Game 6: Life on the Knife Edge

Pre-Game Skate:  Have you ever noticed that the only time the word "staved" ever get's used is when some team in some sports wins in a game which, had they lost, would have knocked them out of the race for a playoff spot or out of the playoffs themselves?  We gather tonight to see if the Detroit Red Wings can stave.  The Wings, down three games to none in this best-of-seven as of six days ago, now trail three games to two.

A few nights ago I discussed how much I dislike elimination games on account of nervousness.  This is that, 3x.  Tonight marks the third straight game in which Detroit has faced elimination.  The locals stayed alive in Game 4 here last Friday night on a goal by Darren Helm which broke a 3-3 tie with about a minute and half to go after San Jose had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game.  Sunday, in Game 5, the Wings were done.  Dead.  (How dead?  Think Robert De Niro in "Casino" talking about his wife's boyfriend.  That dead.)  The Wings were smoked like a trout.  They trailed, on the road, 3-1 in the third period.  Thanks for playing and here are some lovely parting gifts, right?  Then, the Red Wings found a way to score 3 goals on Antti Niemi on 6 final period shots and now trail this Western Conference semi-final three games to two.  Johan Franzen will not dress tonight.  He didn't play at all in the final 37 minutes Sunday.  His spot in the lineup will be taken by...we don't know yet, for certain.  It will be either Mike Modano or Jiri Hudler.  Both are taking warm up.  My guess: Modano.  I think if there's a loose puck near the Sharks net you'd rather it be on his stick than Hudler's, but it's not my call.  Ryan Clowe is injured or has the flu or something and is out of the San Jose lineup.  He's been good for the Sharks in this series.  I think that's all we have for you right now.  Boy, am I nervous.  Did I mention that?
8:00pm:  It's Modano.  He's not only dressed for tonight's game, he's starting on a line with Pavel Datsyuk (I still can't get over the play he made on the game-winner Sunday in San Jose) and Tomas Holmstrom.  Kris Draper's a healthy scratch--if the Wings lose his career will end like that, as a healthy scratch--which means Drew Miller gets to play tonight.
8:15pm:  We are underway.  One shot on goal in the first minute, a long one by Logan Couture and an easy save for Detroit's Jimmy Howard.  You like the first one to be an easy one.
8:18pm:  Danny Cleary just got run from behind as San Jose takes the body in a big way to start the game.  Incredibly, no call even though Cledary went head-first into the boards.  But moments later they Sharks Dan Boyle goes off for holding at 3:59.  Detroit is 4-18 (22.2%) on the power play in the series.
8:22pm:  The Wings are crashing the net and have outshot the Sharks 7-1 in the first 7 minutes but there is no score.  Detroit came oh-so-close on that power play when Cleary failed to tuck the rebound of a Modano blast from the line.  Yes, Modano is on the Detroit power play tonight.  13:01 left, 1ST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
8:30pm:  We are halfway through the first and the Wings have an 11-2 edge in shots on goal.  Still even on the big board, though.  9:49 left, 1st PERIOD, DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
8:34pm:  Sharks power play at 14:19.  This their first of the night, they are 4-21 (19%) in the series.  Jimmy Howard just made a great save with his left skate on a drive from the line with about seven minutes left in the period.  Phil Myre, the former goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers called it an old fashion kick save, the kind you don't see very often anymore.  "Kick save and a beauty," I said.  Old time hockey, eh?  Speaking of which, old-time hockey, that is, did I mention I saw Gordie Howe before the game tonight.  Because I did. Oh, and Devin Setoguchi just got called for hooking, negating the San Jose power play.  5:09 left, 1st PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
8:49pm:  The period--dominated by Detroit as they outshot the San Jose 18-6, ends scoreless.  I'll tell you, if you play all night the way the Red Wings played in the first, you win.  Unless the Hockey Gods have it in for you, that is.  END OF THE FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
9:06pm:  Second period underway.
9:10pm:  Drew Miller just missed the best scoring chance so far.  He had a rebound ten feet out in front with Niemi down and out and he slid it wide.  No second period shots for the Sharks yet: 21-6, Detroit at this point.  The Sharks are going on the power play as Datsyuk--a finalist for the Lady Bing which goes to "Most Gentlemanly Player" gets called for roughing.  Of all people.  Of all infractions.  15:50 left, 2nd PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.  
