The Red Wings were trying to climb back from a two-goal deficit, and they nearly accomplished that feat.
Henrik Zetterberg scored to make it 2-1, and the Wings had all the momentum on their side.
Brad May thought he tied the game up with a backhand try around the 13-minute mark of the second, and so did the rest of Hockeytown. May’s shot appeared to be stopped and held by goalie Alex Auld for a face-off. But the Wings started celebrating, and a closer look on instant replay revealed that Auld made the save inside the net, and actually pinned the puck against the netting inside the goal. The referees ruled that the whistle had blown, however, and waved off the goal, even after a video review.
Zetterberg has continued his impressive play. He now holds a four-game point streak, after his ninth goal of the season. Zetterberg made a great play on the goal, cutting around the Dallas defense and protecting the puck with his body. He then switched to his forehand, and fired the puck past Auld. On the night, Zetterberg had 19:56 minutes of ice-time, four shots, and a plus-one rating.
The final score might not show it, but rookie goalie
Jimmy Howard turned in another great game for the Wings. He turned aside 29 shots, and helped keep the Wings in the game for as long as he could. Howard is emerging as a solid back-up to
Chris Osgood, and he’s earning his ice time.
The Wings lost the special-teams battle Wednesday. They struggled on the power play, going scoreless on four chances. Meanwhile, the Stars scored two power-play goals on five opportunities.
After the game, Zetterberg was asked about the controversial call on May's shot. Here's what he said:
“I was on the bench, didn’t really see the play, but I saw the replay, and the puck was in. But I guess the ref said he blew the whistle before so he couldn’t review it. I’m not sure about the rules there, but I guess they should know it, and unfortunately we didn’t get the goal. But I think we should have created more than that anyways.”
May dropped the gloves, going toe-to-toe with Krystofer Barch at the 7:21 mark of the second period. The Wings’ rugged forward got some impressive left hooks in, and the two combatants exchanged blows for over 30 seconds.
The Wings continue their homestand when they welcome the Florida Panthers to Joe Louis Arena on Friday night. Get tickets by
CLICKING HERE.
