Games
Detroit Red Wings 2 - Tampa Bay Lightning 3
Game One started off with Detroit in control, but Ben Bishop made sure nothing got by him. Tampa Bay would be the one who would strike first. Nikita Kucherov wasted no time in one-timing a pass from Tyler Johnson into the back of the net, making it 1-0 for the Lightning. Tampa Bay kept the pressure for a bit, but could not extend their lead. Detroit got the first powerplay of the game midway through, as Andrej Sustr was sent to the box for tripping. That powerplay was short-lived, as Niklas Kronwall took a penalty of his own. Not much happened with the opened-up ice, as both teams eventually went back to 5-on-5. Play was pretty even the rest of the period. The end didn't go uneventfully, as Danny DeKeyser of Detroit (high-sticking) and Brian Boyle of Tampa Bay (charging) received penalties 10 seconds apart. Tampa Bay went into the first intermission up 1-0. The second period started off 4-on-4, but again both teams didn't much to show for it. Once it was in 5-on-5, Detroit turned it up. First, a won draw in the offense zone lead to Mike Green beating Bishop with a point shot. Minutes later, Justin Abdelkader deflected Kyle Quincey's point shot into the back of the net, putting Detroit in the lead. The Lightning tried to push back, but got derailed as Jonathan Drouin was penalized for roughing. The penalty would be killed though, and Tampa Bay continued to look for an equalizer. They got it a moments after the penalty, as Nikita Kucherov whacked in a rebound to tie the game. Things started heating up shortly after that. Alex Killorn up-ended Tomas Tater after the whistle, creating a line scrum (not enough to be an actual line brawl, but everyone was paired up). Six roughing minors were handed out (three for each) and play would resume. Minutes later, Detroit would go on the powerplay, thanks to Jason Garrison hooking Andreas Anthanasiou. Detroit fired away, but did not get much through, and what they did was stopped by Bishop. Tampa Bay then got a powerplay themselves after killing their own penalty. The Lightning didn't do much on that powerplay either. The period would end as both teams were tied 2-2. The third period looked to be going against Drouin. First, he was called for a cross check on Anthanasiou, which the Lightning killed off. Tampa Bay looked to have scored seven minutes into the period, as Victor Hedman one-timed a shot past Howard. However, a coach's challenge showed that Drouin was offside by a bit, resulting in the goal being called back. The Lightning rectified that minutes later, as Alex Killorn redirected Johnson's shot into the Red Wing net. Tampa Bay continued to control play, but could not find the back of the net again (even with a powerplay). Detroit pressured at the end, trying to tie the game. It was all for naught, as Tampa Bay hung on to win the game. Tampa Bay's 3-2 win gave them a 1-0 series lead.
Detroit Red Wings 2 - Tampa Bay Lightning 5
Detroit caught a break early in this game, as Alex Killorn was called for holding (there is an argument that Jonathan Ericsson of the Red Wings should have went for holding as well). The Red Wings didn't do much with the powerplay, as most of there passes back to the point missed their mark, causing them to regroup. Tampa Bay got a good chance minutes later thanks to a turnover, but Ondrej Palat could not get his stick on the puck during the return pass. Lightning would get a powerplay of their own midway through the period. Kyle Quincey was called for roughing, a penalty that saw a scrum ensue once the whistle blew. Even though they didn't score on the powerplay, Tampa Bay continued to put on the pressure. That resulted in another powerplay for them, with Gustav Nyquist getting called for slashing. That lasted 27 seconds, as Abdelkader got called for tripping, making it a two-man advantage for the Lighting. They made good on this opportunity, as Kucherov blasted a one-timer into the back of the net, making it 1-0 Lightning. Tampa Bay tried, but could not add to their lead during the remaining powerplay time. Detroit made a bit of a push to tie the game late in the period but to no avail. The Lightning were up 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. This time, the Lightning were the beneficiaries to an early period penalty. Dylan Larkin got called for hooking, putting Tampa Bay on the powerplay for the four time in the game. It might have been a good thing for the Red Wings, as moments after Larkin's penalty was over, he collected a loose puck and wrist it past Bishop to tie the game. Tampa Bay didn't deter though, and looked to regain the lead. That happened just over three minutes later, starting with a 3-on-2 rush. Drouin passed to a trailing Boyle, who proceeded to snap the puck past Howard. The tempo started to pick up, with the Lightning still in control for the most part. Midway through the period, Pavel Datsyuk got called for roughing on Victor Hedman. The penalty was served by Tomas Tater, as Datsyuk went to the dressing room to get stitched up (which created a moment of levity, as the trainer and Zetterberg went out to find Datsyuk's missing tooth). Late in the powerplay, a hit by DeKeyser on Palat sparked another scrum. Riley Shehan (Red Wings) and Drouin (Lighting) got offsetting minors, while Hedman was pegged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Not much happened on the Red Wings powerplay. It wasn't long for Hedman to be heading back to the box, as he was called for hooking seconds after getting out of the box. Once again, Detroit's powerplay was relatively quiet. The Red Wings did end up with one more powerplay in the period, and this time they got something going. It wasn't enough though, as Tampa Bay killed off their third straight penalty. The Lightning lead 2-1 after two period of play. Another period, another early penalty. This time Nikita Nesterov was called for hooking. Finally, Detroit broke through on the powerplay, as Brad Richards snapped one past a screened Bishop. The game stayed tied for all of two minutes. Killorn pulled Howard way out of position, then found Johnson in front, who had no problem tucking the puck into the wide open net. Tampa Bay found themselves back on the powerplay soon after the goal, but failed to capitalize on it. Detroit pushed for the tying goal, but could not find it. Johnson scored his second of the game, one-timing a pass from Kucherov past Howard. The Red Wings went for the early goalie pull, but all it did was give the Lightning an empty net goal. The game didn't end quietly though. A battle in front of the Tampa Bay net quickly escalated into a dog pile. Everyone (sans goalies) on the ice received a penalty of some kind, highlighted by Abdelkader's game misconduct. Penalties were eventually sorted out and the game eventually ended. Tampa Bay won 5-2 to take a 2-0 series lead.
