9 Lives

8:11pm:  We are live-blogging tonight not from the HP Pavillion in San Jose, but from our office where we watch Game 5 between the Wings and Sharks on-line (Canadian feed from TSN) and on TV (US broadcast on Versus).  This will adversely impact our ability to both observe and comment on the action, but it's the best we can do.  You just don't see everything on TV that you do in person.  You can't.  You are at the mercy of the director.  We see only that which he chooses to show us.  And they miss a lot, usually because of their love of the close-up.  For example, when I'm at the arena and there's an apparent goal, the first thing I look for is the red light.  Has it come on?  Is it really a goal?  I'll bet you could watch a years worth of hockey on TV without even realizing that a red light is turned on whenever a goal is scored.  Watch tonight and you'll see what I mean.  They never show the red light.  The always cut in close so you can see the facial expression of the player who just scored.  Or they'll show some fans in the stands.  I don't care about either.  I assume the player is happy and overjoyed and all, and I assume the fans are jumping up and down in glee so why waste my time showing either?  Don't get more started about sports on TV...
We do enjoy the same access to the Official Game Notes and real-time scoring that we get when we are in person, so there is that.  The question for me tonight is whether I'll see another live game this season.  If San Jose wins, the series will be over and the answer will be no.  The Wings are attempting tonight to do something they have never do before:  force a series in which they trailed 0-3 to a Game 6.  The Wings are--as we mentioned the night before last from the Joe Louis Arena--0-10 all-time in series in which they trailed three games to none.  Nine of the ten times they've been swept out in four games, the lone exception being last years' series against the Sharks when Detroit won Game 4 to extend the series, only to lose it in five.  The big story at the outset tonight is that both Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen are in the lineup.  I saw a report a little over an hour before game time that neither would not play due to injury, a development which made me think that this Game 5 was over before it began and with it, the series.  I don't think Detroit wins without those two.  We are underway and San Jose is on the power play.  We'll keep you up to date.  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
8:27pm:  We have played one half of one period:  edge, San Jose.  They've had more scoring chances--that will happen when you outshoot a team 9-2 which is what the Sharks have done so far--and what we have here is what we expected we would have, what any road team expects; you have to weather a storm.  Usually early.  Usually right out of the gate, in fact.  So far, though the Wings have hung on.  San Jose is 0-1 on the power play tonight, 4-18 in the series (18.2%).  Niklas Lidstrom has just been called for tripping at 11:28 and its power play number 2 in the first period for San Jose.  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
8:42pm:  At 17:18, San Jose scores on a long shot from the line which is tipped past Jimmy Howard.  Devon Setoguchi, who scored three goals in Game 3 including the overtime game-winner, gets the even-strength goal on assists from Dan Boyle and Joe Thornton.  It was Boyle's blue line wrist shot which was tipped in.  These three guys have killed Detroit in this series.  The period winds down and with the teams at four-on-four in the waning moments due to offsetting penalties at 17:43, it ends.  Detroit is outshot 15-7 (San Jose held an 11-2 edge at one point in the period) and they are down a goal in this do-or-die game.  END OF FIRST PERIOD; DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
8:52pm:  If the Wings lose, you can replay in your mind over and over the save San Jose's Antti Niemi made on Jonathan Ericsson on the first shot he face in the game.  Ericsson has the whole upper half of the net to hit from inside twenty feet, and Niemi made as good a glove save as it is possible to make to stop him.  Both Franzen and Datsyuk played as much in the period as any other Detroit forwards, pretty much.  Both had 9 shifts.  Only Darren Helm had more, and he had ten.  FIRST INTERMISSION: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
9:04pm:  The second period begins.
9:09pm:  Another San Jose power play at 2:46.  Datsyuk goes off for holding and Detroit is short for the third time tonight.  Reminds you, in reverse, of Game 4 when the Wings had the first four power play chances in the game.  Howard makes two amazing saves on Boyle to keep it a one-goal game as the Sharks power play continues.  Detroit has been outshot 21-9, now.  16:30 LEFT IN SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
9:12pm:  Detroit back to full strength.  
