The Joe Louis was alive as the players took to the ice for the 1st time this season. After the introduction of the players it was time to reflect on the tragic incident over the summer and the Redwings showed their class with a great tribute to Brad McCrimmon and his family, who received the applause of the crowd and framed tributes to the ex player and coach who sadly was lost in that horrific plane crash.
An early Detroit PP saw Ian White force 2 good saves out of Craig Anderson in the Ottawa goal. After a pretty dire 16 minutes with neither team creating a notable chance it was a pass by Helm from his own blue line that sent Bertuzzi clean in on Anderson and he put it in the roof over the glove side of Ottawa’s netminder.
This seemed to spark the Redwings a bit as Anderson then pulled off a good save from Filppula and a Franzen pass to Zetterberg nearly brought a 2nd. It was a 1-0 1st period where neither team impressed but Detroit seemed in control on home ice.
It wasn’t long into 2nd when Lidstrom got the 2nd, a rare goal type for the captain as he went to the net and softly lifted the puck past Anderson. Not the expected blast from the point. One the netminder would want back but a great start to the season for the 7 time Norris Trophy winner.
Smith had Ottawa’s first great chance from infront of the net around 8 mins into the 2nd and he poked the puck through Howard’s legs only to find Kindl in behind him to deflect the puck wide with his skate.
Emmerton made it 3-0 at the half way point of the 2nd as Drew Miller chased the puck into the corner and beat the defenseman to the puck as Anderson tried to set it up. He put it out infront and as Anderson was out of position and the rookie tapped the puck in. Datsyuk then stole the puck in the Ottawa zone and fed Hudler who lifted the puck glove side on Anderson to make it a 4-0 game and bring the time out from Senators coach Paul Mclean. It only took 3 minutes into the 3rd for Detroit to make it 5-0 as Ian White sent a knucle puck from the point high over the stick side of Anderson. Anderson had made a brilliant glove stop from Hudler a moment before to try and keep the score down.
Spezza broke the shut out of Howard with a wrister from the point that deflected up and in off Michalek’s foot and over Howard. Michalek then hit his 2nd of the night as Ottawa took 19 seconds on the powerplay to find the net. Spezza with a nice play for his 2nd assist of the night. Kuba fired a shot from the point on a late powerplay for Ottawa that was screened infront and it flew in past an unsighted Howard and that made it 5-3 late on.
That’s how it finished, a fightback from the Senators as Detroit took their foot off the pedal a little in the closing stages. Not the greatest of games but Detroit got scoring from different lines which is a pleasing to start whilst Ottawa showed that even though they went down heavily early on they can still come back and fight a bit.
That’s how it finished, a fightback from the Senators as Detroit took their foot off the pedal a little in the closing stages. Not the greatest of games but Detroit got scoring from different lines which is a pleasing to start whilst Ottawa showed that even though they went down heavily early on they can still come back and fight a bit.
by Adam Yates
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