Wings Beat Ducks In OT, Tie Series 2-2
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings earned another home game.
Damien Brunner scored with 4:50 left in overtime, lifting Detroit to a 3-2 series-evening win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
Detroit defenseman Jakub Kindl started the winning sequence, passing the puck from behind Detroit's net up the ice to Joakim Andersson. He tried to connect with teammate Gustav Nyquist only to have Hiller poke the puck away.
Brunner, playing in his first NHL season, was in perfect position in front of the net and swatted in the puck to end the game.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Anaheim and Game 6 is back in the Motor City on Friday night.
During the Red Wings' run of playing in 22 straight postseasons, they have won 11 of 19 series that were tied at 2-2.
Pavel Datsyuk scored a second tying goal for the Red Wings with 6:33 left in regulation. Brendan Smith made it 1-1 early in the third.
Matt Beleskey gave the Ducks their first lead 5:07 into the game and David Steckel put them ahead midway through the third period.
Hiller, who shut out Detroit in Game 3, stopped the first 32 shots and finished with 46 saves. Jimmy Howard had 31 saves for the Red Wings.
Detroit played with a sense of desperation, hoping not to face elimination on the road in Game 5. But it was on the receiving end of aggressive play early in the game.
Beleskey hit Detroit defenseman Kyle Quincey hard on the left side of the net and had enough space to shoot and score off his own rebound to put the Ducks ahead 1-0.
The Red Wings were outshooting Anaheim 27-15 through two periods, but had nothing to show for it.
Smith changed that thanks to a break, ending a 101:18 scoring drought that started after Detroit's 5-4 overtime win in Game 2. Smith's shot from just inside the blue line went off Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin and past Hiller 1:18 into the third period.
Steckel netted a go-ahead goal midway in the third period
The Red Wings, and their fans, thought Johan Franzen scored moments later, but referee Eric Furlatt waved it off and his call was upheld by video review.
Datsyuk gave the red-clad, white-towel waving crowd a reason to cheer when he tied it. He carried the puck up the left side, made a move to the outside that created space between him and defenseman Luca Sbisa, and flicked a wrist shot past Hiller's glove that knocked the water bottle off the top of the net.
That was his first goal of the series after leading the team with 15 scores and 49 points during the regular season.
Ryan Getzlaf, who had two goals and four points in the first three games, had a chance to put the Ducks up after Datsyuk's score, but his breakaway backhander was stopped by Howard.
The Red Wings were missing two key players and Anaheim was without one.
Detroit's Justin Abdelkader served his first of a two-game suspension for hitting Toni Lydman's head with his left shoulder. Red Wings rookie defenseman Danny DeKeyser was out for a second straight game with a broken right thumb. Lydman was scratched because of headaches and a sore neck and was replaced in the lineup by Sheldon Souray.
The Ducks had a power play early in overtime, but couldn't take advantage. In an even-strength situation late in overtime, Detroit controlled the puck and play in the Anaheim end, but couldn't get the puck past Hiller.
Then came the winner.
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