9:17pm:  I pride myself on not cheering in the pressbox but I just screamed, "Oh, oh, oh!" as Cleary who had been in the box serving the extra penalty given to Datsyuk in his exchange with Torrey Mitchell, took a pass, was in alone, pulled Niemi to create and open net and hit the post as dead-on as you can ever hit one.  You worry about the "not meant to be" factor at this point.  I mean, that was a certain goal for Cleary and he didn't score it... 11:35 left, 2nd PERIOD; DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
9:25pm:  Detroit power play as Modano gets face-firsted into the boards in front of the Detroit bench by Patrick Marleau at 11:39. It's boarding for Marleau who is tonight the unwitting victim of controversy as being called "gutless" by Jeremy Roenick on the NHL Network.  And the Wings take a make-even call as Holmstrom is whistled for goalie interference at 11:32.  8:28 left, 2nd PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
9:30pm:  Pavel Datsyuk just had a shot blocked.  Had it gotten through it would have been his first shot on goal in the game.  There is some suspicion that he's not shooting nor taking faceoffs because he's playing with a broken wrist.  That was the press room talk before the game at any rate.  6:27 left, 2nd PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
9:38pm:  We've got just over a minute to go in the period and the Wings have held the Sharks to 7 shots in the period and 13 for the game.  And still, incredibly, the game remains scoreless.  1:15 left, 2nd PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.
9:40pm:  Todd Bertuzzi is tripped behind the Sharks net, fairly obvious call as the guy who did the tripping, San Jose's Douglas Murray, had his stick go flying high in the air on the play.  The call comes with only :20 left in the period.  But, the Wings will start the 3rd with a man advantage.  The Wings missed another golden one as Niemi robbed Holmstrom from the low rim of the left circle with a couple seconds left on the clock.  Detroit outshot the Sharks 14-7 in the period, have outshot them 32-13 in the game.  It's an amazing game.  Amazing that San Jose is still in this thing, I mean.  But, they are and I've seen that turn out to be not such a good thing.  SECOND INTERMISSION: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 0.  
9:59pm:  The 3rd period begins...
10:05pm:  The puck slides between Howards knee and barely, just barely, crosses the goal line before the Detroit netminder can cover.  It was a goal close enough to review.  The whole puck has to cross the whole line and this one did by about a 16th of an inch.  The goal comes on the Sharks 16th shot of the night (Detroit has 34), at 3:54 of the third period.  I think Logan Couture scored it.  He's the guy who scored that huge goal for San Jose in Game 3 here in Detroit last year when Detroit coughed up a 3-1 lead in the third period and with it, their chance to beat the Sharks in the series.  Assist to Dany Heatley.  15:57 left, 3rd PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
10:10pm:  Still a lot of time left but I don't have a good feeling about this.  Maybe it's just the fan in me being pessimistic like a fan would be (you can supress being a fan but you can't eliminate it) but this one feels like it's    going to be the ultimate hard-luck loss.  13:53 left, 3rd PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
10:16pm:  Niemi just made the save of the century.  He was down and out,4 reduced to making snow angels--helpless in a word--and he lifted his left leg straight up in the air to deny Henrik Zetterberg who looked to have the entire upper half of the net there for the taking from 15 feet away.  As good a save as I have ever seen.  Except Phil Myre says he didn't make it, that the shot went high.  And Phil Myre is usally right.  9:45 left, 3rd PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
10:19pm:  And we are--just like that--tied.  Zetterberg tips a right-circle wrist shot fired by Kronwall and something FINALLY got by Niemi.  The goal at 10:38.  Filppula also assists.  The building is alive again.  The Red Wings are alive again.  9:12 left, 3rd PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 1.