9:15pm:  One thing you notice on the TSN broadcast is their use of the "Hockey Night in Canada" theme song.  I do, at least.  That's because I grew up in Detroit and as such got the Canadian Broadcasting Company's (might be "Corporation, I'm not 100% on that) Channel 9 from Windsor, Ontario which meant I got to watch HNIC every Saturday night.  Probably a better-known piece of music in Canada than their own national anthem, "O Canada", the copyright on the HNIC theme music expired a few years ago and TSN bid a million bucks to get it away from the CBC--Canada's taxpayer funded network.  It was crummy thing for TSN to do as that music really stood for the CBC.  A poll was held and Canadian citizens opted not to use tax money to outbid TSN for the music.  And do now TSN has it.  They also have the awful former CBS sportscaster Chris Cuthbert (owner of one of the most annoying voices in all of broadcasting) calling the game tonight.  Detroit is about to go on the power play. Joe Thonton goes off for hooking.  Detroit is 4-16 (25.0%) on the pp in this series.  9:55 LEFT, SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
9:28pm:  The Wings spend the power play trying--and usually failing--to gain the San Jose line.  Detroit fails to get a shot in goal with the man advantage.  The teams are back to full strength.  6:30 LEFT, SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
9:34PM:  This is bad.  This is very bad.  At 15:32 Joe Pavelski converts at feed from Ryane Clowe, tipping it high into the net to make it 2-0.  BUT THE WINGS ANSWER!  At 16:25, Niklas Kronwall takes a feed from Datsyuk and whips a hard shot home, beating Niemi short side.  Brad Stewart also assists.  3:00 LEFT, SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 2.
9:42pm:  The second period ends.  Each team gets a goal and the Wings are outshot 13-9.  San Jose holds the advantage in shots on goal through two periods, 30-16.  There is one period to play, perhaps in the season.  Detroit is down a goal...  END OF SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 2.
9:58pm:  Detroit is 8-24-4 (.222) this season when trailing after two periods.  That includes their 0-1-0 record in the playoffs this year.  (Detroit led Game 3 in this series after two periods, but lost in overtime.)  The third period begins...
10:00pm:  Continuing to track ice time, Datsyuk had 10 shifts in the second period, up from the nine he had in the first.  Franzen though had half the ice time in the second as compared to the first.  And now Logan Couture, the guy who scored the key game-tying goal from the corner against Howard in the 3rd period of Game 3 last year when the Wings coughed up a 3-1 lead and lost in OT to go down 0-3 in the series, has just scored at :54 to restore a two-goal lead for the Sharks.  Some say Couture will be the rookie of the year this year in the NHL.  Couture scored on a breakaway, finish with a nifty toe-drag to get Howard moving from post to post to created the opening into which he tucked the puck.  The Wings go on the power play.  17:10 LEFT, THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 3.
10:05pm:  The Wings don't score on the PP, but moments after it ends, ERICSSON SCORES! Datsyuk gets his second assist and Henrik Zetterberg also gets a helper as Ericsson winds up all alone out in front to make it, again, a one-goal game with at 3:43 of the third.  15:00 LEFT, THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 2, SAN JOSE 3.
10:08pm:  THE WINGS TIE IT!  A goal mouth scramble and from the side, standing behind the goal line, Dan Cleary managed to punch it in.  The time is 5:29 and it's two goals for Detroit in 1:46!  It's Cleary from Kronwall and Todd Bertuzzi and we are back to even.  New game, etc....12:45 LEFT, THIRD PERIOD, DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 3.
10:14pm:  Just a note but as we are now a little past the halfway point of the third, Franzen has yet to play a single second in the period.  8:30 LEFT, THIRD PERIOD, DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 3.
