Detroit Red Wings

Zetterberg set up goals by Brendan Smith and Valtteri Filppula and was solid defensively in the kind of performance teammates are accustomed to seeing this time of year.

The Wings had a much better showing in game 2 of their series than they did in game 1. Hell, they had a better showing against the Blackhawks than they've probably had in two years. Detroit moved the puck much better and was able to avoid making as many turnover mistakes. Detroit's power play went 0-for-4 today and extended Chicago's penalty kill streak to something dumb. Fortunately, they also held Chicago's power play scoreless on two attempts. Shots in this one were 30 to 20 in favor of the Wings. CSSI Methodology Explanation here Goalie Ratings Jimmy Howard wasn't tested as much as Corey Crawford, but the difference in this one wasn't as severe as it was in game 1. Howard will win the head-to-head. I'm going to give Howard a +2 overall. He had to make three fairly sizable saves in this game at times when the game was still on the brink. The timeliness of these stops made a big difference, I feel. The Goals 1st Period 14:05 - Chicago Goal: Patrick Kane (wrist shot) from Michal Handzus and Patrick SharpThe Hawks get on the board first in what is basically a 3-on-1 rush after Patrick Shark lifts Brendan Smith's puck outside the Hawks' blue line to create an odd-man. Sharp's pass gets blocked but goes right to Handzus, who finds Kane on the back door for the put-away. Smith letting Sharp behind him is a fairly cardinal mistake which will earn him a minus and a half. Cleary plays the backcheck completely wrong and will get an extra minus for not having Handzus. Zetterberg and Filppula will be cleared of minuses. Quincey will keep his minus as the unlucky recipient of being put in a bad situation that he doesn't superman his way out of. 2nd Period 02:40 - Detroit Goal: Damien Brunner (tip-in) from Jakub Kindl and Joakim AnderssonThe Wings pull even on some great play by the third line. After they do some good work supporting one another to get out of their own zone, the Wings move the puck up ice and move the puck around the perimeter until Kindl gets a chance to chuck the puck towards the traffic collected in front of Crawford. Brunner gets the tip on its way in and it gets into the net. Nyquist will get the third assist on this play and Brunner a self-assist. They work the puck up ice and then help recover the puck. I'm also going to give Nyquist and Brunner bonus pluses, as well as one for Andersson for smart defensive positioning transitioning to great forechecking. 2nd Period 16:08 - Detroit Goal: Brendan Smith (wrist shot) from Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel ClearyThe Wings get another in the 2nd period on a great forecheck by Zetterberg which creates a low odd-man when he embarrasses Hjalmarsson. Z finds Smith on the back door and the D-man finishes it. The play by Z here is fantastic stick positioning on a guy who is forced into a tough position on the puck. Z will get a bonus assist on this play as well as a bonus plus-and-a-half. The extra is because Z is the reason the Hawks lose possession on a transition attempt prior to the Wings resetting and creating this play. Filppula also helps in this regard and will get a bonus plus. I'm also going to give Flip an assist here as he's the reason Hjalmarsson struggles. The dump from Cleary up the boards is tipped past Chicago's D-man with a perfect amount of touch. Hjalmarrson has to respect that Flip can get the pass and move in so he can't back off too far. If the tip is too strong past him, Zetterberg gets angled off. I also like Filppula driving the front of the net to pull Keith away. Smith will get a half-plus here for a quick decision to jump up on the play since he has Cleary covering behind him. 3rd Period 07:18 - Detroit Goal: Johan Franzen (wrist shot) from Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas KronwallPlayoff mule shows up and Ericsson hits him in transition for a snipe shot top corner from the circle. The vision and patience by Ericsson (yep... I just said that) is pretty fantastic here. Riggy's going to get a bonus plus for the tape-to-tape spring pass. Datsyuk wil

Smith atoned for a poor performance in Game 1 as well as a defensive mistake in Game 2 that led to Chicago's first goal by scoring the game-winner to help tie the series 1-1 heading to Game 3 Monday in Detroit.

