Sixty-five minutes wasn't enough Thursday night, as the Wings and the Sharks needed a shootout to decide the winner. The Wings' offensive stars came through when it mattered most, as
Pavel Datsyuk opened the breakaway sessions with a goal, and
Henrik Zetterberg scored to wrap up the big win for Detroit. At the other end of the ice, goaltender
Chris Osgood continued his impressive outing, stopping both Dan Boyle and Ryane Clowe to do his part in the win.
Thursday was Zetterberg's night. The Wings were looking at a 1-0 deficit in the third period, until Zetterberg recorded his fourth goal of the season. Five minutes into the final regulation period, Zetterberg came charging through the slot, and found a rebound off captain
Nicklas Lidstrom's blast from the point. He poked the puck into the open net, and sent the Joe Louis Arena crowd into a frenzy. Zetterberg also had an impressive move to get the shootout winner, when he came in on Nabokov, deked to the right, then slammed on the brakes to cut to the left side and score. On the night, he had 24:15 worth of ice-time, the most of any forward. Zetterberg recorded three shots, won 10 face-offs, and was plus-one on the night.
Darren Helm had a great night for the Wings. The young forward was all over the ice, giving the Sharks fits along the way. Five minutes into the second period, he got the Wings fired up when he had two steals in one shift, both of which created scoring chances. Coach Mike Babcock was apparently impressed with his night, as he sent him out with 1:25 remaining in overtime. On the night, Helm had four shots, two hits, and two takeaways on 14:57 worth of ice-time.
The Wings held the Sharks scoreless on their three power-play opportunities. Also, Detroit recorded 16 shots in the third period. Both were important factors in the 2-1 win.
Here's what Zetterberg had to say about his shootout goal:
"Just wanted to try something different. Missed the last one, and sometimes you have to try something new, and it worked. ... It's always easy when it goes in."
Tonight was Budd Lynch Bobblehead Night at Joe Louis Arena. The organization honored their public-address announcer, who has been with the organization for 60 years. Lynch walked the red carpet to center ice before the game to accept a gift from the Ilitch family, and to drop the puck at a ceremonial face-off between captain
Nicklas Lidstrom and San Jose's Dan Boyle.
The Wings head to Toronto for a Saturday night contest against the Maple Leafs. They return home for a game against former teammate Mikael Samuelsson and the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. To get tickets,
click here.
