CHI - DET Game 2 Recap

photo credit: Julian H. Gonzalez, Detroit Free Press

(2) RED WINGS 3 – (4) BLACKHAWKS 2 OT

DET leads series, 2-0

by Andrew Bogusch

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals was much more competitive than Sunday afternoon’s opener, but the end result was the same – the veteran Red Wings dismissing the young Blackhawks.

Mikael Samuelsson scored 5:14 into overtime on a perfectly executed 3-on-1 rush to give Detroit a two-games-to-none lead as the series shifts to Chicago for Game 3 Friday night. Chris Osgood outdueled Nikolai Khabibulin with 37 saves, including one on Cam Barker seconds before Samuelsson’s game-winner.

This was a game that Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock feels lucky to have won: “I don’t think we had any legs or any pop whatsoever. I thought we had good will and good determination, but no legs.”

This was Detroit’s fourth game in a week. It was Chicago’s best effort of the series, which is why Joel Quenneville called it a brutal loss.

“We want to beat them one game, the next one, and that’s our concern,” he said postgame. “We should be excited about being back in the United Center to recapture some excitement and enthusiasm.”

After Barker’s wristshot and the ensuing scramble in front of Osgood, the puck wound up with Brian Campbell at the right point. Samuelsson put his stick in the way of Campbell’s cross-ice pass and then sent Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula up the ice. Hudler carried the puck across the Chicago blueline and then fed Filppula coming down the right side. He delayed slightly before leaving the puck for Samuelsson to one-time it past a helpless Khabibulin.

Brian Rafalski and Dan Cleary beat Khabibulin in regulation. The goals came between tallies from Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks led 1-0 for the second straight game after Toews’ passed deflected in off a Red Wing skate at 12:49 of the opening period. Four minutes later, Rafalski scored on the man-advantage to even the score.

Cleary scored for the second straight game on an unassisted breakaway late in the second period, only to see Toews set-up overtime at 12:20 of the final period.

The Red Wings kept Patrick Kane off the score sheet again, but like Toews, Kane was much more effective Tuesday night. Chicago needs more, though, from its young guns to prevent a short series. Yes, Detroit has only retained home court advantage, but Chicago now has almost no margin for error in this two-game hole.

Odds & Ends…The Red Wings have allowed a power play goal in a franchise-record 11 straight games. It is the longest such streak in the NHL since Chicago in 1989…Detroit is 7-1 at Joe Louis Arena in these playoffs, with that only loss coming in triple overtime.