Game two depicted what was to be expected out of this Western Conference Finals series between Dallas and Detroit.
The two teams battled for 60 minutes, with Detroit escaping on top 2-1 and taking a 2-0 series lead.
And if the end of game two was any indication, this series could get relatively ugly.
In the closing moments of the third, Chris Osgood's stick clipped the face of Stars center, Mike Ribeiro, who then retaliated with a two-handed chop to Osgood's midsection.
Osgood claims it was unintentional, and Ribeiro claims his was only retaliation for what, he thought, was a purposeful incident.
Osgood continues to proclaim it was an accident.
Both players were fined by the NHL, but neither received suspensions.
The series now returns to Dallas, and that means it's a must-win for the Stars.
Dallas is riding some positive vibes, considering how they ended game one and played game two. They do know, however, that without a win to show for their play, it basically means nothing.
The keys for tonight's game three are simple.
Dallas must up the physicality even more, and get more shots on goal.
That alone could have helped Dallas in game two, when they were outshot 34-18.
The Stars must also keep the noise level up. With the fans in Dallas believing their Stars still have a chance, the noise level should help motivate them to push on.
Detroit must continue to play the game that has carried them all season.
The Wings know how to control the play and make opponents play their style of hockey. They have a solid defense that has stymied most of Dallas's attempts at playing a successful dump-and-chase offense. They'll also need to get the Dallas crowd out of the game quickly.
One key to this game, which was a small factor in game two, will be the omission of Johan Franzen. Franzen was said to be missing games two and three, at least, with concussion-like symptoms.
Franzen has been the Red Wings' unlikely star this postseason, scoring 12 goals.
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5 months ago
Great Article Ian, but you missed one key point. The Stars must play physical but avoid the penalty box. So far in the series when they have tried to turn the tides with the body they've gotten into taking stupid penalties. Primarily, in Game 1 it was the reason for such a blow out. Penalties in Game 3 mean death for Dallas. Their only salvation is good hard work and discipline.
from 5 months ago
Yeah I think I purposely overlooked that... Mainly because it's depressing ha ha!
But I totally agree the stupid penalties have cost the boys BAD.
5 months ago
Thank God #63 (too lazy to ensure i spelled Ribeiro correctly) isn't suspended. We need him.
from 5 months ago
Yeah.. Although had Ribs been suspended, Osgood would have been as well. The NHL, I think, didn't want to hamper either team since they knew both were absolute keys to their teams chances to win.
5 months ago
No way what Osgood did was NOT intentional, and it was bush league. I did think it was pretty funny to hear Turco complain about it, though, since he is renowned for that kinda crap.
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