Filppula Goes In Right Direction This Time
After struggling during the first five games of the Western Conference semifinals against San Jose, Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula stepped up when his team needed it the most.
With the Wings trailing by one goal in the third period, Filppula made two terrific plays. He assisted on Henrik Zetterberg's game-tying goal and then scored the winner as Detroit defeated San Jose 3-1 to even the series at 3-3.
Filppula was inconsistent during the regular season. He has tremendous speed and good skills but has a tendency to play on the perimeter. Coach Mike Babcock has wanted him to play more of a north-south game and drive to the net. That's what he did in this game.
He rushed the puck in the zone and passed to Niklas Kronwall, whose shot was tipped in by Zetterberg at 10:38 of the third period. Filppula then intercepted a pass by Logan Couture at center ice, passed to Pavel Datsyuk and drove to the net to convert a return pass from Datsyuk at 12:32.
Filppula had no points in the first five games of the series after picking up five points (goal, four assists) in the opening round against Phoenix.
He stepped up in the absence of Johan Franzen (sore ankle). If Franzen can't play Thursday in Game 7 in San Jose, the Wings could use a similar effort from Filppula.
"I thought he was excellent," Babcock said. "Obviously, he's a guy we needed more from."
RED WINGS 3, SHARKS 1: The Red Wings have dug themselves out of a gigantic hole. But they still have one more step to take to complete a stunning comeback. With his team trailing 1-0 in the third period, Valtteri Filppula set up Henrik Zetterberg's tying goal at 10:38 and scored the game-winner at 12:32. The Red Wings have won three games in a row and are trying to become just the fourth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 0-3. The Wings pressured the Sharks defense, peppered goaltender Antti Niemi with 45 shots and, for the most part, dominated the game.
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