10:20pm:  THEY SCORE!!!  DATSYUK MAKES AN UNREAL SPIN MOVE AND DROPS IT BACK TO LIDSTROM AND THE CAPTAIN BURIES IT HIGH!  At 13:52, Lidstrom, with his third goal in the last 2 games, puts Detroit ahead!  Check it--the official game sheet gives the goal to Tomas Holmstrom from Lidstrom and Datsyuk--so the ruling must be that Holmstrom deflected it.  And now the Sharks go on the power play.  God, this is exciting, isn't it?  Justin Abdelkader is off for elbowing at 14:55.  What a time to go off.  A stupid penalty to take at the worst possible time. Hanging in the balance is one of the best periods in Wings history, not to mention the game, the series and the season.  4:45 LEFT, THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 4, SAN JOSE 3.
10:28pm:  The Wings kill the penalty and Abdelkader can breathe again.  The rest of us can't, though.  We are at 1:00 to go and the Sharks pull their goalie.
10:31pm:  Time out, Detroit with 14.3 to go.  Face off coming up in the Detroit zone.  14 seconds between Detroit and Game 6 in Detroit Tuesday night.  Wow.
10:33pm:  THE WINGS WIN! No....icing with 2.4 to go and that face off comes right back into the Detroit zone.  This is tough to take.  Sharks are trying to get more time on the clock.  They call time out.  Now 2.9 left as the clock is adjusted.
10:35pm:  The puck goes into the corner and the clock runs out and the Wings are back in the series, trailing 3 games to two.  Oh. My. God.  They were down 3-1 in the third period.  They were done, smoked like a trout and they scored 3 goals in 12:58 to win!  See you at the Joe on Tuesday night everybody.  What a game.  What a result!
FINAL SCORE: DETROIT 4, SAN JOSE 3.
10:43pm:  Just a quick note at the finish.  The Wings were outshot tonight 42-22 and had only six shots on goal in the third period.  They scored on half of those six shots.  One of the announcers said the Wings have never won a Game 5 on the road when trailing 3 games to 1, until tonight.  Also, Franzen's final shift of the game ended with a little under 7 minutes to go in the second period.  He did not play at all after that, including therefore, the entire third period when the game was on the line.  It makes you wonder if he will be able to play the night after next, which leaves Juri Hudler or Mike Modano as possible replacements.  Wouldn't that be something if Modano got the shot and reached back to the glory days and played a key role?  Well, we'll see.  Hell of a game and a hell of night tonight.

The End of the Line?

6:45pm:  Welcome to the Joe Louis Sports Arena where it's win or go home one for the Wings and the Sharks.  If San Jose takes tonight's Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Final, they go home and get ready for the Conference Final--the NHL version of the Final Four.  If the Wings lose tonight, their season be over and they will go home, their season having tome to a conclusion shocking in the speed with which it occurred.  It was just 8 days ago that this series began.  Tonight it could be all over.  Back with the opening faceoff in a moment....
7:04pm:  The house lights are down, the light show is in full effect, etc. I'm nervous.  I'm always nervous in elimination games.  This time, I have good reason to be.  The Detroit Red Wings have been down 0-3 in a best-of-7 series ten times in their history.  They are 0-10 in such series.  They have been swept in 9 of those ten series, the exception being one year ago when the Wings trailed these very Sharks 0-3 and won Game 4 to force a Game 5.  They lost Game 5 and the series was over.  Game 4 last year, somewhat ironically, was one of the best playoff games the Wings have ever played.  It really was.  Detroit beat San Jose 7-1.  It was a hell of a game.  I remember that Johan Franzen scored 4 goals to tie a Wings playoff record except that he didn't.  He had for a while, but the scoring was changed late in the game and one of the Franzen goals was credited to one of his teammates.  So now the question: Can the Wings repeat that performance?  We are about to find out.