10:25pm:  THE RED WINGS LEAD.  DATSYUK (WHO ELSE?) MADE THE PLAY ACROSS TO FILPPULA AND HE BURIED IT INTO AN EMPTY NET.  SAN JOSE D-MAN JASON DEMERS TRIED TO BLOCK IT IN THE CREASE BUT HE HAD HIS BACK TURNED AND HAD NO CHANCE.  I DIDN'T GET THE TIME (12:32 AS IT TURNS OUT) BUT WE'VE GOT A LITTLE UNDER 7 TO GO NOW.  Penalty to Abdelkader at 13:14.  WHAT A GAME.  3RD PERIOD: DETROIT 2, SAN JOSE 1.
10:34pm:  We are standing on the bench again, in order to see.  The Wings killed the penalty.  They still lead by a goal.  This is one of the greatest games I have ever seen.  2:30 left, 3rd PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 1.
10:33pm:  EMPTY NET GOAL! EMPTY GOAL BY HELM!  THE WINGS WILL WIN.  THEY LEAD 3-1 WITH 1:05 TO GO.  I HAVE TO TO THE DRESSING ROOM NOW.  BEEN GREAT SHARING THIS ONE WITH YOU.  :40 LEFT, 3RD PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 1.  

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.

Do Or (Pretty Much) Die

 Pre-Game Skate:  Welcome back to the NHL playoffs where tonight the (your) Detroit Red Wings are in pretty much the same boat--make that exactly--the same boat in which they were in one year ago:  down two games to none to the San Jose Sharks heading into game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals.  We were talking about this last night at Comerica Park (where the Tigers finally snapped their 7-game losing streak, yay, I guess) and it was there that I learned that my memory had failed me.  I thought the Wings had won game 3 then lost a 3-1 third period lead to lose game 4 which meant they were down 3-1 to the Sharks going back to San Jose, where Detroit was eliminated in game 5.  That's not the way it went down.  Yes, the Wings did lose a two-goal lead at home and wound u losing in overtime, but it was in game 3, not game 4.  The Wings thus faced the toughest situation you can face in playoff hockey, trying to come back from 3 games to none down.  Detroit did win game four 7-1 (as I recall Johann Franzen scored 4 goals but we've already demonstrated the limits of my memory haven't we?) but that was their only win in the series.  The Wings have now lost six of their last seven playoff games against the Sharks and the thing is, each of those six losses have come by one goal.  Mike Babcock, the coach of the Red Wings, promises line-up changes tonight and as soon as they let us in the Auxiliary Press Box know what they are, we will pass them along.  The building is filling, it was be, with apologies to the United Center, a madhouse here tonight.  The Auxiliary Press Box is, just for your information, the last row of the stadium seats covered by a table top.  In other words, I am right in the middle of the crowd tonight.  We'll do our best.  And, for now, we'll see you face-off, set for 8:15 pm Eastern Daylight.
8:02:  Pre-Game Hoopla.  Indoor fireworks, loud music and you know the drill.  I spent my time pouring over the Red Wings record book and learned that this is the 22nd time Detroit has been down 0-2 in a best-of-seven.  They are 5-16 in the previous 21 series matching that criteria.  Still ten minutes to face....
8:15pm:  This sitting in the crowd thing is just primitive."  We didn't even get the scratches and starting line-ups and such.  I'll check NHL.com in a moment and get the information.  Pavel Datsyuk is out there on a line with Johann Franzen and Danny Cleary.  Justin Abdelkader is joined by Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler, while Todd Bertuzzi is on a line with Henrik Zetterberg and, again, Cleary.  The crowd just roared for a big hit in the corner.  If I were the crowd, I wouldn't cheer until the Wings put one in the net.  San Jose goalie Antti Niemi--the guy who won the Cup for Chicago last year--has a goals-against of 0.95 in the series.  Anytime a goals-against starts with a "0", it's a hell of a number.  Unbeatable, really.
8:21pm:  Here are the scratches for Detroit tonight (I told you I'd go to NHL.com as quickly as I could): M. Modano, D. Janik, D. Meech, D. Miller, J. Kindl, C. Emmerton, J. Mursak, B. Smith, T. Tatar.
8:27pm:  The Wings fail to score in the first power play of the game are are now 1-9 (11.1%) in the series.  Niemi made a GREAT power play glove save on Abdelkader to keep the game scoreless.
