SECOND PERIOD
The Wings start the second on the man advantage as they look to score the game’s first goal.
Sidney Crosby takes a slashing penalty 1:55 into the second.
Writer’s Note: Crosby is playing a little over-anxiously. The Pens need Crosby on the ice early in the middle frame as he is the catalyst on the first line and allows Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to buzz around the ice, typically drawing a lot of attention.
Fleury continues to play like a human wall as he stymies the Red Wings top snipers. Fleury easily stops a Pavel Datsyuk rebound shot as the Pens continue to outbody the Wings forwards.
6:10 into the Second Period- Ex-Atlanta Thrasher and Trade Deadline Pick-up Pascal Dupuis has a tremendous breakway chance but is stopped by Osgood, the celebrated veteran.
8:00 into the Second Period- The Wings Top 5 Unit (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmsrom, Lidtsrom and Rafalski) is clearly skating circles around the Pens third line but still can’t get any substantial threat going in the offensive zone.
Writer’s Note: This game is going at a Donovan Bailey-like pace but players on both teams are holding their sticks very tightly. The Wings have had more pressure so far but the Pens blueline corps, featuring the likes of Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney, continue to play very well
13:01 of the Second Period- Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson scores on a beautiful wrap-around goal as Marc-Andre Fleury is slow to move side-to-side across the goal line. The Wings go up 1-0. The puck actually goes off of Fleury’s skate but nonetheless Samuelsson used his speed and quick hands to score a beauty.
Writer’s Note: I believe that’s Samuelsson’s third goal and 10th point of the playoffs but I cannot confirm because NHL.com and Sportsnet.ca are saying that Jarkko Ruutu scored the game’s first goal. That’s funny because it is 1-0 Detroit and Ruutu has not been remotely close to scoring a goal. It appears the chief statistician working for the NHL thinks that the other #37 scored the goal. Is the NHL’s stats department autistic? Nonethless, it’s been minutes since the goal and they still haven’t changed it.
13:13 of the Second Period- Ryan Whitney takes a holding penalty as the Wings have built on the momentum of their first goal and are giving the Pens a conniption in their own zone.
Writer’s Note: Pittsburgh needs to calm down. This is ice hockey, not American Gladiators.
15:58 into the Second Period- Zetterberg absolutely hammers Sidney Crosby at the blueline, leading to a scoring chance for fellow linemate Tomas Holmstrom.
Writer’s Note: Zetterberg has been the best player on the ice so far. He is skating around with panache and has been playing physically as well. I said he is playing with panache, not pancakes. Jordan Staal,on other hand, looks like he had pancakes earlier this afternoon. NOTE: The NHL and all other websites have still not posted the correct goal on their websites.
The Wings outshoot the Pens 16-4 in the period and have commanding control of the game. Overall, the Wings have a 27-16 shots advantage in the game.
Stay Tuned for the Third Period Blog…
For Illegal Curve, I’m Ezra Ginsburg.
