In case anyone hasn’t been paying close enough attention in this year’s playoffs, the kids are all grown up.
They used to be the sidekicks of a future hall-of-famer who wore red and white for a couple of seasons, Brett Hull, little brothers if you will that Hull mentored in the early years of this decaded. As Hull looks on from the Stars’ co-general manager box, he has be both grinning and grimacing at the same time. His former sidekicks are blossoming into superstars.
In what was to be the most critical, swing game of the series, the Euro Twins turned this one into a laugher, as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk guided Detroit past Dallas, 5-2, on Monday night to take a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. Datsyuk scored three goals (it was his first ever hat trick) and Zetterberg added a shorthanded goal, leaving Dallas, well, looking up at the stars for answers. Detroit has now won nine straight games in the postseason, setting a franchise record, while needing one win to secure a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in six years.
As predicted when the series changed venues, Dallas came out electric. The Stars were faster, more aggressive and more desperate to start the game, desperately trying to avoid an 0-3 hole. They blitzed Chris Osgood early, hitting the outside of the post with Osgood sprawled on the ice, and another hit the crossbar of a deflection from Wings’ defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. But despite the energy and effort, and the near-makes early on, the Wings got the all important first goal, courtesy of Datsyuk.
Datsyuk helped put the Stars in the chase position with his first goal his slipped past Stars goalie Marty Turco with a little help from the post. His second goal of the first period allowed the Wings to win the period, going into the locker room ahead on the road, 2-1. Brad Richards got the Dallas faithful out of their seats again with his goal that went in off of Brad Stuart. But the jubilation would be short lived thanks to Jiri Hudler. Hudler took a long pass from Nicklas Kronwall on a poor line change from the Stars, skated in untouched, but almost fell over, and slipped a high backhander past Turco gloveslide. Momentum changer. Back breaker. 3-2 Detroit.
If Hudler’s goal didn’t take all the wind out of the Stars’ sails, Zetterberg made sure of it. With Detroit encountering some penalty troubles in the third period, Zetterberg went to work at the expense of Richards. As good a player as Richards is, he’s not known for his stalwart defense. Then again, there aren’t many guys in this league right now that wouldn’t look foolish against Zetterberg.
Zetterberg zigged, Richards zagged. Turco came out, Zetterberg waited, and put one in almost as easily as tossing an empty milk carton into the recycle bin. A short-handed goal. A two-goal lead. That sound in the background was the air going right out of the balloon.
Other than how solid and good when called upon Osgood has been, it’s easy to overlook Hank and Pav’s impact defensively they have as well. Penalty killing, back-checking, puck possession. It must be as if the Stars feel like they’re seeing 40 and 13 always on the ice, always having to chase the puck rather than possess it. But who can blame them? It seems at times there are multiple No. 40 and 13’s on the ice, zipping up and back the ice, carrying the puck as if it were on a string, toying the Stars.
Sure Hudler’s goal was huge and Zetterberg’s was bigger. But it was the fifth and last goal, Datsyuk’s third of the game, that painted the whole portrait of this series thus far. All created by tenacious back-checking and hustle, Zetterberg outworked and out-willed nearly the entire Dallas team to secure the puck. Surrounded by four black jerseys, Zetterberg slipped a tape-to-tape pass to a wide open Datsyuk, who buried his third goal past Turco.
As Stars coach Dave Tippett stated after the game, Dallas didn’t have an answer for the dynamic Detroit duo of Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Not the choppy ice inside or the 80 plus degree temperatures outside could slow down the Wings. Detroit’s winning face offs. They’re controlling the puck like they want. Osgood’s making the key saves. Other than the ambiguous health status of Johan Franzen, the Wings appear to be blazing a trail that will land them in the Stanley Cup Finals, and it’s as if they can’t get there fast enough.
So now it’s down to this for the down-troddened Stars. Down 0-3 in the series, down in a series for the first time in these playoffs, the Stars will be facing elimination on Wednesday night. Only twice in NHL history have teams down 0-3 in a series come back to win the series. 100 teams went on to sweep up 3-0. 42 won the series in five. Regardless of numbers and past playoff series history, the Stars’ backs are against the wall. Their next loss will be their last in the 2007-08 season.
As far as the gameplan goes, I’m not sure what Dave Tippett can do at this point, if there’s anything to do. It seems as if the Stars may be out of gameplans and words. What do you tell your team when they’re being outplayed and outworked? Or that as hard as they’ve tried, all previous attempts to fluster or rattle the Wings have gone array?
So much for the supposed growing animosities between the two teams after the way Game 2 ended. The Wings dominated with their sticks and skates, rather than their fists. They’ll beat you with brains, not braun. It’s just their philosophy, and who can argue with it when their way of hockey life produces this kind of a result