Tampa Bay Lightning 0 - Detroit Red Wings 2
A goalie change was needed for Detroit, as Petr Mrazek took over for Howard. The Red Wings played physical at the beginning, laying a few bit hits (Brendan Smith on Cedric Paquette being the highlight of them). The ice opened up a bit, as Braydon Coburn and Darren Helm received minor penalties. Play was back-and-forth for a while, as both teams looked for the first goal of the game. Detroit eventually took control, resulting in a couple of powerplays. Tripping calls for Johnson and Palat a minute apart gave Detroit a two-man advantage. They had multiple shots, but were stopped by Bishop. Detroit pressured right up to the buzzer, but could not find the back of the net. The game remained 0-0 after 20 minutes. The Red Wings picked up where they left off, controlling the play early on. Tampa Bay got a great chance, as Mrazek was turned around after appoint shot went wide. Erik Condra could not get enough on the attempt though, as the puck slid across the crease, missing the net. Tampa Bay once again got into some penalty trouble, starting with Sustr for hooking. Tampa Bay did get a good shorthanded chance, but was saved by Mrazek. Seconds after Sustr's penalty ended, Hedman's penalty for slashing started. Once again, the Red Wings could not convert on the man advantage. A goal would be scored in the period. Anthanasiou wired one past Bishop, giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead. A second goal was scored five minutes later, as the puck bounced off Zetterberg's skate and into the net to extend Detroit's lead. The goal was reviewed, but it was determined that the puck was not kicked in by Zetterberg. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper then tried a coach's challenge for goaltending interference, but it was unsuccessful in overturning the goal. Zetterberg's celebration didn't last too long, as he got called for interference a minute later. Tampa Bay could not get anything going on the powerplay. The second period ended with Detroit up 2-0. The Lightning continued with the powerplay in the third, but it was killed by the Red Wings. It got heated early in the period, as Kucherov and Helm shoved each other while going for a line change. Both received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, making it 4-on-4 for two minutes. The intensity again picked up after the whistle, but the refs got it settled before anything really started. A bit later, Kronwall received a holding penalty, giving the Lightning a 4-on-3. That didn't last too long, as it went to being a 5-on-4 powerplay, then 4-on-4 since Johnson was called for hooking. The Red Wings got another powerplay after Johnson's was done, as Killorn was called for tripping. The Lightning would kill that penalty as well. Detroit were still buzzing, but nothing came from their chances. Datsyuk got a penalty later on in the period, but Tampa Bay didn't do much with it. They decided to pull the goalie early, hoping to get something going and break the shutout, but all that did was lead to Coburn getting a penalty. That all but sealed the Lightning's hopes of a comeback. Just liked last game, it was chippy at the end. A couple of hits for both teams accumulated in an end-of-game line brawl. It was highlighted by Boyle going after Abdelkader, then taunting him after he refused to drop his gloves.
