If Detroit is going to dethrone the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, its future Hall of Fame players are going to have to start living up to their billing.
“Our big guys got to get going,” Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said after Monday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
Detroit scored eight goals in the two games at Joe Louis Arena. Here’s how the Red Wings’ scoring broke down: Darren McCarty, three goals; Tomas Holmstrom, Kirk Maltby, Boyd Devereaux, Brett Hull and Nicklas Lidstrom, one goal apiece.
Aside from Hull and Lidstrom, the other four are anything but “go-to guys.”
It wasn’t for a lack of trying that the top line of Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan was held without a goal Monday. The three squeezed off 13 shots, with Shanahan taking seven and Yzerman and Fedorov three each.
Colorado hasn’t had trouble getting its big guys going. The Joe Sakic line had a hand in all three goals in Game 1, and the second line of Chris Drury, Peter Forsberg and Steven Reinprecht shouldered the load in Game 2.
“We knew coming in there is two lines you have to stop,” Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said.
Orr-like: Greg DeVries’ goal at 5:26 of the third period was not only his fourth of the playoffs for Colorado, but the fourth of his entire playoff career–including juniors.
Can’t get enough: Ice time has been a constant source of debate for Fedorov and the Red Wings. He never seems to get as much as he wants.
But with veteran center Igor Larionov out with a leg injury–he was scratched for the fourth straight game Monday–Fedorov in being double-shifted. Fedorov leads the Red Wings forwards in ice time in the playoffs at 21:47 a game.
“The ice time is fine,” he said. “I don’t mind it at all.”
Fedorov said he doesn’t change his game too much whether he’s playing on a line with superstars Yzerman and Shanahan, or with grinders Kris Draper and McCarty.
“The way we play as a group is the same,” he said.
Monday, Fedorov skated primarily with just Yzerman and Shanahan and logged 25:04 of ice time, the most by any Detroit forward.
One-timers: Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios played in his 200th playoff game, the most by a U.S.-born player. . . . Red Wings rookie center Jason Williams was on the ice for more than five minutes through the first two periods after playing only 2:48 in Game 1. One reason may be Williams’ faceoff skills; he won five of seven draws.
