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Osgood, Lidstrom enable Red Wings to oust Predators

Apr 20, 2008 - 11:27 PM By Jim Diamond PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - Making the switch to Chris Osgood proved to be the correct move.

Osgood won his second consecutive game by stopping all 20 shots he faced and five-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom scored from beyond center ice as the Detroit Red Wings advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 3-0 triumph over the Nashville Predators in Game Six of their quarterfinal series on Sunday.

Jiri Hudler also tallied and defenseman Brian Rafalski added an empty-netter for top-seeded Detroit, which won its best-of-seven quarterfinal series four games to two.

Dan Ellis finished with 41 saves for eighth-seeded Nashville, which played without captain Jason Arnott for the second consecutive game due to a concussion.

With 6:16 remaining in the second period and Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios serving a slashing penalty, Henrik Zetterberg won the ensuing faceoff and sent the puck back to Lidstrom, who was stationed just outside his own blue line. Lidstrom fired a slap shot toward the Nashville goal that bounced about eight feet in front of Ellis, but the puck then hopped over the netminder's left shoulder and into the net.

"We were shorthanded, so I'm just trying to float one in there," Lidstrom said. "I took something off of it to see if I could land it in front of him, and it took a lucky bounce."

"He shot the puck with a little bit of spin, and I went down and it just took a wicked bounce to the top corner," Ellis said. "It is a situation you can't do much about since I thought I was close enough to be able to stop it from going anywhere."

Osgood was called upon in relief of veteran Dominik Hasek, who started the first four games of the series. After replacing the six-time Vezina Trophy winner in the second period of Game Four, Osgood stopped 53 of the 54 shots he faced to propel the Red Wings into the semifinals.

"It is hard to win in the first round, and if you can win in the first round, it takes the weight off of you, and you can get out there and play like you are capable of playing," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "Osgood has the net right now, and it is his job to make sure that Dom does not get back in."

Ellis was under fire from the Red Wings for the entire series. Entering Game Six, he turned aside 185 of the 198 shots he faced through the first five games.

The Red Wings dominated play in the second period, outshooting Nashville by a 21-4 margin, despite Nashville having three power plays - including a 54-second two-man advantage. In Friday's Game Five played in Detroit, the Red Wings outshot the Predators, 20-3, in the second period.

"We did a great job of weathering the storm in the first, and did a great job of killing the 5-on-3 in the second," Osgood said. "That was probably the best we were all year at blocking shots."

Hudler added an insurance goal at 3:52 of the third period, blasting a slap shot from above the right faceoff circle which beat Ellis on the glove side. Rafalski added an empty-net goal with five seconds remaining to seal the win.

"Once they got their second goal, that really hurt us," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "If we could have kept it to 1-0, the belief would have been a lot stronger because we have been absolutely magical at making something happen out of nothing."