CHICAGO – The Detroit Red Wings wanted to play a better game than the performance they turned in Game 1 against the Chicago Blackhawks. They did just that Saturday afternoon at the United Center and now head back to Detroit with the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series with Chicago all tied up 1-1. “They were a lot better than us (in Game 1) and skated a lot more and I think we just wanted to prove for ourselves that we could play a better game and we did,” said Henrik Zetterberg after the Wings’ 4-1. “When you start on the road you have as a goal to get one and we did that. We just have to move on and look forward to next game at the Joe. The fans were going to be great for us as it was in the first series. We’re looking forward to seeing them Monday.” Game 3 is Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena. “The biggest thing is we played for 60 minutes,” Jonathan Ericsson said. “We played for 20 minutes last game, (Jimmy Howard) saved us for a little while, but he can’t stand on his head the whole game. We know we’re going to give up some time in our zone, but we have to keep them on the outside and not in front of the net and that was the biggest thing that helped us today.” Damien Brunner, Brendan Smith, Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula all scored for Detroit, while Howard needed to make just 19 saves. Patrick Kane got Chicago’s goal and Corey Crawford stopped 26 shots. “We wanted to skate,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “We didn’t skate at all (in Game 1). I actually thought we were all right the first period when they didn’t skate the last game. When they started to skate we couldn’t keep up. This was a better game for us, obviously, we gave them less space.” The win snaps an eight-game losing skid to the Blackhawks and now gives the Detroit home-ice advantage in the series. “I don’t know if that makes any difference whatsoever,” Babcock said when asked about home-ice advantage. “They got a real good club. They’ve been good all year. We’ve got a real good club now. We haven’t been good all year. We just got better. So we kept getting better. We’re confident in our group. We think we can be in this series and we’re excited about the opportunity.” Detroit also took Game 2 in its first round matchup with Anaheim before taking the Ducks down in seven. “I think this is our best game of the playoffs,” Howard said. “What better time than to play it today. We needed to get a win here, get a split. The guys definitely responded after Game 1.” Chicago’s only other loss this postseason game on the road in Game 3 in Minnesota. “We went through lot of negative clips, but not in a negative way,” Babcock said. “We were just showing them we didn’t do what we do, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do, how can you be any good? I thought the guys responded. As soon as they saw it, they knew and they knew how we could be better.” Chicago opened the scoring late in the first period, taking advantage of a blunder by Smith just outside the Blackhawks’ blue line. Smith decided not to pinch and then had his stick lifted by Patrick Sharp which led to a 2-on-1 going the other way. Kyle Quincey slid along ice to break up the pass from Sharp, but the rebound went to Michal Handzus and he fed it quickly to Kane for his first goal of the playoffs. “I wouldn’t say it’s a wake-up call,” Jonathan Toews said. “I think we know exactly what we need to improve on and do it right away. There’s no time to waste in the series and we know going into their building it’s going to be even more difficult than it was today. So, turn the page and make sure we’re better in Game 3.” The Wings got the equalizer after some great work by the third line less than three minutes into the second period. Jakub Kindl softly flung a puck on goal that deflected off Brunner’s stick as he skated through the slot to beat an unsuspecting Crawford. “We’re in the series now,” said Brunner after his fourth g

CHICAGO — The Wings finally held a team down in the third period after taking a two-goal lead into the third period of Game 2. “I think we kept playing,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “We didn’t sit back, we wanted to go for the next goal and it was nice to see when (Valtteri Filppula) got that fourth one. We kind of finished the game.” Johan Franzen and Filppula each scored in the third. “We just kept doing what we do in the first two periods and we had good success,” Damien Brunner said. The Wings had been outscored 15-5 in the third period heading into Game 2.