7:17pm: Kris Draper almost scored.  The key word is, of course, almost.  He had a lose puck just off the post to the right of Sharks goalie Antti Niemi but couldn't tuck it in as he was behind the icing line and reach as he might, he couldn't quite get leverage.  Moments later, Draper was in the goalmouth again, banging away, but again Niemi stopped him, sprawling this time to block and cover.  We have 15:06 left in the first.  It has been intense, so far.  I expect it will be all night.
7:19pm:  TODD BERTUZZI SCORES!  The time is 6:22 of the first and the story is the move Bertuzzi made, a 360-degree spin in the right wing circle with two Sharks on him.  It gave Bertuzzi just enough space go get a backhand off, and the 20-footer beat Niemi high glove, which is to say over his left shoulder, just under the crossbar.  The assists to Henrik Zetterberg and Danny Cleary.  Moments later, Valtteri Filppula almost made it 2-0, but his shot from in close went just wide to the left of Niemi.  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 0.
7:31pm:  2-0, DETROIT!  Nicklas Lidstrom fires in a blast from the left wing circle off a tasty Niemi rebound.  The Sharks tender made a big save on Cleary who was sent in on a nice pass from Bertuzzi, but allowed a rebound which came a good 25 feet off his pads right out in front and Lidstrom had plenty of time to wind up and blast away.  As is so often the case, (more on that  in a moment) he made no mistake.  Cleary and Bertuzzi get the assist on Lidstrom's 3rd goal of the 2011 playoffs at 11:09.  The Wings are outshooting San Jose 13-6, a number which reflects the degree to which Detroit has dominated this game so far.  FIRST PERIOD:  DETROIT 2, SAN JOSE 0.
7:43pm:  Power Play, Detroit.  Ian White goes off for Interference at 16:05.  Detroit's 3/12 (25.0%) with a man advantage in this series.
7:46pm:  LIDSTROM SCORES AGAIN!  The Wings make White and the Sharks pay the penalty.  Lidstrom collected a pass from Zettterberg by stopping it with his leg and batting at it while it was still in mid-air.  His shot actually bounced on its way towards the net and skipped high over Niemi.  Lidstrom who tied the record earlier in the period, is now the NHL's all-time leader in Playoff Power Play Goals by a Defenseman (30).  (While we were writing this, Logan Couture scored an unassisted goal to make it a 3-1 game).  The period has now ended with Detroit recording 17 shots to 12 for the Sharks.  END OF FIRST PERIOD:  DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 1.  
7:55pm:  It was one year ago today that the Wings beat the Sharks 7-1 in Game 4 of the second round.  For the record, the Wings led that game 5-0 after one.  Still, a 3-1 lead after one is nothing at which to be sneezed.  
8:08pm:  The second period begins.  An assist has been added during the intermission on the Sharks goal by Couture. Those of you scoring at home, add a helper to Ryane (I believe that's still pronounced Ryan but I can't be sure) Clowe.  
8:11pm:  There's one thing I can't/don't get.  Remember I noted that Couture had scored while I was writing my account of the Lidstrom goal.  There was no crowd reaction to the San Jose goal, none.  I never even looked up, that's how much noise the crowd didn't make.  I didn't see the goal and I still haven't.  The only way I knew they had scored was that there was a stoppage in play and that the score on the scoreboard had changed from 3-0 to 3-1.  Pretty good reporting, wouldn't you say?  For the record, since I failed to note it earlier, the San Jose goal came :15 after the Lidstrom goal gave the Wings a 3-0 lead.  Howard has had to be sharp here early in the second and I'll tell you what, if the Sharks get the next goal, this is going to be a long night for Detroit so the boys had best watch themselves.  15:32 LEFT, SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 1.
8:17pm:  Another Detroit power play.  Joe Thornton for stick-holding which is a definite no-no.  The Wings are 1-2 on the PP so far.  The call at 5:47.
8:27pm: Another Detroit PP.  Torrey Mitchell is off for holding Justin Abdelkader at 10:58.
