Danny Cleary leads Detroit Red Wings past Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 – NHL Recap
Danny Cleary scored the deciding goal in the final period and rookie Jimmy Howard turned away 33 shots as the Detroit Red Wings edged past the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in the regular-season finale at the United Centre on Sunday.
Chicago needed only one point against their most fierce rival, the Red Wings, to secure the final National Hockey League play-off berth in the Western Conference, but could not get it.
However, the Blackhawks locked into the eighth seed of the Western Conference after the Minnesota Wild took a 5-3 victory over Dallas Stars on Sunday night. Now the Blackhawks will have an opportunity to defend their title, and will play top-seeded Vancouver
Canucks in the first round of the play-off.
Drew Miller, Tomas Holmstrom and Pavel Datsyuk each also lit the lamp for the Red Wings, who had dropped two consecutive games coming in.
Red Wings were already locked into the third play-off seed in the Western Conference and were building momentum for the play-offs where they will face the Phoenix Coyotes.
"That's one of the things we talked about before the game, that this is our game leading up to the playoffs -- let's go out there and really put a strong effort in," Holmstrom said.
Michael Frolik and Brent Seabrook each had a goal while Duncan Keith also posted a goal midway through the third period for the Blackhawks, while rookie goalie Crawford surrendered all four goals on 31 shots in the defeat.
After a scoreless first period, the Blackhawks got the scoring started in the sixth minute of the middle period on Frolik’s 11th goal of the season. The game was set up by Patrick Kane, who grabbed the puck in the left corner and sent a pass to
the slot where Frolik fired a shot that beat Howard to make it 1-0.
Less than two minutes later, the Red Wings pulled even when Holmstrom skated the puck down the left circle and powered in a shot to beat the Blackhawks’ goal-keeper.
Detroit took a 2-1 lead less than a minute later when Datsyuk chipped in a rebound off a shot from Todd Bertuzzi for his 23rd goal of the season.
The Red Wings enhanced their lead to 3-1 just less than two minutes into the final period when Valtteri Filppula fed a pass into the top of the crease who Miller banged the puck home for his 10th goal of the season.
Chicago cut their deficit to 3-2 just less than three minutes later when Seabrook unleashed a shot from just above the right past Detroit goalie Howard.
The Red Wings restored their two goal lead in the ninth minute of the third period when Bertuzzi centred a pass to Cleary, who hit a shot from the left circle that went through Crawford’s legs to make it 4-2.
Keith drew the Blackhawks within one with less than nine minutes to play in the third period, as he collected a loose puck and lifted it over Howard into the roof of the net to make it a 4-3 game.
The Blackhawks put lots of pressure on goalie Howard to get the equaliser, but were unable to find the back of the net.
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