COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Red Wings lost a 5-3 lead against the Columbus Blue Jackets during game four’s second period, possibly a result of being a little too comfortable or confident in their team’s lead in both the game and the series. The relaxation caused Wings fans around the state to hold their collective breath—close enough to taste victory and a sweep of the Blue Jackets, yet also just as close as Columbus forcing a game five in Detroit over the weekend.
The scoring began early in the first with a power play goal by Niklas Lidstrom, besting Blue Jackets’ goaltender Steve Mason with a slap shot within the first three minutes off the clock. Columbus’ Kristian Huselius scored the second goal of the game, also on a power play. Rounding out the first-period scoring were Wings’ Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary, who each scored a goal.
The Wings started the second period with a 3-1 lead, but that lead slipped away early in the second stanza, as Rick Nash and RJ Umberger both scored against Wings’ goalie Chris Osgood within the first six minutes of the period, bringing the teams to a three-all tie. By the end of the second, four additional goals were scored, with Columbus out-scoring Detroit 4-2 in the period, ending the period tied at five-all. Marian Hossa contributed two goals for Detroit, Columbus’ Kris Russell and Fredrik Modin each bested Chris Osgood with one goal each to finish out the period.
Both teams returned from their dressing rooms ready to play an aggressive, offensive assault on their rival’s defense. Every line played as if they were fighting for their playoff lives, and Columbus played better hockey in this period than had been demonstrated earlier in the series. The atmosphere on the ice indicated that both teams were looking at this stanza as a scoreless first period with the win going to the team that played the best and scored first in this per iod. Wings fans anxiously watched Detroit on wide-screen TVs at sports bars and restaurants throughout the state. Their cheers and applause erupted when, at 19:13 of the third, Johan Franzen tipped the puck in behind Mason off a rebound from Jiri Hudler’s shot to clinch the victory for the Wings, closing out Columbus’ 2008-09 playoff run in front of their home crowd.
The number one star of the game was awarded to Marian Hossa, with two goals on the night. The second star was given to Johan Franzen for his game-winning goal, and Rick Nash was named third star of the game.
Contact jennifer.sleeper@prohockeynews.com
Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net
You must be logged in to post a comment.