8:31pm: No joy on the power play for Detroit.  They are 1-3 in the game, now.  4-16 in the series.
8:34pm:  San Jose has just scored and we got trouble here in (Detroit) River city.  Dan Boyle--who got the game-winner in overtime here the night before last--took a great cross-ice feed in the attack zone from Kyle Wellwood and buried it high over a sprawling Howard.  There wasn't much the Wings goalie could do.  It was a perfect feed and a perfect shot at 13:44.  At 14:29, Dany Heatley gives the Wings their fourth power play of the night (the Sharks have had none) when he's whistled down for tripping.  5:31 LEFT, SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2.
8:41pm: The Wings not only do not score on the power play, the fail to generate chances.  It appears to me that right now, the Sharks have a bit more jump.  They are getting to the loose pucks.  The Wings look a little tired to me.  2:49 left, SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2.
8:47pm:  The second period ends.  As I mentioned, I thought Detroit, especially from the mid-point of the period on, was sort of hanging on.  Sort of hanging on for dear life.  And keep this in mind as we go to the third period.  San Jose has yet to have a power play.  All 4 minors called in this game have gone in favor of Detroit.  I'll bet you a doughnut that before this game is over, San Jose will get a power play or two, at least.  The Wings outshot the Sharks 10-7 in the period and have outshot them 27-19 in the game.  San Jose as you have probably heard, has won 7 of the last 8 playoff games against Detroit with each and every one of those 7 wins coming in a 1-goal-game, 3 of them in overtime.  The only non 1-goal game was that 7-1 Wings win here one year ago tonight that we talked about earlier.  And guess what?  With 20 minutes of regulation time remaining here tonight, we have ourselves a 1-goal game.  END OF SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2. 
9:05pm:  The third period is underway.
9:07pm:  That didn't take long.  SAN JOSE TIED THE GAME 3-3.  Just as I was noting that the Sharks were--as they had been through the latter stages of the second period--beating Detroit to loose pucks, Clowe beat Niklas Kronwall to one of those loose pucks behind the Detroit net and fed it to Heatley who was as all alone as you can reasonably expect to be at the NHL level and from between the rings, at the hashmarks, he fired high blocker side and the puck was in and the light was on and the game was tied.  You get a guy that wide open and with that much time and chances are, in the National Hockey League, he is going to score and Heatley, a sniper, did.  The goal at 1:14 of the period and now the Sharks are buzzing again. And now Bertuzzi is called and the Sharks are on the power play at 4:12 of the third.  San Jose is 4-15 ( 26.7%) on the power play in this series. 15:00 LEFT, THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 3.  
9:22pm:  We are just past the halfway point of the period.  The Wings maintain a 10-shot edge in shots on goal but, as you know, we are tied in a game in which Detroit held a 3-0 lead.  I guarantee you for for sure that the number of 3-goal leads the Wings have blown this season can be tallied up on one hand, but this is one of them.  Welcome, once again, to nail-biting time. I myself am predicting overtime, again.  9:31 left, THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 3.
9:25pm:  San Jose goes on the power play for the second time in the game/period at 11:35 as Abdelkader is off for a cross check.  The fans didn't like it, natch, but I thought it the correct call.
8:18 left, THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 3 SAN JOSE 3.
9:30pm:  The Wings get a kill which is huge, obviously.  5:45 left, THIRD PERIOD.  DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 3.
9:33  DARREN HELM SCORES!  THE WINGS LEAD 4-3 WITH 1:27 LEFT. It was a beauty feed to Helm cutting into the left circle and he buried it off the setup by Brian Rafalski and it looks for all the word like we are heading back to San Jose.  Still :45 to go, though.
9:44pm;  THE WINGS WIN 4-3.  THEY ARE NOT YET BACK IN THE SERIES, BUT THEY ARE NOT YET DEAD, EITHER.  Off to the dressing rooms for the react.  Back with you soon...
FINAL SCORE: DETROIT 4, SAN JOSE 3.