Round 2 - Detroit Vs. Anaheim

Detroit 6, Anaheim 3

	1	2	3	T
DET	2	2	2	6
ANA	1	1	1	3

Final

10:30 PM ET, May 7, 2009, Honda Center, Anaheim, California

Red Wings dominate in Anaheim to tie series with Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP/ESPN) -- Johan Franzen and Marian Hossa gave the Detroit Red Wings all the offense they needed on a new line with center Valtteri Filppula.

Franzen and Hossa each scored twice to help the Detroit beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-3 on Thursday night, tying the Western Conference semifinal series at 2.

Fast Facts


• The Red Wings got a pair of goals from Marian Hossa, his first points of the series, in a span of 3:02 late in the second period to break a 2-2 tie.
• Johan Franzen also scored twice for Detroit, his first multi-goal game of the playoffs.
• This is the first game of the series that was decided by more than one goal.
• Detroit has now won its last six road games when facing a 2-1 deficit, which is tied for the longest streak in NHL history.
• Scott Niedermayer scored his 25th career playoff goal in the loss, tying Rob Blake for third-most among active defensemen.
• Ryan Getzlaf recorded two assists and has an assist in each of his last eight games.
• Calder Cup trophy finalist Bobby Ryan has just one assist in his last six games.
-- ESPN Stats & Information

After Franzen -- dubbed "The Mule" by his teammates -- scored two first-period goals, Hossa broke a 2-2 tie with two goals in a 3:02 span of the second period.
Franzen added an assist, and Filppula had two assists.

Mikael Samuelsson also scored, Henrik Zetterberg added an empty-netter to help the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings regain momentum in the series.

"We got our goals a little bit easier, we played with high tempo," Franzen said. "We need things like that to break down that goalie, so we did a great job tonight."

Game 5 is Sunday in Detroit, and Game 6 is Tuesday night in Anaheim.

The Red Wings may have found an effective scoring trio just at the right time.

"For whatever reason, we seemed to get a spark from that line," said Detroit coach Mike Babc0ck, who decided to give the new combination a shot in the first period. "I figured it was time to change things up."

The early returns were highly favorable.



While Chris Osgood was making 25 saves for Detroit, the Red Wings were able to chase Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller out after Samuelsson's goal early in the third.

Hiller, who had made 59 saves in the Ducks' 4-3 triple-overtime win in Game 2 and 45 saves in a 2-1 victory in Game 3, allowed five goals on 33 shots before being replaced by Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

"They just outplayed us," Hiller said. "It was probably our worst playoff game we have played so far."

Corey Perry had two goals and an assist for Anaheim. Scott Niedermayer also scored, and Ryan Getzlaf had two assists.

The Ducks certainly got the start they were looking for.

Perry took a feed from Chris Pronger and swiftly moved down the right wing before whisking a slap shot inside the far post just 42 seconds after the opening faceoff.
Anaheim continued to control play, building a 5-1 shot advantage before the Red Wings got on track.

Franzen tied it, beating Hiller with a quick wrist shot from the high slot off a drop pass from Filppula.

"The first goal was a goal that should have never gone into the net," Ducks coach Randy Carlye said. "We weren't just good enough as a team and goaltending is part of the team and that's the bottom line. We weren't good enough."

Franzen scored his second goal by deflecting in Niklas Kronwall's point shot with 36 seconds remaining in the first to make it 2-1.

Franzen has shown a significant ability to raise his game in the postseason.

During the Red Wings' championship run last year, the 29-year-old Swede scored 12 goals in his first 12 playoff games before sustaining a concussion against Dallas.

After missing six games, he scored a goal in the Cup finals.

Wasting little time returning to that form this season, Franzen leads Detroit with six postseason goals and he generated at least a point in each of the Red Wings' first six playoff games before being shutdown by the Ducks in Game 3.

Franzen responded Thursday with his first multigoal game of this postseason. He had three multigoal games, including two three-goal games last year.

"It seems like he's one of the best right now when he's around the net," Hossa said. "He's got a great touch right around the crease. He's big and strong and fights for the puck and he gets it."

