The Red Wings finally figured out how to stop the quick back-to-back goal problem ... apparently the game plan is to just not give up the first one! Friday night and this afternoon Detroit did a great job limiting Nashville to almost no opportunities, outshot them 95-41, and managed to make a couple of breaks work for them to finish the series.
Let's hope that the 100-foot goal that Lidstrom bounced in a sign of things to come. When Detroit won the cup in '97, he scored a 70-footer against Hextall and when they brought Stanley home in '02 he scored a 90-footer against Cloutier. Both of those goals turned momentum Detroit's way and that winner today just might turn the tides for the Red Wings again.
The other thing that was most impressive was the play of Detroit's third and fourth lines. Cleary, Helm, Drake, and McCarty all stood out to me for their efforts this afternoon and they're starting to earn extra ice time from Babcock. Giving Detroit a few extra good shifts is going to take the load off of Pavel and Hank a little bit and give them a little more jump if Detroit goes four rounds.
Now ... I'm off to watch SJ-Calgary to find out who Detroit might be playing on Thursday. On to round two! This should be fun.
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