Detroit Red Wings take a series 2-0 lead on the Nashville Predators

Chelios sets new playoff games record surpassing Patrick Roy

DETROIT – The ‘play of the game’ is normally awarded to a player during a hockey game, but in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, Mike Babcock stole the show.

The Detroit Red Wings coach called a time-out at the 4:46 mark of the second period to refocus his squad after Nashville scored two goals in 11 seconds to tie and take control of the game. Fourteen seconds later, Kris Draper scored his first goal of the postseason, and it was all Detroit from that point forward. Tomas Holmstrom scored and Dominik Hasek made 25 saves in the third to wrap a 4-2 win, and a 2-0 series lead, for the Wings.

Darren McCarty scored his first goal since April 25, 2006 and Nick Lidstrom tallied his first goal of the postseason for the Red Wings, who take a 2-0 lead to Nashville for Game 3 on Monday.

Chris Chelios achieved another milestone in his illustrious career, passing Patrick Roy for most playoff games played when he suited up for the 248th time on Saturday.

An octopus hit the ice before Karen Newman was finished singing the national anthem, and it was mayhem in Hockeytown from that point on. Tomas Holmstrom started off the physicality with a hit in the right corner of the Nashville zone 45 seconds into the contest.

Nashville thought they took the early lead when Alexander Radulov flicked the puck past Hasek, only to have the goal called off because Radek Bonk knocked the net off behind Hasek prior to the puck crossing the goal line.

Moments later, Darren McCarty answered back, scoring his first goal in a Red Wings uniform since March 29, 2004. Dallas Drake took the puck to the net, and backhanded the puck on net. Nashville rookie netminder Dan Ellis stopped the initial shot with a leg pad save, only to have the rebound find McCarty’s stick. McCarty made no mistake burying it into the empty net, giving the Red Wings an early one-goal lead. Mark Hartigan picked up an assist on the play, as well.

Dominik Hasek was tested throughout the first, facing and stopping 15 Nashville shots. Nashville out-shot the Wings by four in the first period.

With Radulov serving a too-many-men bench penalty in the opening seconds of the second period, Lidstrom put the Wings up 2-0 with a one-timer slapshot goal. After receiving a pass from Brian Rafalski, Lidstrom beat Ellis from the left side of the Nashville blue line, with Holmstrom adding the secondary assist.

Madness ensued soon after, when a lucky bounce changed the complexion of the game. Nashville dumped the puck into the Detroit zone on a powerplay soon after the Lidstrom goal, and the puck took an odd bounce off the glass and popped out in front of the Red Wings net. With Hasek behind the net, waiting to field the dump in, Radulov found the puck and a wide-open net in front of him, and scored to cut the lead to one.

Eleven seconds later, Jordin Tootoo stole the puck from Andreas Lilja and fired a wrist shot through Hasek’s legs to tie the game. Nashville took over the game for the next few minutes, and had shots from Ryan Suter and Bonk both beat Hasek but hit the left post.

Babcock used his only time-out to calm the rattled Red Wings, and it turned out to save the game for Detroit. Draper scored from the left circle after puck movement from Mikael Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler, on a lucky bounce of his own. His wrist shot struck Nashville defenseman Greg Zanon’s skate and changed directions, beating Ellis to give the Wings the lead.

Tomas Holmstrom scored his first goal of the playoffs to wrap-up the game for the Wings. Ellis stopped a slap shot from Pavel Datysuk, and then attempted to clear the puck himself, swatting the rubber disk right onto Holmstrom’s stick. Holmstrom made no mistake hitting the gaping net from just above the slot, putting the finishing touches on a 4-2 Detroit win.

Source: Michael Caples Associated Press / Red Wings Officials Website