The Magic Man Does It Again Against The Coyotes

It was a great start to the Saturday afternoon game 2 in the Detroit for the Redwings, which saw the Wings take a 3-0 lead in the 1st period. Pavel "Magic Man" Datsyuk was once again the catalyst on the ice for his team making plays and in general making the opposing players look silly. The "Magic Man" recorded 1 goal and 3 assists today in the game and was equally as effective on the defensive side of the puck as well. For the second game in a row Datsyuk tried his now patented between the legs shot, and even though he failed to score on it again the play leading up to the shot and the aftermath reinforce how good this guy is, and just what an impact he can have on his teams play during the game. Pavel went after a lose puck in the neutral zone and he won it from the Phoenix player by chipping it over his stick perfectly to himself in stride. Now this might not seem like an extraordinary play of sorts but when you consider he put negative spin on the puck so it was FLAT!!! and not spinning in the air and bouncing on the ice away from him just shows the control and subtlety that this great player possesses. Once Pavel gained control of the puck and skated around the Coyotes defence man you could tell everyone watching as just waiting for the next move that would result in a Wings goal. That's exactly what happened the "Magic Man" put the puck in between his legs and put the puck on net, and since everyone knows just how dangerous this guy can be he drew the three coyotes trying to play defense on him which left Darren "Manitoba Missile" Helm open to skate in and roof the rebound for his team 3rd goal of the period.



Johan Franzen who is lovingly referred to as the "Mule" by the Redwing faithful was transformed into the playoff creation known as "Franzenstein" this afternoon. At the beginning of the 1st period in today's game Franzen went into the corner after a lose puck and was hit by Shane Doan as he was falling propelling him face first into the boards. He was helped off of the ice bloodied and battered and there was speculation as to whether or not he would be able to return. Franzen has suffered from headaches and concussion symptoms before and he had recently been cut above his nose by a high stick during the last game of the season which required a few stitches. Those few stitches would be considered minor to what he had to go through today to get patched up. Franzen had to first sit in the "quiet" room which is an isolated room in the arena where all players who are under observation for having a concussion are tested for symptoms. Once he passed the tests and was ruled healthy as far as concussions go he then had to have 26 stitches to help close the gash over his left eye. About mid-way through the 2nd period a large intimidating figure adorned in the red and white of Detroit stepped out onto the ice to the cheers of his adoring fans. But there was something different something not quite right with the "Mule" he was no longer just Johan Franzen he had a large over sized band aid covering the fresh stitching on his face and a plug in one of his nostrils. There were also trails of dark dried blood from the areas of repair. Johan Franzen had been transformed by the harshness and physicality of the NHL playoffs, he had become "Franzenstein", and he has never looked better.

The teams will travel to Phoenix and start their preparations for game 3 of the series on Monday night at Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix. Being up 2-0 in a series is definitely a positive for the Redwings and it is exactly the position they wanted to be in before heading out on the road. I expect the Coyotes to come out like they were shot out of a cannon with their fans behind them and trying to will them back into this series. But Mike Babcock and his team know this and i also expect them to be prepared for what they will see from their opponents on Monday night.

Goodnight from the greatest sports city in the world and congratulations to Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland on his 1,500th win as a manager last night

Drew in the D