CHICAGO – Drew Miller returned from a broken finger he suffered on April 20 and felt OK after the game. “When you come back you try to be ready to go, I skated a lot and my hand felt fine,” Miller said “I had no issues with it the whole game. We go from here. First period there were a couple of shifts that I had to get the feel back of just getting back in the game. As the game went on I felt better.” Miller did take a crushing blow near the end of the third period by Brent Seabrook. “When I was getting the puck out and I think that was the biggest test for my hand,” Miller said. “He hit me on that hand side. I was fine. I made the play and didn’t have any problem with it.”

CHICAGO – Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg didn’t hold back when asked about teammate Brendan Smith. “He creates a lot of stuff, sometimes for both teams,” Zetterberg said with a slight grin Saturday after the Wings’ 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at the United Center. “He’s young, he’s still learning. He learns every game. It’s nice to see he had a bounce back game.” Smith was raked over the coals after the Wings’ 4-1 loss in Game 1, by TV analysts and then on social media. “That’s a fair judgment,” Smith said when told of Zetterberg’s quote. Smith had another gaff Saturday that led to the Blackhawks’ only goal, but then he recovered to net the game winner off a nice feed from Zetterberg. “I just lost the battle with Sharp and he made great play,” Smith said of Chicago’s goal. “I think I just under-estimated his strength and his speed. It’s something that I have to do better. “Actually, at the end of the game I did better and made sure that I was on the defensive side,” Smith said. “You see how quick it can change like that and I how quick they can get a chance like that. It’s just those little things that I have to be working on.” Smith decided not to pinch and then had his stick lifted by Sharp which led to a 2-on-1 going the other way and eventually a goal. “I thought Smith was outstanding,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. Smith trailed the play before jumping in to receive a pass from below the goal line from Zetterberg and he one-timed a shot into the open net. “There wasn’t as much of a back-check and I seemed to have a little more speed than one of the forwards, so I just beat him to the front of the net,” Smith said. “He’s so fantastic with the puck, I think he put it through (Duncan Keith’s) legs and I put it into the open net. It was kind of a gimme for myself. Just being in the right place at the right time, so it’s kind of like a Damien Brunner goal.” Defense partner Kyle Quincey keeps telling Smith to keep doing what he’s doing and continue to have a short memory. “He’s a very emotional guy and I try to tell him, good or bad, it’s a job that we have,” Quincey said. “We get paid to play a game and it’s a game of mistakes and whoever makes the fewest wins. When you score everything is good, but every shift is the exact same. Overtime is the exact thing as the first period. Just keep going. We had a few bad bounces against us. I really didn’t hear what grief he took, but that’s the rumor. It’s good to see him respond. It was a tough one on the first goal but it was good to see him bounce back there. “It’s taken me a long time to kind of let it roll off my back and he’ll learn the hard way,” Quincey added. “I’ve been there done it. It’s fun to watch him get better and better after every game. I just try to tell him that it’s just a game.” Smith, who didn’t score a goal in the regular season, saw just over 16 minutes of ice time, registered three shots and blocked two shots. “It’s huge for me confidence and just for our team because it was such a big game,” Smith said. “I had some things to work on from last game and there are still a lot of things that I have to work on. But hockey is a weird game and sometimes the bounces go your way.” Late in the regular season Smith found himself a healthy scratch for two straight games after his coach wanted him to look after the puck better. Prior to his benching he had gone five consecutive games by registering a minus-1 rating. “Coach will tell you how it is,” Smith said. “If you don’t play very well, he’ll tell you. I think we both kind of went over things and we didn’t think all the criticism I got wasn’t as bad as people were saying. If I did a much worse game, he would have told me and would have been honest.” Smith was called on to play a huge role this season after the Wings lost Nicklas Lidstrom (retirement) and Brad Stuart (trade).