After Perry scored his second goal at 11:03 of the second to tie it at 2, Hossa then put a wrist shot from the right circle inside the post to Hiller's left for his first goal of the series, giving Detroit a 3-2 lead with 3:58 to go in the second.

"Mule made a nice pass to me in the high slot and that's the position where I usually like to shoot," Hossa said. "It's always nice after a couple of games when you don't score to get one."

Working on a power play 3:05 later, Hossa drilled a slap shot from the right point past Hiller to give Detroit its first two-goal lead of the series.

Game notes
Defenseman Brett Festerling moved into the Anaheim lineup in place of James Wisniewski, who bruised a lung when hit by a slap shot in Game 3. Wisniewski was hospitalized overnight and released Wednesday. He will begin riding a stationary bike Friday and hopes to play in Game 5. ... Brian Rafalski (upper body), Kris Draper (upper body) and Andreas Lilja (concussion) remained absent from the Detroit lineup.

Defenseman Brett Festerling moved into the Anaheim lineup in place of James Wisniewski, who bruised a lung when hit by a slap shot in Game 3
Wisniewski was hospitalized overnight and released Wednesday. He will begin riding a stationary bike Friday and hopes to play in Game 5.

Are you kidding me? This kid is tough as nails, sheesh.

It's all even after the Red Wings finally get to Hiller

Helene Elliott/The Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2009

The Red Wings' offense was too deep to be stifled by the Ducks forever.

The question for the Ducks now is whether they can silence it again after it awoke with a roar on Thursday.

Stirred by Coach Mike Babc0ck's astute line juggling -- and benefiting from sloppy defensive play by a Ducks team that missed rugged defenseman James Wisniewski -- the Red Wings scored twice in the second period and twice in the third to roll to a 6-3 victory that tied the teams' second-round playoff series at two games each.

"We had a pretty decent start, but we kind of lost our game after that," said goaltender Jonas Hiller, less than invincible in yielding five goals on 33 shots before he was replaced by Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

"We just were not good enough."

Nowhere near good enough to stop the reconfigured Red Wings, who will play host to Game 5 Sunday at Joe Louis Arena.

"We needed this one," said Johan Franzen, who scored Detroit's first two goals.

"Now we'll see what they got back in Detroit. We know they've given us a tough time there before."

In addition to the two goals from Franzen, Marian Hossa -- taken off the first line and placed alongside Franzen and Valtteri Filppula -- responded with his first two goals of the series.

It was an impressive showing in front of a franchise-record crowd of 17,601, populated as always by a large contingent of Red Wings fans. The breakout wasn't a complete surprise, because the Red Wings had produced many quality chances in the third period of their 2-1 loss Tuesday in Game 3.

"You get enough chances, sooner or later the puck is going to go in the net," said Hossa, who scored at even strength at 16:02 of the second period and during a power play gained after Francois Beauchemin took a bad interference penalty.

Their fifth goal, scored by Mikael Samuelsson at 2:46 of the third period, chased Hiller and brought Giguere out of cold storage for the first time since April 11.

"We knew we had to keep peppering the puck at his feet and get rebounds and second chances," Hossa said of Hiller. "Tonight, we just squeezed some through."

The Ducks sabotaged their own chances by giving Detroit five power plays.

Although the Red Wings capitalized on only one, killing those penalties took a toll. Not only did the Ducks miss Wisniewski's penalty-killing skills, but they had to ask more of Ryan Getzlaf than the apparently ailing center could give.

The Ducks' first-line center played only 15 minutes 55 seconds, about 10 minutes below his average, and a teammate said Getzlaf was ill. The Ducks would not confirm that. They were all feeling a little queasy afterward, anyway.

"You get in the box a few times and you give them the chance to start feeling the puck and get a little confidence with it, they're a good team and they'll take advantage of it," forward Ryan Carter said.

"I don't know if there's too many positives that you can pull out of this game, but one thing you have to look at is that it's over. You turn the page and get ready for the next one. These kinds of things happen in a series. You learn how to turn the page and get ready for the next one."

After falling behind, 5-2, the Ducks pulled within two on a power-play goal by Scott Niedermayer from the right circle at 10:03 of the third period. But Henrik Zetterberg scored into an empty net at 17:27 to clinch the victory.

