Red Wings Outworked In Game 1 Loss
The Red Wings entered their second-round playoff series against San Jose with virtually the same roster they had a year ago, when they lost to the Sharks in five games in the Western Conference semifinals.
But the Wings were much more confident this year. They were well-rested, with eight days off between rounds as opposed to one day off last year following a seven-game series with Phoenix. And they feel like they have a deeper roster, particularly at forward, because of the growth of some of their young players.
That depth, however, did them no good in Game 1 Friday. The Wings forwards did not skate well, did not spend a lot of time in the offensive zone, and did not make it hard on Sharks goalie Antti Niemi in a 2-1 overtime loss.
Wings coach Mike Babcock said his team has a much more effective forecheck than last year, but it wasn't evident in this game.
"Their (defense) had a night off. We didn't touch them," Babcock said. "We weren't physical in their zone. We had to be way better than that."
The Wings must get better play out of skilled forwards Johan Franzen and Dan Cleary, neither of whom registered a shot, in Game 2 Sunday at the HP Pavilion. They also need grinders Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader and Drew Miller to be more physical down low.
SHARKS 2, RED WINGS 1 (OT): The Sharks skated better than the Wings, spent much more time in the offensive zone and ended up outshooting them 46-25. The Wings had a chance to steal the game in overtime because goaltender Jimmy Howard was outstanding. But their chance ended when Benn Ferriero scored on a shot that deflected in off the stick of defenseman Brad Stuart at 7:03 of overtime. The Wings jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Nicklas Lidstrom's goal at 9:30 of the first period. The Sharks tied it on Joe Pavelski's power-play goal at 10:22 of the third period, setting up Ferriero's heroics.
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