Ducks 2 - 3 Red Wings
Final - OT
  for this game

Ducks hope to extend lead in Game 4 against Red Wings

May 6, 2013 - 3:17 PM (Sports Network) - The second-seeded Anaheim Ducks will try to push Detroit to the brink of elimination, as they visit the Red Wings on Monday for Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at Joe Louis Arena.

After splitting the first two games on home ice, the Ducks grabbed a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series with Saturday's 4-0 win in Detroit. All told, the Pacific Division champions have scored 11 times in the first three games against the seventh-seeded Red Wings.

Anaheim notched a 3-1 win in the series opener before the Red Wings rebounded with a 5-4 overtime triumph in Game 2 at the Honda Center.

Game 3 was tied at 0-0 before a major penalty on Detroit's Justin Abdelkader late in the second period changed the course of the game.

Abdelkader received a charging major and game misconduct after delivering a high hit to Ducks defenseman Toni Lydman with 4:49 to play in the second. Abdelkader was given a two-game suspension for the hit, while Lydman, who had to be helped off the ice and didn't return to play, is expected to miss Game 4.

After the penalty, it took all of 18 seconds for the Ducks to get on the board as Corey Perry took a pass at the low left side and tried to get the puck on net, but lost it. However, it went right to the slot and Nick Bonino backhanded it in for his second goal of the playoffs.

"Getting the lead on that power play was big for us," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau. "We're fairly good when we have the lead going into the third so we thought it was big. It was a turning point in the game, I thought."

Detroit received a power play 4:34 into the third when Luca Sbisa was called for interference, but the Ducks wound up scoring shorthanded to take a 2-0 lead. With the advantage winding down, Damien Brunner skated the puck through the middle in his own end and had his pocket picked by Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, who used quick hands to slip the puck to the forehand and put it past Jimmy Howard.

"We had everything set up perfect for us and we gave up that second goal we let it affect us," said Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. "We shouldn't have let it affect us, you should keep playing and that's what the game is all about. And that's what poise and maturity does for you and we didn't show that."

Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller made 23 stops for his third career playoff shutout and Getzlaf posted a goal and an assist in the 4-0 victory. Matt Beleskey and Emerson Etem added goals for the Ducks.

Howard was touched for all four goals on 29 shots in the loss for the Red Wings, who finished 0-for-6 on the power play in the contest.

This is the sixth playoff meeting between the Red Wings and Ducks, who met five times in the postseason from 1997-2009. Detroit has won three of the five series and beat Anaheim in seven games when the clubs last met in the 2009 conference semifinals

The Red Wings were 13-7-4 at Joe Louis Arena this season. Anaheim was 14-5-5 on the road.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Anaheim.






Related News