The Ducks were outshot, 40-28, keeping them 10 for 10 in that category in the playoffs. "As a team, we just weren't good enough," Coach Randy Carlyle said.

His team had scored in the first minute of the game, catching Red Wings on a line change, but the Red Wings came at Hiller in waves and built a 2-1 lead before the first period ended.

Corey Perry took a long pass from Chris Pronger and snapped the puck past Chris Osgood 42 seconds in, delighting the Duck fans in the crowd and tying a club record for fastest goal from the start of a game. But their joy didn't last long.

The Hossa-Filppula-Franzen line produced both goals for Detroit in the opening period. Filppula was sandwiched between two Duck defenders when he slipped a pass back to Franzen, who rifled a 30-foot shot past the right pad of a surprised Hiller at 11:49, and Franzen tipped a Niklas Kronwall shot past Hiller with 35.4 seconds left in the period after Ducks defenseman Ryan Whitney turned the puck over along the boards.

The Ducks pulled even at 11:03 of the second period. Whitney made a good play in his own zone to blunt a Detroit push, and the puck came out to Getzlaf. He had checkers on him but he made a half-turn and pushed the puck to Perry, whose quick, 35-foot shot eluded Osgood at 11:03.

Hossa put the Red Wings ahead, 3-2, at 16:02 when he took a pass from Franzen and fired it past Hiller's arm from the inner edge of the right circle. Hossa made it 4-2 with another goal in the last minute of a period, while Beauchemin served a needless interference penalty he took in the offensive zone. Hossa accepted a pass from Nicklas Lidstrom and unleashed a one-timer from the top of the right circle that eluded Hiller with 55.6 seconds left.

The Red Wings had to dig deep to find fire and character on Thursday. It will be the Ducks' turn to do that on Sunday in Game 5, with Game 6 scheduled for the Honda Center on Tuesday. A seventh game, if necessary, would be played in Detroit next Thursday.

"They had some good chances, but we've got to limit our turnovers too," Perry said. "It kind of came off our turnovers and just not playing strong defensively, guys open in the slot and taking great shots from there.

"If we kind of collapse a little bit more with our wingers and be ready for them in the slot we're going to be all right."

It might not be that simple. The Red Wings may have awakened for good.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

This one is gonna go 7 for sure.

shabbs wrote:This one is gonna go 7 for sure.

Hopefully with MORE OT games...heh heh

:##:

DTR loves him some OT.

There was a suggestion from our esteemed Hockey Hero 22000 that Detroit's offensive explosion in Game Four might have been a result of anger from the disallowed goal in Game Three.

IMHO it was the result of a Mike Babc0ck explosion of anger at this Red Wings team after the Game Three loss.

davetherave wrote:There was a suggestion from our esteemed Hockey Hero 22000 that Detroit's offensive explosion in Game Four might have been a result of anger from the disallowed goal in Game Three.

IMHO it was the result of a Mike Babc0ck explosion of anger at this Red Wings team after the Game Three loss.

probably a combination of both...i also imagine despite how babc0ck seemed he was anger about the goal waived off too but they had to get over it and move on and they did a good job.....ducks missed weisneuski a bit last night too

shabbs wrote:DTR loves him some OT.

who doesnt love OT....nothing better than playoff OT....except maybe some game 7 playoff OT cool)

Hockeyhero22000 wrote:

davetherave wrote:There was a suggestion from our esteemed Hockey Hero 22000 that Detroit's offensive explosion in Game Four might have been a result of anger from the disallowed goal in Game Three.

IMHO it was the result of a Mike Babc0ck explosion of anger at this Red Wings team after the Game Three loss.

probably a combination of both...i also imagine despite how babc0ck seemed he was anger about the goal waived off too but they had to get over it and move on and they did a good job.....ducks missed weisneuski a bit last night too

I believe Wiz may be back for Game Five or Game Six...

davetherave wrote:

Hockeyhero22000 wrote:

davetherave wrote:There was a suggestion from our esteemed Hockey Hero 22000 that Detroit's offensive explosion in Game Four might have been a result of anger from the disallowed goal in Game Three.

