Wings Need One More
The home team has won each game in the Western Conference quarterfinal series between the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames, who need that trend to continue if they want to force a deciding seventh game.
The Red Wings, meanwhile, will advance to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2004 with a win over the Flames in Game 6 on Sunday night at Pengrowth Saddledome.
Oddsmakers have made Detroit -135 money line (NHL Odds) favorites for todays game, the over/under has been set at 5ov total goals (View NHL Sports Books). Our public betting information shows that 80% of bets for this game have been placed on Detroit -135 (View NHL Bet Percentages).
Detroit took an emphatic step toward progressing with a 5-1 win on Saturday to take a 3-2 series lead. Daniel Cleary scored on a penalty shot, Henrik Zetterberg added the first of his two power-play goals and Chris Chelios posted a short-handed tally in a 7:22 span of the second period to stake the Red Wings to a 3-0 lead.
Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk added power-play goals in the third around a short-handed marker from the Flames’ Andrei Zyuzin. But the game, and possibly the series, took an ugly turn with 2:59 left when Calgary backup goaltender Jamie McLennan slashed the midsection of Detroit’s Johan Franzen.
"It doesn’t belong in hockey," said Franzen, who said the slash shocked him more than it hurt.
McLennan – 3-5-1 with a 3.60 goals-against average in nine games during the regular season – received a slashing minor, a match penalty and a game misconduct and almost assuredly a suspension from the NHL.
The goaltender refused to speak to the media after the game, but Zetterberg said, "I think the league will take a look at a few things that happened."
In February, the league handed down a three-game suspension to Ottawa goaltender Ray Emery for slashing Montreal’s Maxim Lapierre in the face. Late in the regular season, Islanders forward Chris Simon received a 25-game ban for a two-handed stick attack on the Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg.
If McLennan is suspended, the Flames would likely recall either Curtis McElhinney or Brent Krahn from Omaha of the AHL to backup Miikka Kiprusoff, who has played better at home so far in the postseason, stopping 61 of 65 shots for a 2.00 GAA. He’s 0-3 with a 4.00 GAA on the road.
Over the last three years, Kiprusoff is 2-3 with a 1.73 goals-against average in Game 6s. Both wins came at home, including a 38-save shutout of the Red Wings en route to a 1-0 overtime win on May 3, 2004.
Calgary has managed only nine goals in this series, but won Games 3 and 4 by identical 3-2 scores. To force a Game 7, the Flames will need more production from Kristian Huselius, who enjoyed a breakout season with career highs of 34 goals and 43 assists, but has managed only two assists.
The Red Wings’ Zetterberg also had an assist Saturday for his first three-point game in the postseason. Datsyuk’s goal was his third to lead the team.
If necessary, Game 7 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Detroit, where the Red Wings have outscored the Flames 12-3 in their three wins.
by: Gary Roberts – theSpread.com – Email Us
More NHL Hockey coverage from theSpread.com
– NHL Hockey news wire
– NHL top stories
– Current NHL injuries
– NHL Hockey schedule
– NHL Hockey standings
– NHL goalie stats
– NHL Hockey scoreboard
– NHL Hockey odds
– NHL public betting charts
– Expert NHL Picks
– Comments and discussion
– Signup for theSpread.com daily newsletter
– NHL Home