Wings Open Series With Close Win

Throughout their first-round series against top-seed San Jose, the Anaheim Ducks made a habit out of being badly outshot. They did a wonderful job protecting goalie Jonas Hiller, and he was awesome stopping the first shot, whether he got a good look or not.

Red Wings 3, Ducks 2: Recap | Box Score | Friday's Scores
Detroit leads series, 1-0 | Next Game: Sunday @ DET, 2 PM ET

Friday, the Ducks weren't badly outshot. They also weren't badly outchanced. It was a much more even game in terms of puck possession. In the end, however, the Ducks couldn't come up with enough offense to upset Detroit. A wild scramble in the Anaheim zone led to Wings' captain Nicklas Lidstrom banging home the game-winner in the final minute of regulation, as Detroit beat the Ducks 3-2.

This was every bit the intense, physical game you would expect out of the Ducks. As can happen occasionally, one idiot took that intensity and physicality a little too far, and Mike Brown will likely be suspended for that. Outside of that, it was a fun, hard-hitting game to watch.

We mentioned earlier Friday that special teams would likely play a significant role in this series. Surely enough, Anaheim was burned early by their general lack of discipline. Detroit's first two goals came on the power play, and Teemu Selanne tied the game at two for Anaheim in the last minute of the second with a power-play goal. That goal followed the Wings taking back-to-back penalties that turned a Detroit power play into a Duck four-on-three advantage.

The Ducks' first goal -- scored by Corey Perry -- and Lidstrom's winner were the only even-strength goals scored in the game.

Between the Brown hit on Jiri Hudler and the goal by Johan Franzen that tied the game in the first for Detroit, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle had a lot to whine about after the game. This is what he said about the Franzen goal, in which he toppled over Hiller after the puck had gone into the net.

"It's amazing, isn't it? We're supposed to be protecting the goalies and the guy puts the puck in the net and then runs the goalie over. That's the way it goes. The video doesn't lie."

It makes sense to use the media to work the officials, but it would help if Carlyle actually had a case and wasn't whining for the sake of whining.

After all, if the NHL started waving off goals for things that happen after the goal is actually scored, the officials would be in a really tough position.