IMHO it was the result of a Mike Babc0ck explosion of anger at this Red Wings team after the Game Three loss.

probably a combination of both...i also imagine despite how babc0ck seemed he was anger about the goal waived off too but they had to get over it and move on and they did a good job.....ducks missed weisneuski a bit last night too

I believe Wiz may be back for Game Five or Game Six...

Good for the Ducks!

From CBC's HNIC website...on the Wings-Ducks, plus some other playoff factoids:

Franzen the ultimate playoff performer

May 9, 2009 02:32 PM | Posted by CBC Sports Staff

For all the superstar talent that envelops their dressing room, when it comes playoff time, one Detroit Red Wing stands above the crowd:
Right-winger Johan Franzen.

The man they call "The Mule" turns into a thoroughbred during the post-season, and he’s a big reason why the Wings find themselves deadlocked 2-2 with the Anaheim Ducks in their Western Conference semifinal series heading into Game 5 Sunday at Joe Louis Arena.

Franzen scored twice in Detroit’s 6-3 Game 4 victory, adding another chapter to his growing Stanley Cup legacy.

He has four goals with two assists in this series, and is fourth in playoff scoring with 12 points.

Eight of his 23 Stanley Cup goals have been game-winners and he’s scored 19 in his last 24 playoff games.

“He gets into a zone when the playoffs come around,” Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. “He’s been scoring some real big goals. When we really need a goal, he’s scoring a lot of goals, he’s sort of our go-to guy in pressure situations.”

Teammate Dan Cleary took the Franzen praise one step further. “He’s got to be one of the best five forwards right now in the world,” Cleary said.

Getz going?

Meanwhile, at the other end of the rink, there’s concern over the status of Ducks centre Ryan Getzlaf, who shares the playoff scoring lead with Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby — each with 16 points.

Getzlaf played just 16 minutes in Anaheim’s Game 4 setback, and less than three in the final frame.

“I was battling a little bit of the flu, so I was a little bit run down, so [Ducks coach] Randy [Carlyle] took the ice time away for a little while,” said Getzlaf, who has one shot on goal in the last two games.

Testy Carlyle

Carlyle grew weary of reporter’s questions regarding his starting goaltender for Game 5. Jonas Hiller was pulled early in the third period of Game 4 after Mikael Samuelsson made it 5-2 Detroit in favour of Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

“You guys better come to the warm-up to see who's going to start,” Carlyle said. “I don't think it's any business of the media to know who starts.”

Even though Giguere has won a Cup, played in two finals and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2003, no one was expecting a switch between the posts for Anaheim.

"That's Randy's call, but I would expect it,” Ducks defenceman Scott Niedermayer said, anticipating they’d go with Hiller.

The Wings were of the same mindset.

“He’ll be back,” Babc0ck said of Hiller. “And if not, Giggy’s really good, too. Hiller’s been fantastic. You can change if you want, but it doesn’t much matter. I don’t think there’s much to pick between those two guys.”

Perhaps he was just teasing, but Carlyle did seem to open the path to a change in net just a crack.

“Giguere has been working diligently, and we felt it would be best to give him an opportunity to sharpen and hone in playoff-type action with it being a three-goal [Detroit] lead,” Carlyle said of his Game 4 decision to change goalies.

“It made sense to do that and give him an opportunity to get his feet underneath him. If we decide to go in that direction, he's not coming in cold,” he said.

Justin time

With Tomas Kopecky out after suffering a head injury in a Game 4 fight with Anaheim’s Francois Beauchemin, rookie left-winger Justin Abdelkader is slated to make his Stanley Cup debut Sunday on Detroit’s fourth line.

“It’s really exciting,” said Abelkader, who scored a team rookie-record 24 goals with Detroit’s American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids this season. “To get called up and thrown right in the lineup, it couldn’t get much better.

“I’m just going to bring energy, finish my checks and play good defensively.”

Babc0ck made no bones about what he expects Abdelkader to add to the Detroit cause.

“We expect him to get in on the forecheck and run over people,” Wang said.

