Which Team Scores First, How Mrazek Plays Could Be Key Factors In Game 7 For Red Wings
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Head coach Mike Babcock has said he does not believe in momentum in the playoffs, and given how the first-round series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning has unfolded, it is easy to understand why.
The series is tied, 3-3, and Game 7 will take place Wednesday in Tampa. Originally, the Lightning were heavily favored in the series, but neither team has won two games in a row, and each team has won two games in the building of the other. What happens next is anyone's guess.
Many counted the Red Wings out after the team blew a lead in Game 4 and squandered the opportunity to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Detroit responded by shutting out the Lightning in Tampa in Game 5.
When the Red Wings led the series 3-2 with a chance to seal the series if they won at home in Game 6, many believed the Lightning would be eliminated. Instead, Tampa Bay tied the series with an emphatic 5-2 victory.
Babcock may not believe in momentum, but he does place some significance on striking first. The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead in the first period of their win in Game 5, and in Game 6 the Lightning grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period on their way to staving off elimination.
"To get one early, it was huge for us," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said after the game.
Babcock hoped the Red Wings would be able to create that kind of quick boost in Game 7.
"Scoring first is always a plus," Babcock said Monday. "It just seems to get you more relaxed and under control."
At the very least, Detroit would do well to keep Tampa Bay from scoring early.
"You've always got to play a 10-minute game and a 50-minute game on the road in the playoffs," Babcock said. "In other words, you've got to get settled down the first 10 minutes, then you get on with playing."
The Red Wings entered the series as the underdog. Tampa Bay was the NHL's highest-scoring team in the regular season. Detroit only secured its playoff berth in its second-to-last game of the season.
As the postseason approached, the Red Wings were sorting out a goaltender competition. Babcock gave starts in net to both veteran Jimmy Howard and 23-year-old Petr Mrazek, allowing each player the opportunity to take hold of the starting job.
Mrazek emerged, and so far, he has done a solid job this series.
The most dramatic highlight for Mrazek has been the impossibly precise stick save he made against Tampa Bay forward Brian Boyle in Game 6. The save kept the Red Wings in the game, and the incredible nature of it helped re-engage the crowd at Joe Louis Arena.
"I just kind of laughed, because he's been making some of those saves all series," Tampa Bay forward Tyler Johnson said. "He's a great goaltender. He's going to make some of those desperation saves."
Mrazek has maintained, throughout the series, that to him each game is just one more game. It is not that he does not feel the pressure; he does, but he accepts it and wants to use it to his advantage.
"If you feel pressure, you play better," Mrazek said after Game 2, when four times pucks flew past him into the net and Babcock pulled him after two periods. "That's the way I feel … I don't think goalies are nervous. If you feel pressure and you know how to handle it, it's good to play under pressure.
"When it's pressure, you can be better," Mrazek added. "That's how it should be."
With the season on the line Wednesday, the goaltender will have a chance not only to help the Red Wings advance to the second round but also to prove he should leapfrog Howard as the permanent starter. For now, of course, the next game is all that Mrazek has in mind.
"When you're a kid, you're dreaming to play in NHL playoffs," Mrazek said Monday after Game 6. "Nothing's better than to go there in Game 7 and getting a win."
Sometimes team defensive failures allow opponents better opportunities against a goaltender, but Babcock made it clear he expects Mrazek to stop pucks even in those more difficult situations.
"He's got to do his part," Babcock said Monday. "He's got to bounce back from tonight as well. He's got to be better than he was tonight, and we expect him to be."
The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.