One of us will be on the glass behind Jimmy for the 1st and 3rd at game 3 (OK, it's me, but I didn't want to rub that part in). I've never been down there at The Joe and I want to make it count. So I need your best ideas for signs, gestures, etc. to show or p press to the glass whenever the action is down below that goal line, please. Anything funny and feasible will be considered. Also, does anybody know the JLA policy on signs? Several of my ideas call for cardboard or foamboard work. Will I need to sneak those in? One of us will be on the glass behind Jimmy for the 1st and 3rd at game 3 (OK, it's me, but I didn't want to rub that part in). I've never been down there at The Joe and I want to make it count. So I need your best ideas for signs, gestures, etc. to show or p press to the glass whenever the action is down below that goal line, please. Anything funny and feasible will be considered. Also, does anybody know the JLA policy on signs? Several of my ideas call for cardboard or foamboard work. Will I need to sneak those in?

Highlights worth watching.

He's worried! You cut him! You hurt him! You see? You see? He's not a machine, he's a man! - Duke to Rocky in "Rocky IV" That's probably the best way to describe my thoughts after this afternoon's game. It's been a very long time since we've been able to celebrate a Red Wing victory over the Blackhawks, but if there's a good place to start it's in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. After a Game 1 in which the Wings were pushed around by the more talented Hawks, Game 2 saw a complete role reversal as the Wings dominated for the majority of the game. Everything that the Hawks did in Game 1 was negated by the strong play of the Wings. Detroit skated harder, fought for lose pucks more, stayed more patient with the puck in their own zone, and generally out-played Chicago throughout the game. So now it's a best-of-5, but more importantly the Red Wings finally have the proof that they can indeed skate with Chicago and beat them while playing their game. For all the people that said the Wings couldn't hang with the Hawks at all, today was a nice little reminder that the Wings are still a pretty good team. And the ultimate bright side here is that they won't get swept. The first period was a much better start for Detroit, and they had better pace and got shots on Corey Crawford. Unfortunately, Brendan Smith got lost in Patrick Sharp's eyes and allowed an odd-man rush to develop. Kyle Quincey played it perfectly but a bad bounce ended up on Patrick Kane's stick, and as he so often does when something fluky lands on his lap, he scored and scored hard. Is this what it feels like to recap a playoff win? No wonder Tyler keeps doing these. This is better than doing drugs. I had a comment about how Twitter is a terrible place when the Wings are losing but then they won the game so I love all of you and let's never fight again. Do you all remember when Jakub Kindl looked shaky in his own end, couldn't make an outlet pass, and was tentative in the offensive zone? He was pants-soilingly bad at times. Now how do you feel about him? Pretty darn good, right? Apply that same logic to Brendan Smith. I could write an entire blog post about him, but basically it boils down to this: he's played less than a full season of hockey at the NHL level and he's going to make mistakes. But at the end of the day his upside and ceiling are too high and the Wings have invested too much in him to give up on him now. Learn to roll with the mistakes and watch him develop into the player we expect him to become. Related: Brendan Smith has more goals in these playoffs than Patrick Kane. Drew Miller was inserted into the lineup over Todd Bertuzzi, and he was a -1 on the night in Corsi but that's just fine for that line. More importantly he was key on the PK as the Wings killed off both Hawk power plays, especially the one after the Wings had tied the game early in the second. Miller's presence gives the Wings more versatility in the bottom half of the lineup and I hope he keeps his spot. Dan Carcillo is Dave Bolland is Dan Carcillo. I know that Joel Quenneville has a very talented lineup but how he continues to play meatheads who contribute nothing except taking dumb penalties is beyond me. Say what you will about Mike Babcock, but he is constantly tinkering with the lineup to play the guys who deserve to be on the ice. For those keeping score at home, that's the first win in Game 2 of a second round series since 2008 when the Red Wings defeated the Colorado Avalanche. 5 years between victories seems like a long time, but good things come to those who wait. More importantly, it's the first Red Wing victory over the Blackhawks at the United Center since JJ, JJ's sister, chicagowingsfreak, Cptnshnr4 and I graced the UC with our presences last January and Pavel Datsyuk scored in OT. Man that was a fun game. The one thing I was struck by today was how composed the Wings looked defensively. The Hawks only had 20 shots on net, in