Tampa Bay Lightning 3 - Detroit Red Wings 2
Tampa Bay came out firing, but it did not yield any goals. They did get the first powerplay of the game minutes later though, as Abdelkader was called for holding. It did not take long for the Lightning to take advantage of this opportunity. Nine seconds into the powerplay, Johnson fed Kucherov a pass, which he one-timed past Mrazek to make it 1-0 for Tampa Bay. The Lighting pressured midway through the period, getting multiple chances but unable to convert on any. Tampa Bay got another powerplay later on in the period, when Kronwall was called for hooking Palat. Detroit would kill that penalty, then get a powerplay of their own. Seconds after Kronwall stepped out of the box, Paquette was called for slashing. The Red Wings got a few shots, but none that found the back of the net. Johnson received a penalty for flipping the puck over the glass, putting the Red Wings back on the powerplay. The Red Wings could not convert in the remaining time in the period, as the Lightning headed into the intermission up 1-0. Starting the second period on the powerplay, Detroit still wasn't able to score and tie the game. Because it was a game in this series, tempers started to flair. An after-the-whistle hit by Paquette on Green started a scrum. Paquette was penalized, but so was Andersson, resulting in 4-on-4 for two minutes. Tampa Bay picked up their play later on the open ice, and kept it up after the penalties expired. This resulted in Detroit taking another penalty, this time Riley Sheahan was called for slashing. After a bit of fancy puck movement, the Lightning would score. Kucherov got a return pass from Drouin and again beat Mrazek with a one-timer. Minutes later, Paquette found himself back in the penalty box, this time for tripping. Detroit did not capitalize on the powerplay, but did score seconds after it expired. Luke Glendening's backhander from a sharp angle hit the back of the net, but he managed to bat the floating puck over to Helm, who tucked it home. Detroit's momentum stopped when Nyquist was called for goaltender interference (even though Bishop clearly embellished the contact). Detroit killed off the penalty, then struck before the end of the period. Kronwall passed to an open Nyquist in front of the net, who beat Bishop with a one-timer. The second period ended with the game tied 2-2. It took a while for any team to establish something in the third period. Detroit eventually establish control, and was rewarded for it, as Jason Garrison headed to the box for hooking. It looked like Detroit scored when Larkin lifted a backhand past Bishop, but upon replay it hit the far post. The penalty expired, and the game went back to even strength. Minutes later, Ericsson was called for cross checking, putting the Lightning on the powerplay late in the game. It was just what they needed, as Palat redirected Drouin's pass into the net, putting the Lightning up 3-2. The Red Wings pushed for an equalizer, but ran out of time. Tampa Bay won 3-2, giving them a 3-1 series lead and putting them to within a game of advancing.
Detroit Red Wings 0 - Tampa Bay Lightning 1
The game took a couple minutes to get going. It picked up for Detroit, as they got a powerplay after a bad line change caused Tampa Bay to get a too many men call. While killing that penalty, Garrison got called for cross checking. A 5-on-3 seemed like the right time for the Red Wings to get their powerplay working. It would not be the case, as the powerplay expired with little to show from the Red Wings. The Lightning got a powerplay of their own midway through the period when Nyquist was called for slashing. Tampa Bay got a few shots, but not much else, as the game stayed scoreless. Late in the period, the Lightning got another powerplay, as Kronwall headed to the box for holding. They got one shot in before time in the period expired. The first period ended with both teams unable to find the back of the net. Tampa Bay failed to get anything going for the rest of the man advantage. Minutes later, Larkin cgot called for tripping, putting Detorit down a man again. Despite this, they ended up getting more shots than Tampa Bay. Sheahan got a shorthanded breakaway, but was stopped by Bishop. Helm also got a shot, but it was stopped as well. Detroit kept up the pressure after killing the penalty, but failed to score. Tampa Bay got another powerplay opportunity midway through the second, but again could not get anything going. The Red Wings went back to being in control after killing another penalty, highlighted by Helm's breakaway attempt (which was stopped). Detroit did catch a break, as Hedman was called for holding Zetterberg. The Red Wings got a couple shots, but once again their powerplay could not get on the on the scoreboard. Both teams had moments of pressure, but could not break the deadlock. The second period ended just like the first, tied 0-0. Both teams had chances in the third, as they looked to break the deadlock. It finally happened very late in the third. Ryan Callahan threw the puck out front, where Killorn was right there to redirect the puck into the net. Tampa Bay just needed to hold on for 1:43, a task which was made harder with Garrison getting a cross checking penalty. Detroit had the net pulled for the extra attacker, but even with two extra players, could not tie the game. Bishop stopped 34 shots, as Tampa Bay won 1-0. With the win, Tampa Bay wins the series 4-1.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- For a team that seems level-headed and doesn't fight much, it was nice to see the Red Wings mix it up. Even Zetterberg got in on the action.
- Speaking of Zetterberg, if this is true, then there are a lot of questions the Red Wings will need to answer this offseason.
- Props to the game ops guy in Detroit for playing "Let It Be" during Zetterberg's goal review in Game Three.
This might have been the last of Datsyuk in the NHL.
Highlight of the Series
The brawl from Game 2. The highlight is Abdelkader going at Blunden, but an underrated part is Larkin going into the pile to pull a player off a teammate, with Callahan jumping in after Larkin.
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