Final
Filppula's goal gives Red Wings win
Mar 25, 2009 - 5:31 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- The Detroit Red Wings even impressed their coach during an important victory Tuesday night.Marian Hossa and Valtteri Filppula scored 32 seconds apart late in the third period and the Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, to move back into first place overall in the NHL.
Jonathan Ericsson also scored for the Red Wings (49-16-9), who won for the fifth time in six games and moved a point ahead of idle San Jose for top spot in the Western Conference.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock was pleased with the way his team came back from a difficult first period, playing their second night in a row following a 5-3 loss in Calgary on Monday.
"When you play back-to-back your legs aren't the same as they normally are," he said. "It takes you a while to get them back. You've got to fight through that, and not bury yourself early in the game while your legs do come back and I think that's what happened.
"They outshot us in the first, I think they had 13 shots on net and I don't know how much they finished with but not a lot, so we took over from that point."
Denis Grebeshkov and Ales Kotalik scored for the Oilers (35-29-9), who lost their second in a row but remained in seventh in the tight Western race, one point ahead of Nashville and Anaheim.
Detroit scored three times in the third period. Ericsson's first goal of the season tied it at 1-1 with 8:45 left and Hossa scored with 1:58 remaining. Filppula's tally made it 3-1.
"I'd say that feels worse than losing 10-2," Oilers forward Dustin Penner said. "Especially at this point of the season with the way we have been playing and who we were playing tonight. That one stings."
Kotalik scored with 1 minute to play, but the Red Wings were able to hang on.
"A game like that leaves everybody with a heavy heart," Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. "It's an incredible sense of disappointment. But at the same time we played pretty well and in a lot of ways outstanding. The way we checked and killed penalties. It's disappointing but we'll take some solace in that.
"It's going to be quite the nine-game stretch here down to the end."
Edmonton opened the scoring on a power play with 1:11 to go in the first, shortly after a two-man advantage had expired. Ales Hemsky sent a pass back to Grebeshkov at the point, and his knuckler got past Ty Conklin.
Detroit controlled the bulk of the play in the second, outshooting Edmonton, 17-4, but Dwayne Roloson kept the Oilers in front. His biggest save was a point blank grab on Johan Franzen with 5 minutes to play and the Red Wings on a power play.
Roloson finished with 41 stops.
Detroit had another big opportunity to draw even midway through the third when Filppula had a wide-open net, but the Oilers were able to get a stick in the way and deflect the puck.
- NHL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
DETROIT 0 0 3 3
EDMONTON 1 0 1 2 FINAL
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: EDM - (PP) DENIS GREBESHKOV 5 (ALES HEMSKY, DUSTIN PENNER)
18:49
2ND PRD: NONE
3RD PRD: DET - JONATHAN ERICSSON 1 (BRIAN RAFALSKI, TOMAS HOLMSTROM)
11:15
DET - MARIAN HOSSA 37 (JOHAN FRANZEN, BRIAN RAFALSKI) 18:02
D
Mar 25 12:06 AM - NHL
DETROIT 3
EDMONTON 2
3RD PRD: EDM - ALES KOTALIK 15 (ROBERT NILSSON, SAM GAGNER) 19:00
Red Wings 3, Oilers 2 3rd - 1:00Mar 25 12:01 AM - NHL
DETROIT 3
EDMONTON 1
3RD PRD: DET - VALTTERI FILPPULA 11 (JOHAN FRANZEN, NICKLAS LIDSTROM)
18:34
Red Wings 3, Oilers 1 3rd - 1:26Mar 24 11:59 PM - NHL
DETROIT 2
EDMONTON 1
3RD PRD: DET - MARIAN HOSSA 37 (JOHAN FRANZEN, BRIAN RAFALSKI) 18:02
Red Wings 2, Oilers 1 3rd - 1:58Mar 24 11:56 PM - NHL
DETROIT 1
EDMONTON 1
3RD PRD: DET - JONATHAN ERICSSON 1 (BRIAN RAFALSKI, TOMAS HOLMSTROM)
11:15
Red Wings 1, Oilers 1 3rd - 8:45Mar 24 11:44 PM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
DETROIT 0 0 0
EDMONTON 1 0 1 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: EDM - (PP) DENIS GREBESHKOV 5 (ALES HEMSKY, DUSTIN PENNER)
18:49
2ND PRD: NONE
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
DET 9 17 26
EDM 13 4 17
GOALIES:
Mar 24 11:11 PM - NHL
END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
DETROIT 0 0
EDMONTON 1 1 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: EDM - (PP) DENIS GREBESHKOV 5 (ALES HEMSKY, DUSTIN PENNER)
18:49
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
DET 9 9
EDM 13 13
GOALIES: DET - TY CONK
Mar 24 10:17 PM - NHL
DETROIT 0
EDMONTON 1
1ST PRD: EDM - (PP) DENIS GREBESHKOV 5 (ALES HEMSKY, DUSTIN PENNER)
18:49
Red Wings 0, Oilers 1 1st - 1:11Mar 24 10:17 PM
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