8:32pm:  Niklas Kronwall just leveled Dany Heatley and Heatley was a little, (okay, he was a lot) slow in getting up.  No penalty but Kronwell left his skates to hit him and that always calls for a penalty so its safe to say the ref missed it.  Bad blood between the teams and the crowd is in full-throated blood lust right now.  They are really irritated when, mere moments after the Heatley hit, the Wings are called for a penalty which is most assuredly I assure you to make up for the call they just missed on Kronwall.  San Jose is 2-11 (18.2%) on the PP v. Detroit in the series.  Darren Helm goes for high-sticking on the "mascara" call (make up, duh.)
8:33 Devin Setoguchi just made the make up job look grotesque and cheap, giving San Jose a 1-0 lead on the power play.  He collected the rebound off a shot from the slot which went high and bounced right out in front of Jimmy Howard's net off the lively Joe Louis Arena end boards and glass and tucked it in.  Assists to Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau at 12:57.  ED NOTE:  AT THE END OF THE PERIOD, THEY TOOK THE ASSIST AWAY FROM MARLEAU AND AWARDED IT TO JOE PAVELSKI WHICH IS HOW I THOUGHT THE PLAY HAD GONE.  I THOUGHT PAVELSKI FIRED THE SHOT FROM OUT IN FRONT THE REBOUNDED OFF THE GLASS OUT IN FRONT BUT THEY ORIGINALLY SCORED IT DIFFERENTLY.  NO BIG DEAL, EXCEPT THAT IT'S NICE TO KNOW YOU CAN BELIEVE YOUR OWN EYES.  It is the first goal of the series for Setoguchi and the first point in the series for Marleau. FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, SAN JOSE 1.
8:51pm:  With 19.3 left in the period Nicklas Lidstom ties it on the power play.  His shot was in and out of the net so fast it took them a couple of seconds to whistle the play dead.  Zetterberg was all alone off to the side and it looked like he'd fire away, but he instead spun the dished to Lidstrom between the hashmarks and the Captain fired it home at 19:38.  The replay showed the puck hit the camera suspended from the roof of the net and came right back out.  The referee made the call instantly though and the replay was clear so there is no controversy.  The goal means Niemi's goals-against in the series goes up to 1.23 from 0.95.  So, it's a 1-1 tie after one with Detroit holding a 12-11 edge in shots on goal.  The other assist on Lidstroms second goal of the playoffs and of this series went to Tomas Holmstrom.  All in all, it was a period about which playoff hockey is all about.  END OF FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 1.
9:20pm:  Just a quick note to let you know we are into the second period and is same old same old which in this case means the action has been tremendous.  Datsyuk just had a great chance, the kind he normally buries, but it glanced off the Niemi's arm and stayed out while seconds later at the other end Howard made a game-saving glove save.  I read somewhere where they timed the glove speed of an NHL goalie and it was something like 120mph and after that save by Howard, I believe it.  This is a great, great hockey game.  The guy sitting next to me is talking about soccer and all I can say is, "If you could watch hockey, why would you ever watch soccer? SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 1.
9:30pm:  We are slightly better than halfway through the period, the Wings have outshot 'em 10-5 in the middle twenty, and the Wings have nothing to show for it, save some excellent chances which all become excellent saves by Mr. Niemi.  So, bottom line, this one remains too close to call.  6:50 left in the second...  SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 1, SAN JOSE 1.
9:34PM:  6:01 left in the period now, and Detroit has taken a 2-1 lead on the 3rd goal of the playoffs by Patrick Eaves.  Darren Helm had it out in front and he waited and waited and waited and at first I thought Eaves had slammed in the rebound of his shot, but Helms never shot it.  The replay showed he flipped a little backhand pass across to Eaves who was low in the circle to the right of Niemi and Eaves got just enough of it (or Niemi didn't get quite enough of it, your call) to slide it over the goal line.  Kris Draper--a playoff hero in this town for about a decade and a half now--got the other assist.  It's his first point of this years' post-season.  The time of the goal was 13:59.  SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 2, SAN JOSE 1.