Wisniewski skates

Ducks defenceman James Wisniewski, who missed Game 4 after suffering a lung contusion when struck in the chest by a shot from the stick of Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk in Game 3, practiced with the Ducks Saturday.

But there’s still no verdict on whether he’ll be able to go Sunday.

“He's feeling better,” Carlyle said. “It will be a warm-up decision.”

Wisniewski was to be re-evaluated by Anaheim team physicians later Saturday.

“The big test will be how I feel on the ice when I get my heart rate up higher,” Wisniewski said.

Brother act

When Anaheim won the 2007 Stanley Cup, Rob and Scott Niedermayer became the first brothers to win a Cup as teammates since Duane and Brent Sutter with the 1982-83 New York Islanders.

Now they find themselves pursuing the Sutters yet again.

When they suit for Game 5 Sunday at Joe Louis Arena, the Niedermayers will tie Frank and Peter Mahovlich for seventh on the all-time playoff list of games played by brothers as teammates.

Duane and Brent Sutter hold the lead in this category, having played 77 games together, but there’s another tandem in the way of the Niedermayers that could prove more problematic.

Vancouver’s Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, have played 52 Stanley Cup games together and are continuing to add to their totals in this spring’s playoffs.

Top 10: Most Stanley Cup games played by brothers as teammates

1. Brent/Duane Sutter 77
2. Barclay/Bob Plager 65
3. Jimmy/Joe Watson 63
4. Anton/Peter Stastny 62
5. Bobby/Dennis Hull 60
6. Daniel/Henrik Sedin 52*
7. Frank/Peter Mahovlich 49
8. Rob/Scott Niedermayer 48*
9. Bill/Bun Cook 46
10. Gino/Paul Cavallini 44
*Active streaks

Anaheim 1, Detroit 4

	1	2	3	T
ANA	0	1	0	1
DET	0	2	2	4

Final

5:00 PM ET, May 10, 2009, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan

Red Wings overwhelm Hiller to push Ducks to brink of elimination

DETROIT (AP/ESPN)-- Johan Franzen usually blends in behind the Detroit Red Wings' other stars.

Unless it's the playoffs.

Franzen scored his seventh goal of the postseason, helping Detroit beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 Sunday. The defending Stanley Cup champions' dominating performance gave them a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.

Franzen led the way as he did during the playoffs last year and again the past few weeks.



His 20 goals since the start of last year's title run are the most in a 25-game postseason span since Theo Fleury had a similar outburst a decade ago, according to STATS LLC.

The Swede acknowledge being amazed by his scoring tear.

"Maybe I'm a little bit surprised," he said.

Game 6 will be Tuesday night at Anaheim.

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said his team didn't play desperately Sunday, adding that has to change to shift the series back to Detroit for Game 7.

Fast Facts


• The Red Wings are one win away from making their third straight Western Conference finals appearance.
• Johan Franzen's goal gave him 20 goals over the last two postseasons, which leads the NHL.
• Detroit allowed just 17 shots, its fewest in a playoff game since the 2007 Western Conference quarterfinals when it gave up 15 to Calgary.
• Ryan Whitney scored his first goal since joining the Ducks and his first since Feb. 16 when he was with the Penguins.
• Ryan Getzlaf was held without a point, ending an eight-game point streak.
• This is the first time the Ducks have lost back-to-back games since an 0-2-1 skid from March 3-8.
-- ESPN Stats & Information

"We just have to get emotionally involved in the game right from the drop of the puck," Carlyle said.

The Ducks also will have to physically engage the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Franzen, whose nickname is Mule.

"He's a big guy," Carlyle said. "He's probably not even filled out to his full size. The difference in his size in between this year and last year is quite noticeable.

"He's strong on the puck. He's finding holes."

Franzen scored the first goal Sunday at 3:23 of the second period. He skated up the right boards, swooped into the circle and flicked a wrist shot high on Jonas Hiller after many of Detroit's first 16 shots were low.

"We're giving him a lot of shots every night, so maybe we're wearing him out a little bit," Franzen said. "I think it's more that we know where to shoot on him."

Franzen, who has six goals in six games, scored twice in Game 4 to help Detroit even the series in Anaheim.

