When your own captain is getting so pissed he can't stop taking penalties, you know you've lost your composure.  To their credit, the Hawks had a lot of very good chances, but Howard was far too tall to the task for Chicago to break through.

So, how did the Wings do it? To me, it looked like no more than a good old-fashioned grit-fest. The Wings put their heads down and barreled forward on the offense, and when Chicago came rushing back, the heads came up and saw the ice very very well.  I know I said the Hawks got great chances, and they did, but there were numerous chances that would have been even more juicy if not for excellent backchecks and defensive plays from the D-men.  If we can get that kind of effort from the Wings on Saturday, we could be looking at a triumphant end to one of Detroit's most hated division rivalries.

We will have to wait and see what transpires in the Madhouse in what will likely be the most intense game yet in this series.

Be sure to watch for us on Facebook, and find all of us on Twitter as we rant away the hours between now and gametime!

Let's Go Red Wings!!

Game 2 Intensity Carries Over, Wings Win Game 3

When all is said and done, this series will have been one thing above all others: Electrifying.

Detroit hosted the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time in the 2nd Round of the 2013 Stanley Cup conference semi-finals, and the question in everyone's mind had to be: Will the Red Wings come out with the same energy and dominance they displayed in the previous game in the United Centre?  The answer turned out to be a resounding 'yes', as the Wings battled more fiercely--and more physically--than they ever have this year, securing a 3-1 win to go up in the series 2-1 over the Hawks.

Detroit opened their scoring on an absolutely sick display from Gustav Nyquist, who made a great power move into the middle of the ice around the Hawks defender, got Chicago goalie Corey Crawford down to the ice, outwaited him, and whipped the puck past for the 1-0 lead.

Not even a minute later, Detroit would capitalize on a Blackhawks turnover that had Cory Emmerton feeding Patrick Eaves in the middle. Eaves's shot was stopped by Crawford, but Drew Miller rushed the crease and banged the puck home to extend the lead to 2-0!

The Hawks would have a chance to respond, after a non-call on a hit from behind on Johan Franzen, Patrick Kane got in alone on Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard and banked his chance to cut the lead to 2-1.  Not long after, it appeared that Chicago may have tied the game on a chance in the crease, but the play was blown down and no-goal ruled due to goaltender interference.

The Wings would answer back after didging the bullet, as Pavel Datsyuk, in almost a mirror image of his goal against the Ducks, ripped a disgusting wrist shot from the left wing clean over Crawford's right side and into the back of the net to go up 3-1.  From there, the Red Wings would clamp down and claim the W.

Detroit did it all tonight.  Shots on goal? Yep, the Wings had 30 in total, which is my magic number for playoff hockey.  If you're not getting at least around 30 shots in a game, you're not trying hard enough.  Hits? You bet, this was the hardest I've seen the Red Wings play a team as a group in a LONG time!  Even the little guys like Damien Brunner were laying some hits here and there, it was glorious!  By playing a more physical game, you pound the message home that we will not give anything up easy, and that is exactly how Detroit played.  Jimmy Howard was solid once again, keeping the Wings in the game all night long, offense cropped up from all different lines, and Detroit played close to a full 60-minute game, at least enough to secure the victory.

One thing I cannot let go, however, is the officiating.  Make what you will of the disallowed Hawks goal, I could've gone either way on it due to the wording of the rules, but the entire game was a mockery, a comedy of errors.  Calls that should not have been along with calls that SHOULD have been are were not.  I say this for both sides, by the way, because both teams were guilty and/or innocent in certain instances where the complete opposite call was made or not made.  The league should be ashamed of itself to let games be officiated to this low level of quality and make no strides to improve it.  The greatest example of this is certainly the boarding of Johan Franzen that was not called and led to Patrick Kane's goal.  Boarding or hitting from behind, you can take your pick, but that was penalty and it is ridiculous that an act that violent goes unpunished, let alone leads to a goal against for the team who could have easily lost a player for at least the rest of the game.

Regardless, the Red Wings got it done and stuck it to Chicago, giving them a chance to apply some serious pressure in Game 4.  If the Wings can take it one game at a time and come out with the same intensity and energy they displayed tonight, they can certainly give the Hawks something to be concerned about.

For now it's time to rest for the Wings, with the next game coming up on Thursday.  We'll see if the Wings can keep the momentum on their side as the playoffs roll on!

Let's Go Red Wings!!

Detroit Drops Game 1 After 3rd Period Collapse

The Wings opened their 2nd round series VS the Chicago Blackhawks last night and for 40 minutes looked to be completely capable of hanging with their opponents.  Then the 3rd period happened and the Red Wings were nowhere to be found.

After a complete and utter meltdown, goaltender Jimmy Howard was left fending for himself against the rest of the Chicago onslaught as his teammates seemed to suddenly forget how to play hockey, and the score went from an entertaining 1-1 tie heading into the 3rd into what appeared to be a 4-1 rout.

Damien Brunner scored the lone Detroit goal, answering back shortly after a Marion Hossa PPG that opened the night's scoring.  The Wings did have one consistent problem, however, that lasted throughout the game: Shots on goal.  Detroit was outshot in the game 42-21.  I'll give you a moment to let that sink in...we were doubled in shots on net. Doubled. We barely got over 20 shots for the whole damn game.

I certainly hope the Wings aren't wondering as to WHY they lost...

There was much to take from this game and learn from, and it will now be up to the Red Wings to do just that, as they have until Saturday to get their collective shit together.  You cannot play 2/3 of a playoff game and expect to skate away with the W.  It's 60 minutes or bust, or more if need be! You play until that win is secured, and if it isn't yet, you play harder!!  Hopefully the extra rest gives Detroit some time to get their energy back, because they'll need a lot more of it than what they showed near the end of last night's game...