9:40pm:  It took San Jose :50 to tie the score.  Brian Rafalski was called for interference at 14:16 and at 14:49 the Sharks were on the board again, and again it was Setoguchi who got it.  He sort of fanned on the shot from the left wing circle and I think it was the shots lack of speed that fooled Howard as it hit the post the the left of the Detroit goalie and bounced in, and just like that we are back to even; back to too close to call.  SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 2, SAN JOSE 2.
9:44pm:  Pavel Datsyuk just pulled off a tremendously accurate and hard shot from the high slot over the shoulder of Niemi to put the Wings back on top by a goal with a little over a minute left in the period.  It was a spin-o-rama pass by Zetterberg that set Datsyuk up for his third goal of the playoffs, and the Wings have now scored as many goals in this second period tonight (2), as they did in the first two games of the series in San Jose.  The time of the goal was 18:17 and the second assist went to Lidstrom who started the play out of the Detroit end.  The Wings outshot the Sharks 16-8 in the period and have outshot them now 26-19 in the game.  END OF THE SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2.
9:57pm:  Just a note to let you know I will probably have to leave you early tonight.  It is going to take several minutes to get to the locker rooms tonight (sorry, this is hockey.  I mean dressing rooms) so I will most likely begin the long trip from the last row of the upper bowl to ice level on the far side of the building with a few minutes left in the game.  I hate to do it, but I have to get tape on this one tonight. 
10:07pm:  The 3rd period begins.  Meanwhile, in the game would couldn't attend tonight because we are at this one, the Tigers made it two wins in a row over the Yankees, 5-0.  I'm pretty sure it's the first shutout of the year for the Tigers.  I asked the guy next to me if it were but all I got was a snotty "I have no idea" response.  I think he's still pissed off that I think hockey is way, way more exciting than soccer.  THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2.
10:10pm:  Well, duh.  The Tigers, the weekend before last, not only got a shutout, they got back-to-back shutouts and what makes it embarrassing for me is that it wasn't like I just read about them somewhere, I was there.  For both of them.  So the answer to the question, "Was this the first shutout of the season for the Tigers tonight," would be, uh, nooooo.  Here, San Jose is going on the power play as Hudler goes for hooking at 6:22.  It's nail-biting time....THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2.
10:18pm:  Okay, here's the thing, it's 3-2 Detroit as we approach the halfway mark of the third and I have to go lest I be late to the postgame interviews.  It's been a blast. I'll type up a quick wrap-up after I'm done in the room.  And wish me luck.  It's been a little while since I interviewed your professional athlete types.  Not the firs time though, not by a long shot.  10:00 left in Regulation Time.  See 'ya!  THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 2.
10:47pm:  We're headed for overtime and I'm down in the Press Room beneath the stands which during the regular season is the press dining room and is empty at this time of day.  Right now it is packed with reporters ready to head down the hall in a massive herd as soon as the game ends.  San Jose tied it with 4:08 left on the clock and other than the fact that Dan Boyle scored it, there's not too much else I can tell you as I was either in a stairwell or actually outside the building when it happened (I took a wrong turn and wound up outside.)  I did get to see Kid Rock, though.  He was outside by the TV trucks smoking a cigar.  At least I think it was a cigar.  So, cool.  Now I, with many, many others, sit and wait for overtime to begin.  The entire season for Detroit hangs in the balance, that's all.  And I'm watching it on TV, just like you.  END OF THE THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 3.
10:55pm:  Overtime is underway.
11:07pm:  Overtime continues.  The Wings had a power play but they were unable to generate a shot on goal.  Moments after the penalty ended, Zetterberg had a great chance in close, but Niemi, well, you know the story.  There are 11 minutes left in OT.  
IN OVERTIME: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 3.
11:09pm  At 10:39, Setugucho completes his hat trick and wins it.  FINAL SCORE: DETROIT 3, SAN JOSE 4 (OT).
11:27pm:  Just back from the Red Wings dressing room where Goalie Jimmy Howard says, in answer to my question, "Can you still win this series>? said, "Yes, I think we can."  He says the game-winner (loser) "knuckled" on him.  We are waiting now for Red Wings coach Mike Babcock to address the media here in the press room.  Firsst, San Jose coach Todd McLelllan.
