Detroit finishes off Chicago in Game 5

The Detroit Red Wings will meat a familiar foe in the Stanley Cup Finals, as they return to defend their title against last year’s challengers, the Pittsburgh Penguins. In a tightly played game, the Red Wings got contributions from unlikely sources as they toppled the Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime. With Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk still out of action, Detroit got timely goals from role players Daniel Cleary and Darren Helm to advance to their second consecutive Cup Finals appearance. It is the first time since 1984 that the Stanley Cup Finals have featured a rematch of the previous season’s Finals.

Cristobal Huet bounced back from a poor performance in Game 4, making 44 saves over the course of the game. After playing two periods of scoreless hockey, Detroit finally was able to beat the French netminder a little over 6 minutes into the 3rd period, when Cleary was able to find the back of the net. The score remained 1-0 until Patrick Kane, who has been uncharacteristically quiet in this series, beat Osgood with about 7 minutes left to play, recording his first and only goal of the series. Huet sent the game to overtime with a phenomenal save in the dying seconds of the 3rd. Sprawling on his chest in the crease, Huet watched Johan Franzen flip a rebound on net from just outside the crease. In a desperation move, Huet lifted his leg and kicked it aside, forcing an extra period of play.

In overtime, a tough break for the Blackhawks ended up being the final nail in their coffin. An initial dump-in effort bounced off the end boards and back towards the net, where Tomas Holmstrom directed it across the goalmouth. Darren Helm, who is among the leaders in hits this postseason despite his diminutive size, fanned on his first shot attempt, only to watch the puck bounce in off his skate. While it was a lucky bounce for the Red Wings, it was certainly not undeserved. Detroit dominated the series for the majority of the time, despite missing the services of many of their key veterans and star players. Detroit’s win improved their playoff record at home to 8-1.