Detroit Red Wings beat league leaders Vancouver Canucks 2-1 after shootout
Jimmy Howard made 34 saves in overtime and stopped all three attempts in the shootout, before Jiri Hudler scored in the tiebreaker, to lead the Detroit Red Wings to a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The result meant that the Canucks eight-game winning
streak was snapped.
Detroit have now closed in to within a point of Vancouver, who still leads the NHL standings.
Both teams started the match cautiously, as they knew that a mistake early on could cost them dearly. The defence for both teams was very strong and the passing that they displayed was brilliant. Both teams didn’t lose possession unnecessarily and waited
for space to develop before attacking.
There were several occasions when the sides could have scored, but the danger of counter-attacks meant that they didn’t commit men forward. With the period nearing its end, the teams shifted gears and started to attack frequently. However, no goals were
scored in the opening period, as the teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0. During the period the Canucks made 11 goal attempts, while the Red Wings made seven goal attempts.
The second period saw both sides shift to a more attacking mentality, which really opened the game up. However, it was a defensive lapse by the Detroit Red Wings that resulted in the opening goal. The Vancouver Canucks took the lead through a Daniel Sedin
strike in the 13th minute. Both teams made a few more goal attempts as the period progressed.
The goal scored by the Canucks gave them extra confidence, and with thousands of home fans cheering them on, they continued their dominant performance in the period. The period saw no further goals as the Vancouver Canucks lead 1-0 going into the break.
During the 20 minutes of play the Canucks made seven goal attempts, while the Detroit Red Wings had eight goal attempts.
The Detroit Red Wings surprised the Canucks by attacking right from the word go in the final period. Resultantly, the Red Wings scored through a brilliant Johan Franzen flick shot in the very first minute to level the scores.
Detroit Red Wings totally dominated the game in the final period, and consistently tested the home sides’ goaltender. During the course of the period Detroit made 17 goal attempts, but failed to capitalise as the scores remained level at 1-1 at the end of
regulation time.
The match went into overtime as a result, but no goals were scored. The match was decided in a shootout, where Jiri Hudler’s goal won the game for Detroit 2-1. Red Wings keeper Jimmy Howard was named the star selection of the game for his 34-saves.
Tags: