Chicago Blackhwaks at Detroit Red Wings, April 8, 2011: The Live-Blog

7:38pm:  Welcome to the Joe Louis Sports Arena where, :27 into the game, the Chicago Blackhawks have taken a 1-0 lead over the Detroit Red Wings.  This is a battle of a team which is battling for their playoff life (Chicago) and a team which is getting some exercise prior to the start of the postseason (Detroit).  I said on the radio this morning that due to this, I expect Chicago to win here in Detroit tonight and in the back end of the home-and-home Sunday afternoon in Chicago.  The Blackhawks really need this game as they are hanging on by their fingernails to the eighth and final playoff spot.  The Wings really don't as they won the division and assured themselves of a place on the playoffs a few days ago.  Chicago continues to storm the Detroit net to my right here in the opening moments.  Brent Seabrook got the goal, his eighth, from Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa before this game was half a minute old.  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, CHICAGO 1.
7:42pm:  We are here at the Joe after spending the afternoon at Comerica Park where the Tigers won their 2011 home opener 5-2 over the Kansas City Royals.  Victor Martinez, in his first home game as a Tiger, cleared the loaded bases with a first inning gapper to right-center as the Tigers scored four in their first home at-bats at home this season.  Max Scherzer worked six innings of seven-hit, one-run ball to go to 2-0.  We'll be there tomorrow as the teams continue the weekend series.
7:47pm:  2-0, Chicago as Ben Smith scores at 6:07.  Patrick Kane gets the only assist.  This one recalls that awful game here last week in which St. Louis, not a playoff team, waxed the Wings 10-3.  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, CHICAGO 2.
7:50pm:  While all this is going on, I'm watching the Giants try to come back in the bottom of the ninth against the Cardinals.  This after Ryan Theriot finished off a 12-pitch about with a two-out single to score two runs for St. Louis in the top of the 9th.  SF--in their home opener--has two on with two out in the bottom of the 9th.  The Ku Fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval, is up for the Giants.  He singles to tie the game 4-4.  Good stuff.  Not so good here.  Chicago score again to lead 3-0 before the game is nine minutes old.  This time it's Brian Campbell who gets the goal and this one has gotten ugly fast.  The Red Wings call time out--perhaps hoping to lull the Blackhawks into taking a nap or something.  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, CHICAGO 3.
8:29pm:  The Wings continue to prepare for the playoffs by getting booed off their home ice, which they pretty much deserve.  If it hadn't been for that nasty loss to the Blues here last week, the first period tonight would qualify as the worst period of hockey I've seen Detroit play in 20 years.  Detroit got outshot 13-5 in the first.  It wasn't that close.  SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 0, CHICAGO 3.
8:41pm:  4-0 Chicago and it's just embarrassing.  The Blackhawks have scored on the power play at 6:44 of the second.  Hossa got it, his 25th.  Yikes, I say.  This is just brutal.  The Giants and Cardinals are into the 12th inning, so I can watch that at least.  And how about that Tiger Woods fellow today at the Masters?  He played the last eleven holes in seven-under and is third in the big golf tournament at the halfway mark, two (SORRY, THREE) back of 21-year-old Rory Mcllroy.  And here I can't even remember what I was doing when I was 21, which I am pretty sure is on account of the, eh, medication(s) I was taking at the time.  There were two great moments I saw today:  Woods' out-of-the-gallery par on #11 and a player losing a ball in a Major.  It happened on the short, little 156-yard 12th.   Graeme McDowell was the unfortunate fellow who had to slog his way back to the tee and do a do-over.  He hit into a shrubbery behind the green and with six people, including Woods, looking for it...no one could find the ball.  McDowell made double bogey and missed the cut by, naturally, two strokes.  Those two strokes.  At least he got to play the Augusta National a couple of times, eh?  For free, too.  So there is that.  The hockey game continues but I have, at least for the time being, lost interest, pretty much.  SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 0, CHICAGO 4.  
9:02pm:  Budd Lynch announces the final minute of the second period and the crowd roars in approval.  Meanwhile, the Giants win in 12 as Albert Pujols muffs a throw at first with two out in the inning, extending the inning so that Aaron Rowand can hit a ball between the outfielders in left-center with the bases loaded to win it for 'Frisco 5-4.  Drew Miller scores for Detroit at 19:38 and there is a scuffle at the horn which augers against the fans booing the Wings into the dressing room for the second consecutive period.  The Wings are outshot again in the period, this time by a 13-11 margin.  It is "Fan Appreciation Night" and the fans do not appreciate the effort so far.  "If this is what they think of us...(sniff.)" SECOND INTERMISSION: DETROIT 1, CHICAGO 4.
9:40pm:  Halfway through the third and I've been remiss.  This is the first post of the period.  Not that there's been anything of note to write about: still 4-1 Chicago.  It's a great night for the Second City.  The Cubbies are winning--I just saw Jeff Baker put 'em ahead 5-2 in Milwaukee with a three-run jack--the White Sox are up 4-2 over Tampa Bay and, of course, you have the, uh, little situation here.  Here's an interesting note.  Not only have the Rays not won this year, they have not led at any point in any game so far.  The last team to do that (never hold the lead in their first six games of the season) was the 1992 Tigers and while I don't know for sure, I'm going to guess that '92 wasn't a good year for the Tigs.  Oh, and so long to Manny Ramirez who retired today rather than take the 100-game suspension he was facing for getting busted for Performance Enhancing Drugs, again.  Say what you want, but the second half of the season he had when he joined the Dodgers a couple of summers ago--when they names the stands in left at Dodger Stadium "Mannywood", was one of the greatest tears I've ever seen a hitter go on.  The drugs weren't working this time around, though.  Manny's was hitting .059 for the Rays when he decided to quit rather than face the drug abuse music for a second time.  THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 1, CHICAGO 4.
9:55pm:  Under two minutes to go here and if the Wings can hang on, at least they'll be able to say they played Chicago even for the last 51:15 of the game.  Of course, by 8:45 of the first they were down 3-1.  Oh, look.  Detroit just scored.  They've outplayed the Blackhawks in the final 51 minutes tonight.  They are, nonetheless going to lose and lose rather badly.  Tomas Holmstrom is the goal scorer for Detroit at 18:40.  And...we're done.  FINAL SCORE: DETROIT 2, CHICAGO 4.