Minutes before Game 2, we found out that Wings forward Johan Franzen would not be in the lineup due to concussion-like symptoms. Luckily for Detroit, his services weren’t needed in Game 2.
Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg scored first period goals and Chris Osgood turned asided 17 shots to led the Wings to a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Detroit now heads to Dallas for Game 3 on Monday night with a 2-0 series lead.
Franzen was a late abscence from Detroit’s lineup because of concussion-like symptoms. Franzen has been having reoccuring headaches since early on in the Colorado series, and will see a specialist in Detroit on Monday. It’s still unknown exactly what the problem is, but the Wings are taking extra precautions with Franzen, who will miss Game 3 on Monday night as well.
While the Stars didn’t pack their legs and were short on energy in Game 1, Dallas seemed to get their game back in Game 2. The Stars skated better and they weren’t short on scoring chances. Dallas had a 4-on-1 opportunity in which Steve Ott missed the net. Mike Modano failed to hit an open net on a power play. Niklas Hagman failed to get a clean look at the net on a 2-on-1. Stephane Robidas was the only Star to solve Osgood, scoring on a power play that tied the game at 1.
But while the Stars improved drastically in Game 2, the Wings were just a little bit better. The Wings were still skating a bit harder and faster. They revved up the hitting department, led by Daniel Cleary who registered six hits. Dallas Drake highlighted Detroit’s hitting in the first period with a crushing body blow on Robidas. The Stars had no answers on faceoffs for the second game in row, as Detroit won nearly 70 percent of the faceoffs in Game 2.
Game 2 wasn’t without some game-ending fireworks as well, and you can expect the emotions to carry over in Game 3 on Monday night in Dallas. The game ended as Chris Osgood used the butt-end of his goalie stick to take a poke at Dallas’ Mike Ribeiro, in which Ribeiro responded with a two-handed slash across the chest of Osgood. Ribeiro received a match penatly at the end of the game, as tempers flared from both teams at the end of the game. Both Osgood and Ribeiro were fined an undisclosed amount of money on Sunday, as was Stars’ forward Steve Ott.
Dallas’ frustrations clearly showed in the end of Game 2, started by Stars captain Brendan Morrow taking a penalty in the last minute of play when the Stars had the extra attacker and needed to score the tying goal. As Dallas looks to regroup in Game 3, the Stars find themselves down in a series for the first time in the postseason.
The Stars had won both games on the road in their previous series this postseason, against Anaheim and San Jose. Dallas now find themselves in what appears as a must-win situation staring them in the face in Game 3. Marty Turco stopped 32 shots in Game 2, but his efforts weren’t enough. Turco still remains winless in Detroit, his record now at 0-9-2 lifetime as a Star in Joe Louis Arena.
Detroit has won eight straight playoff games, tying the franchise’s best postseason win streak. The Red Wings won eight playoff games in a row twice before this season, in 1952 and 1995. Chris Osgood is now 7-0 as the Wings’ starting goaltender.
So, as we shift the series to Dallas, we’ve seen this script two previous time before. In both series against Nashville and Colorado, Detroit protected home ice and won the first two games of both series at home before going on the road. Detroit will look to put a choke-hold on the series and take a 3-0 series lead on Monday night. The Stars have been backed into a corner and need a win in Game 3 to avoid an 0-3 series hole.
