Detroit Red Wings knock off Phoenix Coyotes, 4-3: NHL Play-off Recap
Pavel Datsyuk netted a goal and earned three assists, while Brian Rafalski also added a goal to lead Detroit Red Wings to a 4-3 victory against Phoenix Coyotes in Game 2 of Western Conference quarter-final series, at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday night.
Darren Helm and Tomas Holmstrom both also lit the lamp for Detroit, which is struggling to take a commanding 3-0 series lead Monday in the desert. Jimmy Howard turned away 30 of 33 shots to pick up the victory.
Shane Doan found the back of the net twice and Radim Vrbata also notched a goal for Phoenix. Keith Yandle collected two assists and Ilya Bryzgalov was tagged for all four goals on 31 shots in the loss.
Detroit used a three-goal burst in the first period to take command of the play. The first goal came just after the mid-way mark of the opening period, when Datsyuk skated in from the left point and fired a wrist-shot that found its way through traffic.
Bryzgalov was screened by the traffic in front of him as the puck slid along the ice for 1-0 lead.
The second goal came with about four minutes left in the first period. This time Rafalski worked on a similar formula as Datsyuk’s and ripped a shot from the point that went between pads of Bryzgalov, who could not see the puck as he was screened by
defenders in front.
Helm then gave Detroit more strength by pushing the advantage to 3-0 with one minute remaining in the first session. This goal was set up by Datsyuk, who swept the puck past Yandle in the neutral zone and unleashed a shot between his pads with an amazing
move. Bryzgalov blocked the shot with his right pad, but a trailing Helm got the juicy rebound and buried it into the net.
Holmstrom then provided more comfort to Red Wings by giving a huge 4-0 advantage just over one minute into the second period. The goal came when Datsyuk controlled the puck in the slot and shot wide. Valtteri Filppula got his stick on it and chipped
the puck to the front, where Holmstrom deflected it home.
Datsyuk was not done yet as he got another chance to score. It started when he made a quick stop in the Coyotes' zone to get rid of defenders and sent a nice pass to Filppula, who blasted a shot from in close, but was saved by goalie. Then a careless
turnover by Phoenix in its own zone saw Datsyuk getting the puck alone, but he failed to take advantage.
However, Phoenix jumped back into the game and made the play interesting by registering three consecutive power-play goals.
Vrbata got Coyotes on the board to make it 4-1 game just seven minutes into the middle period. Doan then cut the deficit in half, 4-2, about six minutes into the final period. It happened so when Yandle’s shot was stopped by goalie, but Doan staked
a claim in front of the crease and backhanded the rebound past Howard.
Doan then struck again to make it one-goal game, 4-3, just fewer than three minutes later, as he took a pass from Yandle on a 5-on-3 and stuffed it past Howard from between the circles.
Coyotes benched Bryzgalov for an extra attacker late in the third period, but were unable to score an equaliser.
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