happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.The Detroit Red Wings pushed the Dallas Stars to the brink of elimination last night with a 5-2 win last night in Game 3. The Stars played the Wings fairly close until they gave up a shorthanded goal to Henrik Zetterberg early in the third period. Detroit then put on a passing clinic and allowed Dallas just four shots in the final frame.
Zetterberg's goal was a highlight reel tally as the Red Wing forward took the puck nearly coast-to-coast and beat Brad Richards one-on-one before sending a shot past Marty Turco. The goal made it 4-2 Detroit and was a backbreaker for the Stars. They no longer look like giant killers, as evidenced by the poor backchecking effort by Stephane Robidas and Mike Ribeiro on Zetterberg's goal.
Pavel Datsyuk had a big night for Detroit, notching his first career hat trick as he continues to debunk the myth that he does not show up for the playoffs. Jiri Hudler scored the other Detroit goal. Nicklas Grossman and Brad Richards scored for Dallas.
Marty Turco continues to underwhelm in this series, giving up five goals on just 21 shots last night. He has not been sound positionally and may have made a few more saves last night had he been so. His comments about the Wings yesterday were foolish and likely to provoke embarrassment if he does not get his game together for Wednesday night.
His counterpart, Chris Osgood, has been stellar and may be the story of these playoffs.
This series has not been the tightly-contested slugfest it seemed it would be. Dallas has just not been that good. On the other hand, I do not believe the Wings have fully hit their stride in this round yet. They have been playing at a high level, but not their peak. It will be interesting to see if the Wings break out their top game Wednesday night in order to put the Stars to rest with a bang, or if the Stars come out like a team that would rather play hockey instead of golf this time of year.
What Else We're Writing About:
- JP noticed that someone writing for the IIHF really likes Alexander Ovechkin.
- Kevin Schultz has words of wisdom from Brett Hull.
- Be sure to stop by the web homes of Bruce Ciskie, Jes Golbez and James Mirtle today.
- Ron Wilson was fired by San Jose. James Mirtle's thoughts.
- Nashville signed Martin Erat to a seven-year deal. Mirtle and Spector chime in.
- A "verification line" for deciding goals? Something needs to be done.
- Red Wing legend Ted Lindsey gave an emotional testimony before a federal jury looking to bring charges against the dealership that sold the limo that carried Vladimir Konstantinov that fateful night in 1997.
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh leads the series 2-0. It looks like Philly will be without Braydon Coburn.
Gratuitous YouTube Embed: Barry Melrose comments on the game last night ...
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