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Dream ending Brilliant series fittingly will end with a seventh gamePosted: Wednesday May 29, 2002 11:56 PM
Other than Avalanche supporters, the rest of the hockey world gets what it was wishing for -- a Game 7 between these two teams. How did the Red Wings survive elimination? Three factors surfaced. First, Dominik Hasek was flawless, while Patrick Roy made a critical mistake. Second, Scotty Bowman showed no sign of nerves, but his counterpart Bob Hartley pushed the panic button in the second period. Finally, the Avs found themselves besieged by injuries and the Wings are relatively healthy. Those elements together were plenty to extend the series. Roy gave the Red Wings the lead at the end of the first when he held up his glove signifying an "in your face" save. Instead, the glove was empty, allowing Brendan Shanahan to push the loose puck home for his first goal of the series. Meanwhile, Hasek turned in his best game of the postseason. He was, in a word, sensational.
Behind the benches, Bowman, known for his propensity to play 52-pickup with his line combinations, stayed the course. He kept his lines together and supported the previously snakebitten Shanahan, cajoling him to keep doing the things he had been doing to get chances. The results would be there. They were in Game 6. By contrast, Hartley acted skittishly when he called for a measurement of the stick blade of Hasek. The Avs were on the power play, so Hartley was looking for a 5-on-3 advantage. Instead, the stick was deemed legal, Colorado was assessed a minor penalty and the power play was no more. The score was 2-0 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the second period when Hartley gambled. The timing was questionable enough, but to ask for a measurement and have it backfire is more than embarrassing, it is unforgivable. Yet, the most damaging development for the Avalanche is the sudden rash of injuries. They lost Stephane Yelle in the second, joining Mike Keane, Alex Tanguay and Dan Hinote on the bench, all lost in this series. Detroit rolls four lines and six defensemen versus an Avalanche team that regularly rotates three lines and four defensemen -- and that’s when they’re healthy. They are not healthy now. They are battered and beleaguered, the toll of the Wings' relentless forecheck starting to show in the play of the Avs' top four defensemen. Rob Blake, in particular, seems to be wearing down. He went off the ice late in the game after a bruising check by Shanahan. Blake returned to the action, but appeared slowed. In total, that is how the Avalanche return to Detroit -- hobbled -- for their third Game 7 of the postseason. They are not yet beaten, but they certainly are beaten up.
Three Stars1. Hasek: Tonight, he was in Dominator form. 2. Shanahan: He scored, hit and played with passion all night long. 3. Steve Duchesne: Played his best game of the playoffs, skating well, moving the puck and seeing some time on the power play as well. Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason for CNNSI.com.
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