Ducks vs. Red Wings, Game 7 Recap

Anaheim couldn't find the defense to keep the defending Stanley Cup champs from crashing the net. This is what has made the Red Wings so great. They know how to drive on the attack and with Cleary pressuring Jonas Hiller until he could slip the puck into the back of the net. It's not the best way to end a game, but Detroit will certainly take it. Even with Hiller going on record to say that there was goaltender inteferferance involved in the play, a close look at the replay doesn't give his claim any merit. Cleary's goal was clearly legitamate.

Jiri Hudler, Darren Helm, and Mikael Samuelson accounted for the preceding Detroit goals within the first two periods of play. Until just about 5 minutes into the second, the Ducks could not generate any solid offensive plays. Then Teemu Selanne found the puck right in front of the net and capitalized on the opportunity, leading it in just behind a preoccupied Chris Osgood. This was Teemu's 35th career playoff goal, reducing his team's goal deficit to a single point. Bobby Ryan was later able to tie the game 3-3 in the third, but as mentioned earlier, Cleary's goal with only a few minutes on the clock put this series to rest.

All-in-all, the Ducks proved to be a stronger team than some might've expected. While they weren't able to move the puck as well as the defending Stanley Cup champions in game 7, it was still a well-played series which pushed Detroit to game 7 for the first time in 7 years. Usually that means a team is beat early on, but for the Red Wings, it's the opposite, as they're typically the ones doing the beating. Whether or not they can apply this priciple to a diverse, talented Chicago team remains to be seen. This will be the first team the two Original Six teams have met in the Western Conference Finals since 1995, a series which the Red Wings clinched with four wins and a single loss.