"When we keep the speed up and put the pucks behind their 'D,' it's going to be hard for them to create something," he said. "If we keep doing that the next game, I think we have a good chance to win."

Regardless of the outcome Tuesday, the odds are in Detroit's favor.

"Game 5s are huge games," Detroit coach Mike Babc0ck said. "The last time we played those guys, they ended up beating us and winning the series.

"It gives you more confidence going into their building, but obviously as much as the past can help you out, this is a totally different situation."

In the 2007 Western Conference finals, the Ducks won at Detroit to take a 3-2 lead in the series en route to the Stanley Cup title.

Franzen was a role player back then, scoring three times in 18 games. He closed strong toward the end of the 2007-08 regular season, finishing with 27 goals, then was almost unstoppable in the postseason.

Franzen scored 13 times in the playoffs last year, matching a franchise record for one postseason, despite missing six games because blood pooled between his skull and brain.

"Mule's game is suited for any time of year," Babc0ck said.

Detroit's Jiri Hudler, Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg scored after Franzen and Chris Osgood had 16 saves.

Ryan Whitney scored late in the second period and Hiller stopped 34 shots, giving the Ducks a chance until Helm made it 3-1 with 3:08 left. Zetterberg added an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Like Carlyle, Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski was disappointed with the team's intensity.

"We played like Game 38 of the regular season," Wisniewski said.

Game notes
Franzen became the 11th player to score at least 20 goals in a 25-game span in the playoffs since 1988. ... D Derek Meech and LW Justin Abdelkader made their postseason debuts, replacing D Chris Chelios (healthy scratch) and LW Tomas Kopecky (facial injuries). ... Wisniewski played after missing Game 4 due to a bruised lung sustained in the previous game. ... The Red Wings recalled tough guy Darren McCarty after the game, perhaps to protect teammates if fists start flying in Game 6.

Pictures don't seem to want to show up for me.

Anyway, great win. Anaheim will (obviously) be up against the ropes, but Carlyle will be able to get the match-ups he wants at the Honda Centre.

Then again, how do you match up against the Wings? Do you try to take on the Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom line, or put your efforts against Hossa, Filpulla and Franzen?

Even if you do manage to shut them down, Hudler, Cleary, Helm, Samuelsson et all can burn you.

Also, Abdelkader had an assist tonight. That's got to be his first career post-seaso point, no?

asq2 wrote:Pictures don't seem to want to show up for me.

Anyway, great win. Anaheim will (obviously) be up against the ropes, but Carlyle will be able to get the match-ups he wants at the Honda Centre.

Then again, how do you match up against the Wings? Do you try to take on the Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom line, or put your efforts against Hossa, Filpulla and Franzen?

Even if you do manage to shut them down, Hudler, Cleary, Helm, Samuelsson et all can burn you.

Are you using the 'host image' button?

Carlyle and the Ducks managed to play the Wings pretty close in the first three...but as Pierre Lebrun suggests on his ESPN blog, injuries may have become a factor for Anaheim, who needed all their guys healthy in order to execute a plan that worked well in the early going.

Getzlaf suffering from an undisclosed ailment and Wisniewski out took away two key elements.

The Ducks don't have Detroit's depth...plain and simple.

If you watched his postgame presser on NHL Network 'On The Fly', Mike Babc0ck certainly doesn't feel the Wings are in any kind of 'comfort zone' or 'control' right now.

He'd like to win it in Anaheim for obvious reasons...but the Ducks haven't quacked yet...and he knows it.

davetherave wrote:

asq2 wrote:Pictures don't seem to want to show up for me.

Anyway, great win. Anaheim will (obviously) be up against the ropes, but Carlyle will be able to get the match-ups he wants at the Honda Centre.

Then again, how do you match up against the Wings? Do you try to take on the Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom line, or put your efforts against Hossa, Filpulla and Franzen?

Even if you do manage to shut them down, Hudler, Cleary, Helm, Samuelsson et all can burn you.

Are you using the 'host image' button?