11:47pm:  Press conferences over.  I asked the last question of the Wings' Babcock which was simply, "Can you still win this series?"  He said, "I'm not even going to think about that.  All I can think about is winning Thursday night.  All I can think about is winning one game."  Moments later he added, "It can be done, 3 teams have done it including Philly last year.  But it's not easy."  And with that we will call it a live-blog.  I've got tape to edit.  Night all and thanks for reading...

Do Or (Pretty Much) Die

Pre-Game Skate:  Welcome back to the NHL playoffs where tonight the (your) Detroit Red Wings are in pretty much the same boat--make that exactly--the same boat in which they were in one year ago:  down two games to none to the San Jose Sharks heading into game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals.  We were talking about this last night at Comerica Park (where the Tigers finally snapped their 7-game losing streak, yay, I guess) and it was there that I learned that my memory had failed me.  I thought the Wings had won game 3 then lost a 3-1 third period lead to lose game 4 which meant they were down 3-1 to the Sharks going back to San Jose, where Detroit was eliminated in game 5.  That's not the way it went down.  Yes, the Wings did lose a two-goal lead at home and wound u losing in overtime, but it was in game 3, not game 4.  The Wings thus faced the toughest situation you can face in playoff hockey, trying to come back from 3 games to none down.  Detroit did win game four 7-1 (as I recall Johann Franzen scored 4 goals but we've already demonstrated the limits of my memory haven't we?) but that was their only win in the series.  The Wings have now lost six of their last seven playoff games against the Sharks and the thing is, each of those six losses have come by one goal.  Mike Babcock, the coach of the Red Wings, promises line-up changes tonight and as soon as they let us in the Auxiliary Press Box know what they are, we will pass them along.  The building is filling, it was be, with apologies to the United Center, a madhouse here tonight.  The Auxiliary Press Box is, just for your information, the last row of the stadium seats covered by a table top.  In other words, I am right in the middle of the crowd tonight.  We'll do our best.  And, for now, we'll see you face-off, set for 8:15 pm Eastern Daylight.

It's The Playoffs!

7:20pm: Welcome to the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, everybody.  We are all of 2:16 into what promises to be a long run to The Cup by the Detroit Red Wings and already we've hit a little bump in the road.  A slight hiccup, if you will.  Pavel Datsyuk lost his man in the defensive zone and that man, Kyle Turris of the wildly over-rated Phoenix Coyotes, snapped a shot from the low rim of the circle to right of Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard over Howard's left shoulder (the short side for those of you scoring at home) and into the net and, thus, Phoenix has grabbed the early lead.  Ray Whitney and Shane Doan got the assists and as we type, Phoenix almost got another one.  A few moments after the Coyotes goal, Detroit's Danny Cleary, mere minutes after being selected in the first round of the annual Press Room Playoff Draft by this reporter, was the victim of Grand Theft Goaltender as Ilya Bryzygalov went post-to-post to rob him off a near cross-rink set-up.  One wonders if the tone for the game, for the series and for the playoffs themselves was set in that 30-second sequence.  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, PHOENIX 1.
7:32pm:  The Coyotes are on the power play for already the third time here in the first, including ninety-seconds during which Phoenix had a 2-man advantage.  So far the kill has been strong in the Detroits, but you know how it goes if you keep giving them chances.  By the way, apparently because they are worried we'll forget it, the words "STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS" have been stenciled into the ice just inside the two blue lines so there will be no mistaking this for one of those next-to-meaningless regular season games.  Ugh.  The crowd is all rowdy and ready to kick ass and all like that there and I'm thinking StubHub might be the reason.  In years past (this is the Wings' twentieth consecutive year of making the playoffs which is something they will simply not let you forget which I guess is understandable as it seems to me that when I was growing up they once went 20 straight years without ever making the playoffs) some of the seats in the early round games went patron-less.  (I'm still in Masters mode, apparently.  Every sporting event save the Masters have "fans".  At the Masters, they are called "patrons".)  No matter what you call them though, the patron-fans weren't always in the arena to see the Wings in the first couple of playoff rounds.  The other day after hockey--the hockey which I play as opposed to the hockey I watch, one of the guys in The Room was telling us he'd found tix on StubHub for ten bucks.  I suspect that's one of reasons--cheap internet tickets--behind the place being packed here tonight.  We're under five left in the first now.  A Coyote just has a breakaway and while he wound up in the Detroit net behind Howard, the puck did not.  (In all the excitement, I forgot which Phoenix player is was.  Sorry.)  FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, PHOENIX 1.
