Jonas Hiller stopped 45 of 46 shots — thanks to an inadvertent whistle just before Marian Hossa scored the apparent game-tying goal with 1:06 left in the third period.
Ducks 2, Detroit 1.
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Monthly Archives: May 2009
Rafalski to miss Game 3.
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury, and did not practice Monday at Honda Center. Forty-seven year old Chris Chelios will again take Rafalski’s place, despite being a healthy scratch in all three overtimes in Game 2, Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
Ducks 4, Red Wings 3, 3OT.
Todd Marchant cut through the neutral zone, wristed a shot from the top of the left circle, and watched the puck sail over Chris Osgood’s glove 1:15 into the third overtime.
Jonas Hiller finished with 59 saves, and the series shifts back to Anaheim tied 1-1.
Game summary here; event summary here.
Marchant told NBC’s Darren Pang after the game that “guys battled all night. It’s like we said during intermission, it’s going to take one little break somewhere, here or there. Forunately for us it happened early. I saw the defenseman slide over to his right, my left, I slid back the to right side. Fortunately for me (the shot) went in the net.”
Asked about the challenge of playing 101 minutes of hockey, Marchant replied, “we said that our practices are harder than what we have to play right now — Teemu (Selanne) actually said that.”
Ducks 3, Red Wings 3, going to third OT.
Can you say “instant classic”?
All of Southern California owes Jonas Hiller an adult beverage after the Ducks’ goalie stopped an additional 13 shots in the second overtime to preserve the 3-3 tie. Chris Osgood has stopped 13 shots in the two OT periods combined. Both teams are still generating scoring chances; they’re just not pretty at this point.
Also, Ryan Carter (who was a healthy scratch late in the regular season and early in the first-round series against the Sharks) has suddenly been promoted to the first line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Bobby Ryan is now skating with Teemu Selanne and Andrew Ebbett on the second line.
Catch it live on NBC when play resumes, or just wait a couple years and catch the replay on the NHL Network.
Ducks 3, Red Wings 3, going to 2nd OT.
The Ducks survived a two-minute Red Wings power play and Jonas Hiller made 13 saves in the first overtime period.
Ducks 3, Red Wings 3, going to OT.
Flip on to NBC if you’re in front of a TV and watch one of the better spectacles in sports: Overtime playoff hockey.
Rafalski out for Game 2.
Detroit defenseman Brian Rafalski did not skate for a third straight day Saturday and won’t play in Game 2 tomorrow (from http://www.freep.com/)
AP: Brown won’t be suspended.
The Detroit Red Wings have been notified by the NHL that the league won’t suspend Ducks left wing Mike Brown for his hit on Jiri Hudler in the second period of Game 1 on Friday (from http://www.google.com/)
Detroit 3, Ducks 2.
Much like they did against the San Jose Sharks (in basically all six games of the series) the Ducks found themselves in a game that could have gone either way. The difference? Oh, about six inches between the leg pads of Jonas Hiller.
Nick Lidstrom fired a long rebound through the goalie’s 5-hole with 50 seconds left in the third period, and the Red Wings took Game 1, 3-2.
Hiller stopped 34 of 37, Chris Osgood stopped 22 of 24, allowing goals to Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne. Lidstrom and Franzen scored Detroit’s first two goals.
Ducks left wing Mike Brown was ejected early in the first period for a nasty open-ice hit on Jiri Hudler. Given the severity of the hit (which looked a lot like the one that earned Donald Brashear a six-game suspension in the first round), Brown could well be suspended for additional games.
Rafalski out, Chelios in for Game 1
From NHL.com:
Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock announced after Friday morning’s skate that defenseman Brian Rafalski, who finished tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 59 points, will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against theDuckswith an upper-body injury.
Rafalski did not practice with the team Thursday, at which time Babcock told the media that he simply gave the 35-year-old a day off. But when Rafalski missed Friday morning’s skate, Babcock admitted that the club’s No. 2 defenseman will not play. According to Babcock, Rafalski’s status is day-to-day.
With Rafalski out of the lineup, captainNicklas Lidstromwill be paired withJonathan Ericsson.Niklas Kronwallwill skate alongsideBrad StuartandBrett Lebdawill be partnered with 47-year-oldChris Chelios, who will make his 2009 postseason debut.