Carlyle and the Ducks managed to play the Wings pretty close in the first three...but as Pierre Lebrun suggests on his ESPN blog, injuries may have become a factor for Anaheim, who needed all their guys healthy in order to execute a plan that worked well in the early going.

Getzlaf suffering from an undisclosed ailment and Wisniewski out took away two key elements.

The Ducks don't have Detroit's depth...plain and simple.

If you watched his postgame presser on NHL Network 'On The Fly', Mike Babc0ck certainly doesn't feel the Wings are in any kind of 'comfort zone' or 'control' right now.

He'd like to win it in Anaheim for obvious reasons...but the Ducks haven't quacked yet...and he knows it.

I'm using the method I normally use.

The pictures are already online, so I don't think I'd have to host it.

Anyway, it's of no consequence.

Detroit at Anaheim

GAME SIX, STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS WEST SEMIFINALS
RED WINGS LEAD SERIES 3-2

10:00 PM ET, May 12, 2009
Honda Center, Anaheim, California

TSN/RDS/Versus

Red Wings-Ducks Preview

MORE FROM ESPN:http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/preview?gameId=290512025

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP/ESPN) -- Facing playoff elimination, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle decided to get creative as the Ducks prepare for Tuesday's Game 6 against the Detroit Red Wings.

As the Ducks took the ice for practice Monday, Carlyle had his players reverse the way in which they normally hold their hockey sticks. Righties became lefties and vice versa as multiple pucks where thrown into play for a series of scrimmages around the rink.

"I didn't think it was a day where you want to come to work and drag your knuckles and say here we go again," explained Carlyle, a Norris Trophy winning defenseman during his 18-year NHL career.

The plan was to take some playoff tension out of the air.

"You can see a lot of smiles on faces and a much lighter approach to practice," said Carlyle. "Turn the page and you start to feel good about being at the rink."
The Ducks certainly would like to forget about the last two games of the series as the defending champion Red Wings out scored Anaheim 10-4 and built a 78-45 shot advantage.

Detroit can now advance to the conference finals for the third consecutive season with one more win. The powerhouse Red Wings have been able to close out eight consecutive playoff series on the road.

"I think we play maybe more relaxed than the other team, we know its their last chance and take advantage of that," Detroit center Henrik Zetterberg said.

But the Ducks also have shown an ability to handle pressure games in the playoffs.
Anaheim fought back from a 3-2 series deficit to take a Game 7 win over Calgary in 2006 and avoided home-ice elimination with a Game 5 victory against Dallas last season.

"This group has shown it can handle these type of situations," Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller said. "At the end of the regular season we pretty much had to win every game to make the playoffs. We are used to the situation."

One of the most pressing challenges for Hiller and the Ducks will be shutting down Red Wings forward Johan Franzen, who has become a prolific goal scorer in the postseason.

Franzen leads the Red Wings with seven playoff goals, including three in the last two games. He had 13 playoff goals last year.

"Playoff hockey fits me maybe a little better than the regular season," Franzen said. "I can use my size a little bit more to get to the hard areas where you find loose pucks."

Although the Red Wings have peppered Hiller with considerable pressure throughout the series, Detroit's current advantage followed two very brief defensive lapses by Anaheim in the last two games.

Marian Hossa scored twice during a 3:02 span in the second period of Game 4 and Franzen and Jiri Hudler each scored within a 39-second span of the second period in Game 5.

"We're optimistic we can play a better game of hockey," Ducks center Todd Marchant said. "We won two games in this series for a reason. We have to get back to things we did in those games to be successful."

Aside from momentum in the series and a demonstrated history of being able to close out opponents on the road, Detroit could also have the added boost of defenseman Brian Rafalski returning to the lineup Tuesday.

Rafalski practiced with the Red Wings Monday afternoon after initially skating on Sunday. He has been sidelined throughout the series with an "upper body" injury.
"Obviously if the coaches and myself feel I can contribute in any way, there's a good chance I'll play," Rafalski said after the Red Wings practiced Monday.

"He looked good skating around the rink," Zetterberg said. "For sure that would be a help if he could come back and play."

While Rafalski maybe returning, Red Wings coach Mike Babc0ck indicated that center Kris Draper will not be available for Game 6.