Red Wings forcing Blackhawks to get better

The Chicago-Detroit series has been pretty entertaining, but not quite as dramatic as I had expected. In the first round against the Ducks, Detroit had four overtime games and a game seven decided by a single goal. Round two has lacked that suspense. Games one and two were almost completely dominated by the winning teams. Game three was tense for the first half, but then Detroit safely took a two-goal lead to the end of the game. These divergent results make it hard to judge who actually has the edge.

After game one, it looked as if all those pundits who picked Chicago in five had probably hit the nail on the head. Chicago skated Detroit right out of the building. But, as they have all season, Detroit responded. During stretches of game 2 it seemed Detroit’s stifling defense had sucked the oxygen out of the building. During the broadcast it was so quiet in the Madhouse on Madison TM that you could hear the players talking to each other on the ice. I can’t ever remember that happening.
In game three, we had a return of the dominant Blackhawks, at least for the first half of the game. Chicago was getting power plays, peppering Howard with shots and ringing pucks off the posts. They just could not break through for a goal. And when Detroit suddenly scored two goals under a minute apart, it seemed to deflate the team. This is a familiar script for Detroit fans, only the roles are usually reversed.

So what about that third period?

1. That was a blown call on the Franzen boarding. However, I can’t help thinking he was trying to milk a penalty out of the play and was fully aware he was going to get hit from behind. Franzen is responsible for taking care of himself, too. Whether he was careless or just trying to get a power play, I don’t know. As it was happening I was thinking, “I hope the Wings stayed focused and don’t give up a goal on this sequence. DAMN IT!”
2. That was terrible defense by Brendan Smith and Kyle Quincey TM and also an amazing goal by Patty Kane. Yes, he wouldn’t have scored this if a whistle had been blown, but he still had to make some fantastic moves to get the puck in the back of the net. Detroit could have stopped him and did not.
3. By the letter of the law, the tying goal could have been called interference, but man, that was weak. The rule says a player can’t enter the crease and impede a goalie from making a save even if he does not touch the goalie. In my view, that was a phantom call and the Blackhawks got screwed. Again, a familiar script to Detroit fans. Intent to blow, anyone?
4. Why does Pavel Datsyuk ever pass when he can shoot like this? This is two rounds in a row that he’s blistered a shot so fast it was out of the net before most people had seen it go in. And the placement of the shot just over the goalies shoulder, the soft underbelly of modern butterfly goaltenders, all while flying down the ice at full speed. Unreal. Some might say Gary Bettman’s lockouts will go down as his biggest failures, but I think it would be if Datsyuk were to leave for the KHL after next season. That guy is a magician and belongs on hockey’s biggest stage for as long as possible.

Where does this series go now?

 

As a Detroit fan, I have to say I’m happy that the team is up 2-1, and they’ve done that without scoring a power play goal. You have to figure that’s going to turn around at some point this series. But all of this still does not give me much confidence. I’ve watched this team disappear too often following great performances to think they are in command of this series. If Detroit drops the next game, Chicago again has home ice advantage and is heading home for the pivotal game five.

 

My sense is the Red Wings are playing about as well as they can, but Chicago has shown it has a whole other gear to go to. The Blackhawks just have not been able to sustain that level of play. At some point the opening period barrage should lead to more than just goal posts and high shot totals. And once the Blackhawks break through, it could be the crack in the dam that leads to the flood.

 

This is the key moment for the Blackhawks season. Right now, they have to win three out of the next four games to keep their season going. They have a coach who is 0-5 in the playoffs against Detroit. That might sound daunting, but remember, coming into this series Chicago had defeated Detroit eight consecutive times.

 

This could be the challenge that the Blackhawks use to ramp up their game to a cup-winning level. Or it could be yet another season squandered by a highly talented club. Something Detroit fans certainly understand. Either way, both teams will have to dig deep to move on to the Western Conference final. I think we’re about to get the drama that’s been missing from the first three games.