Game 4 Breakdown: Bruins put the Wings on the brink of elimination with OT win
By Michael Caples –
DETROIT – For a while there, it looked like everything was going right for the Red Wings.
A 2-0 lead halfway through the second period, a dominating first period, Henrik Zetterberg back in the lineup – things were going well.
Then Torey Krug scored in the second. And Milan Lucic scored in the third. And Boston controlled play for the final 20 of regulation, and the majority of overtime.
Three bounces – one off Luke Glendening’s stick, one off Jerome Iginla’s stick and one off Danny DeKeyser’s skate – led to Dougie Hamilton’s shot getting past Jonas Gustavsson and into the net (the goal ended up belonging to Iginla).
Now, the Bruins hold a 3-1 series lead – with the series shifting back to Boston for a Saturday afternoon Game 5.
The Red Wings took the game’s first lead, when Kronwall fired home a blast from the point on a power play 11 minutes in to the first. Detroit was on the power play after Justin Florek got whistled for a high-stick on Drew Miller.
Detroit increased their lead to two early in the second period, when Niklas Kronwall grabbed a puck out of the air behind the Boston goal and sent a pass to Pavel Datsyuk for an easy goal.
However, the Bruins rallied in the second, and Torey Krug pulled them within one on a blast from the blue line.
Milan Lucic tied Game 4 1:15 into the third period, burying a pass from Carl Sodenberg after being left uncovered on a rush to the Wings’ goal.
Hamilton’s shot (a.k.a. Iginla’s goal) ended a lopsided overtime session.
Game-changing moment
Things changed as soon as Krug’s shot found daylight through a crowd and past Gustavsson. The Livonia native’s first goal of his collegiate/professional career at Joe Louis Arena turned the momentum of the game towards Boston’s favor, and his teammates seized the opportunity.
Mitten watch
Krug scored the lone Michigan-produced goal in the contest, firing a shot past Gustavsson on a power play to give Boston their first goal of Game 4. It was Krug’s first goal of the series.
Justin Florek took the penalty that resulted in the Red Wings’ first goal; his four-minute high-sticking call led to Kronwall’s goal just four seconds into the man-advantage.
Justin Abdelkader picked up the secondary assist on Datsyuk’s goal, and he picked up a penalty at the 7:01 mark of the first period after a scuffle with Dougie Hamilton.
MVP
He wasn’t on the winning side of things, but I’m still going with Niklas Kronwall. The new father scored the Wings’ first goal – their first in quite a while – and made a brilliant play to set up Datsyuk for the Wings’ other goal. He led all Detroit skaters in ice-time, logging 29:33, recorded three shots, blocked seven shots and gave out two hits. Without him, who knows how much worse Game 4 could have went for the Wings.
Between the pipes
Gustavsson made an unexpected Game 4 start for the Red Wings after it was announced by the team that Jimmy Howard was battling the flu. After a scoreless first period where he only had to stop five shots, Gustavsson allowed one goal in the second (Krug’s blast from the point) and one in the third (Lucic’s quick shot on a feed from behind the goal line). He ended up stopping 26 of 28 shots through regulation, and 11 of 12 in overtime.
The Red Wings finally managed to get the puck past Tuukka Rask more than once in a contest; Rask had held Detroit to two goals over the first three games. The first goal on Rask came in the first period, with Kronwall’s shot from the blue line getting through traffic in front of him. The second, four minutes into the second period, came on a great play from Niklas Kronwall, grabbing a loose puck and feeding Datsyuk for the easy goal. Rask ended up stopping 35 of the 37 shots he faced in the contest.
Both goalies had strong outings, hence the need for extra time.
The opposition
While the Red Wings controlled play in the first 20 minutes, it was all Bruins when it mattered most. Boston out-shot the Red Wings 12-3 in overtime, with Detroit’s lone chance coming on a breakaway for Justin Abdelkader very early in the extra frame. And, as coach Mike Babcock pointed out after the game, the Bruins controlled the face-off dot, winning 54 percent of the draws (though it seemed like a more lopsided differential). Had Brad Marchand not missed two wide-open empty-netters, the game might not have even went to overtime.
For the stats guys
Through regulation, Zetterberg recorded 16:15 worth of ice time, and played to a +1 rating. Of those 16 minutes-plus, 13:52 came in even-strength play. In his return to the lineup, Zetterberg also recorded one shot and one face-off win, but he lost five draws. He only played for 3:19
Next up
The series now heads to Boston – the Bruins will have a chance to wrap things up on home ice Saturday afternoon. Puck drops at 3 p.m. ET.