Five Things We Learned: Wings' top trio not getting job done vs. Ducks
Posted by E.J. Hradek
After watching Game 3 of the Wings-Ducks series, I have just one request: Can we make this a best-of-15 series? I just love watching these two teams test each other. This is great stuff. Here are five things that caught my eye during the Ducks' 2-1 win:
1. Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller continued his strong playoff run with a 45-save performance in Game 3. He made most of those stops during the second half of the game. I thought Anaheim's stellar defense -- led by future Hall of Famers Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger -- did a nice job of keeping the Wings away from the net and limiting second-chance opportunities. In that regard, Detroit's forwards have to be more aggressive going to the front of the net and finding ways to make Hiller's crease less comfortable. The 27-year-old Swiss-born goaltender has put up some serious numbers in his nine postseason games. He has stopped 358 of 375 shots. For us non-math majors, that is a playoff-best .955 save percentage.
2. The Ducks' checking line of center Todd Marchant, left winger Drew Miller and right winger Rob Niedermayer, along with the support of Scott Niedermayer, has done a good job of limiting the Wings' top trio of center Pavel Datsyuk, left winger Tomas Holmstrom and right winger Marian Hossa in the first three games of the series. Detroit's big line has yet to record an even-strength point in the series. It might be time for Wings coach Mike Babcock to shuffle some of his combinations to change the matchup dynamic for Game 4.
3. Anaheim defenseman James Wisniewski had to be carted off the ice at the 13:49 mark of the second period after being hit in the rib area by a Datsyuk shot and taking a Holmstrom elbow to the face. He was taken to nearby UCI Medical Center in Irvine, Calif., and the final diagnosis was a lung contusion. According to a release from a team spokesman, Wisniewski was admitted to the hospital as a precautionary measure and is "doing well." His status for Thursday's Game 4 is questionable. I would expect the league to look at the play to determine whether it will take any further action against Holmstrom for the elbow.
4. Ducks winger Ryan Carter deserves a shout-out for the terrific head-man pass that sprung veteran sniper Teemu Selanne on the game's first goal. On the play, Selanne deflected a point shot off the stick of Wings defenseman Brett Lebda. Sensing an opportunity, the Finnish Flash darted past Lebda into a seam in the Wings' defense. Carter spotted his teammate and hit him in stride at the far blue line. Selanne did the rest, outracing Chris Chelios to the net and beating goalie Chris Osgood with a backhand. If Carter hadn't hit that pass just right, though, the goal probably wouldn't have happened.
5. The Wings appeared to tie the game with just 64 ticks left in regulation, when a diving Hossa pushed a loose puck into the Ducks' net. However, referee Brad Watson lost sight of the puck and was in the process of blowing the whistle when the puck crossed the goal line. It was an unfortunate call for the Wings; on the replay, the puck was shown to be free and was not covered by Hiller. These are the kinds of unpredictable breaks that can swing a series in one direction or another.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
