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Power play reappears just in time for Coyotes
By Daniel Dullum April 14, 2010 |
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GLENDALE, Ariz. – So, what was the bigger upset – Phoenix defeating Detroit in the first game of their NHL playoff series, or the Coyotes doing it with three power play goals? Phoenix, after all, was 28th in power play efficiency during the regular season. Or was it the revival of the “WhiteOut” at sold out Jobing.com Arena, a franchise tradition that goes back to its Winnipeg roots? “It was electric, that’s for sure,” said Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris, who scored the game-winning goal as Phoenix edged Detroit 3-2 Wednesday. Resurgent as they might be, the rejuvenated Coyotes have been hard pressed to score three power play goals in a month this season, let alone three in one game. But that’s what the plucky Desert Dogs did to take a 1-game-to-0 lead in their opening round Western Conference best-of-seven series with the surging Red Wings. “It took us 82 games to set that good trap,” Coyotes Coach Dave Tippett joked following the Coyotes’ first-ever post-season game at Jobing.com Arena. It was also the Coyotes’ first playoff win since April 20, 2002. Hit by a rash of injuries this season, the Red Wings lost some 163 man-games as a result. They spent most of the season treading water in the NHL West until finishing with a flurry. If any team was a direct beneficiary of the Olympic break in February, it was the Red Wings. The two-week hiatus allowed stars like Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom to heal up for a remarkable stretch run that saw Detroit go 16-3-1 to finish the season as the West’s No. 5 seed. In the first period, it looked like business as usual for the Red Wings, when Holmstrom sent a soft shot over the left shoulder of Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for an early 1-0 lead. But the Coyotes answered 10 seconds into a first-period power play when defenseman Keith Yandle whistled a shot past Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard from the high slot area. However, it didn’t take the Wings long to again deflate the white-clad crowd. Just over two minutes later, Lidstrom’s power play blast from the point put Detroit back ahead 2-1 after one period. Six minutes into the second period, Phoenix again was on the power play and this time Wojtek Wolski, who was picked up from Colorado at the trading deadline, connected with a one-timer off a feed from Yandle, tying the game at 2-2. The close-checking battle remained that way until 2:19 of the third period when Morris faked a shot from the point, moved into the upper slot and sent a laser off Howard’s right shoulder just inside the pipe. Phoenix hung on dearly to that 3-2 lead, even when the Wings pulled Howard in the last 1:30 for a sixth attacker. “On the power play, we just wanted to do a good job of moving the puck across the top and get it down to Doaner (Shane Doan),” Morris said. “I had two good screens to work with in front. “We believe we can come back from any score, and we don’t believe we’re out of any game.” Both goalkeepers saw plenty of rubber. Bryzgalov stopped 38 of 40 shots, while Howard made 32 saves. Matthew Lombardi assisted on two of the three Phoenix goals. While the Coyotes are ending an eight-year playoff participation drought, this is the Red Wings’ 19th consecutive Stanley Cup playoff appearance, tops for any current list of the four major team sports. “It’s just one game,” Tippett cautions. Based on his previous encounters with the Wings, he knows that Detroit is anything but the usual No. 5 seed. |
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