Happy Hud's New Year's Resolution: be more like Orr
1st Period
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2nd Period
Detroit 1 St Louis 0; 7:28- Franzen (15) from Datsyuk (27) & Kronwall (10)
Datsyuk carries into the neutral zone and is met at center ice. He makes a smart move and uses his body position to back into the defender while leaving the puck behind for Johan Franzen, who is coming through the zone with speed.
Barret Jackman is back to defend Franzen, and it looks like he's got positioning such that Franzen will be forced to the outside along the boards. Franzen sells Jackman on this, then cuts hard across him to gain the middle of the ice. He isn't circled in the screencap, but take note of Kronwall in the upper left corner. He's skating hard towards the front of the net as well.
Jackman is left in the lurch, unable to recover from Franzen's move. Kronwall has now set up in front of the net, and the ensuing play is something that more closely resembles a pick and roll in basketball than anything I've ever seen in hockey. Franzen does a great job of using Kronwall in front, skating around him and firing a shot that Elliot never sees.
Detroit 2 St Louis 0; 8:45- Abdelkader (4) from Miller (7)
When viewing this goal, it has to be noted that the Wings are lucky Abdelkader is even on the ice. He took a hit to the head from Ian Cole earlier in the game that left him dazed, a hit that Ian Cole says came as a result of Abdelkader turning and
running his head into Cole's shoulder.
The Wing turn the puck over in the corner and the Blues pick it up. As they head up ice, Drew Miller gets into defensive position and takes away the passing lane to the middle of the ice. The Blues try to force the puck there, and the puck goes off Miller's stick.
Abdelkader is in the right place at the right time, turning on the loose puck and firing nearly as soon as he gains possession. Elliot has no time to react and the puck finds the net behind him.
Detroit 3 St Louis 0; 19:07- Hudler (9) from Filppula (18) & Zetterberg (18)
Zetterberg's initial shot is wide and Filppula chases it behind the net. He carries into the corner, where StL tries to bump him off the puck. Hudler sees that the defender in the high slot has turned his attention to the blue line, while the two low defenders (Backes and Pietrangelo) are focused on the area behind the net. Hudler moves into the slot area.
Flip hits Hudler with a pass in front of the net, but Hudler's first shot is stopped by Elliot. Hudler has the space he needs to shoot because Backes is floating behind the net area (an area which Pietrangelo already had covered) when he should be in the lot slot. Pietrangelo has to turn to try and disrupt Hudler but can't.
Hudler's first shot may have been stopped but he doesn't miss on the rebound opportunity. The puck's in there somewhere, but I definitely can't find it. I don't feel too bad about it though, because Elliot couldn't either.
3rd Period
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