7:50pm:  The first period ends with Phoenix both on the lead and on the power play (again).  This is the 4th time in the first that Phoenix has been a man (or two) to the good but in spite of it the Coyotes only outshot Detroit 11-9 in the period.  There are :49 left in the fourth Detroit minor whistled in the period as intermission comes.  END OF FIRST PERIOD: DETROIT 0, PHOENIX 1.
8:18pm:  I got a little engrossed watching the Indians-Angels on the computer--I've the MLB.TV package and I LOVE IT--and I sort of forgot about our little blog thingy here.  Ooops.  Anyway, the Wings just tied it on the prettiest little backhand you will ever see from Datsyuk.  Johan Franzen had his backhand from point-blank range out in front stopped but the puck went in behind the net where Datsyuk collected it and sneaked it past Bryzgalov on the wrap-around.  The goal came just eight seconds after a (rare) Detroit power play had ended.  Assisting on the goal were Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom at 7:38.  SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 1, PHOENIX 1.
8:30pm:  Franzen just scored on a 35-foot wrister that Bryzgalov really should've had.  Unless the puck changed direction off the stick of a Coyote D-man and the replays were inconclusive on that question.  You'd be surprised how little the puck has to change direction before you, the goalie, looks really, really bad.  That may have been the case here.  In any event, less than four-and-half minutes after the Wings tie it, they take the lead on an unassisted goal at 12:02.  SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 2, PHOENIX 1.
8:42pm:  The fastest way to jink the whole deal is to say it's in the bag, but the Wings just scored again and I think this one is in the bag.  Brian Rafalski wired one home from inside the blue line on the power play to make it 3-1, Detroit.  Valtteri Filppula got the only assist.  The shot beat Bryzgalov in the same place the shot by Franzen had beat him:  blocker side high.  It's a good place to shoot.  It takes longer for the goalie to get the blocker up than it does the glove simply because he is, of course, using his blocker arm and hand to hold his stick and the stick has to be lifted, too.  It slows him down just a shade.  The Wings outshot Detroit 17-8 in a period in which they outscored Phoenix 3-0 and, as we say, Game 1 here may just be over with a period left to play in it. The Wings scored their 3 second-period goals in a span of 10:22.  END OF SECOND PERIOD: DETROIT 3, PHOENIX 1.  
9:08pm:  The word right now isn't "jinx", it's "Juri".  And Juri--as in Hudler--just snapped a shot into the Phoenix net laying waste to our blocker-side dissertation of a few moments ago in the process.  Hudler went high glove to make it 4-1 at 3:16 of the third and if the Wings are going to stumble in this series (and remember it took them the full 7 games to defeat these same Coyotes last year) it isn't going to be in Game 1.  Drew Miller got the only assist on the Hudler goal.  THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 4, PHOENIX 1.
9:15pm: Radim Vrbata of the Coyotes shot high and Howard went low and the puck went in the net.  The Wings lead is down to two, 4-2, on the goal at 7:38.  THIRD PERIOD: DETROIT 4, PHOENIX 2.
9:35pm:  We're inside a minute to go and it looks to be in the bag.  The Phoenix net is empty and Detroit almost put one in there a moment ago.  54 seconds to play and the Coyotes have called time out.  Game 2 in this series is Saturday afternoon.  We'll be here for all your playoff hockey live-blog needs.  The crowd is denied the empty-net goal that would have brought a final roar, but that's all they are denied on this night, the first night of the playoffs. (We have a LONG WAY to go.)  The Wings outshoot the Coyotes 35-28 and lead the best-of-seven series 1-0.  FINAL SCORE:  DETROIT 4, PHOENIX 1.  SEE YOU SATURDAY AFTERNOON!

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.