Champs in Trouble

In terms of artistic excellence, this was no Pittsburgh-Washington, with Game 2 of that playoff series still reverberating as one of the more remarkable post-season matches in recent NHL history.

No, the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks did not produce a thriller on Tuesday night, not with the Ducks playing rope-a-dope for the final two periods and hanging on by their fingernails and Jonas Hiller's 45-save goaltending to grab a 2-1, Game 3 win and a two games to one series lead. To anyone who remembers the stultifying style of hockey Anaheim used to win the '07 Stanley Cup, this was like watching a bad movie again.

There was, however, some controversy, with the Wings able to make a reasonable case afterwards that they were absolutely robbed by referee Brad Watson of what should have been the tying goal in the dying moments in the third.

On the play, Scott Niedermayer made a horrible misplay under pressure behind the Anaheim net, and the puck skittered in front into Hiller's crease. The Anaheim goalie sprawled awkwardly but never came close to covering the puck, which rolled into the blue paint inches from the goal line.

Marian Hossa tapped it in from there, but not before Watson, inexplicably, had blown his whistle on what could charitably have been called a quick whistle even if Hiller had successfully covered the puck.

That will leave a sour taste in the mouths of the defending champs, who are now in some degree of danger in the second round of the post-season against a tough, rough-and-ready Anaheim team that is getting just enough offence out of its top players while squeezing the top Detroit attackers.

Hossa has been nearly absent, while MVP finalist Pavel Datsyuk has yet to score in the series against Hiller, who has 104 saves in the last two games, both Ducks victories.

Anaheim never trailed in the game, jumping ahead in the first on a pretty Teemu Selanne breakaway goal. The Ducks penalty killing was very sharp, and the Wings will have to upgrade their readiness for hand-to-hand combat along the boards in Game 4 to send the series bad to Motown tied.

Comments

[Eli]

The whistle was blown well after the puck was in, not that it matters now.

[Marcel B.DesRoches]

I find the western conferance series boring compared to the Carolina/Boston and the Pitt./Washington,in fact I fell asleep for most of the Detroit game and found myself flipping over to Yankees Bosox game earlier during the Chicago/Vancouver game.
The eastern games are much faster and skilfull,Chicago/Vancouver will get my attention again next time but I will be flipping over again to watch the Jays.

[Peter]

hm, other team than the wings got lucky for once? good! and how about Holmstrom's elbowing? i guess that's ok with them...

[Pal Hal Pall]

It pains me to admit this, but the Wings got robbed on this one. With all the talk about officiating, how is it nobody ever mentions the fact that refs are routinely stopping the clock prematurely? Last night was a blatant example, but it happens all the time and it shouldn't. Either allow the linesmen to blow the play dead, thereby allowing the ref to lose sight of the puck without panicking, or involve the other ref. I'm happy the Ducks won, but that was a joke.

On the plus side, it spared us a long, drawn out overtime - which I love, don't get me wrong, but at least we don't have to hear the inevitable clucking about how overtime in hockey is too long and something must be done or else the two hockey fans Bettman was able to attract in the past 15 years might tune out.

[Rob Paul]

The NHL in all its wisdom has determined that it is not a good thing if the Wings win the Stanley Cup. Detroit would not bring the glamour, publicity nor money to the League that other teams who have players like OV or Crosby.
The NHL wants the Wings out. Here is how they are doing it. Last year they waved off a big goal on Holmstrom and his feet and bbody were no where near the crease. They gave numerous phantom calls to give the Pens many 5 0n 3's. They allowed Datsuk to be tackled when he had an open net to shoot on the the Pens came down and almost scored. I expected a ref to kick it in themselves.

This year they have designed the game better. Special rules for Proger to cross check five thousand time and get one penalty only. If there is an altercation, the Wing gets the penalty. If there is a chance to wave of a goal, do it. There is the formula and it has been working so far. There are internet sites last year where you could go watch all the crazy attempts to get the Wings out. I wonder if there are others this year.

The NHL is only interested in the cash, dude. Let's not pretend otherwise. It is a joke listening to all the highly paid analysts try to justify their job of marketing the NHL. I have only one other work. FIX.

[Paul Vaillancourt]

I'm not a Ducks or Wings fan, but the refereeing in last night's game was pathetic and heavily biased in favour of the Ducks. The Ducks' second goal should have been called back for goalie interference and the "interference" call that gave them a power play they scored on was bogus, as the layer "interfered with" had just touched the puck. And the quick whistle? Bush league. Brad Watson's inspiration must by Kerry Fraser.

[poploser]

Tthis is why its well past time for the NHL to include some way to “challenge” calls. I would allow teams 1 challenge per period. The league hires a third referee sitting in the penalty box, who reviews the challenges with the replay, independent of the on-ice officials.

Everything called or not called by an official is challengable. Penalties, quick whistles, offsides, etc. We have the video, and more often than not, its right.

Initially, I was of the mind that there shouldn’t be any penalty for asking for a challenge that isn’t overturned. But this would get tricky for calls that are NOT made. On the one hand, you allow a team that has been obviously wronged to get some justice. But at the same time, Id be concerned with someone using it to try to “throw back the clock” if something in play didn’t go the team’s way, especially if there was no risk to asking for a challenge.

We also need to change the presumption that the officials call on the ice is "correct". The standard of making a call should not be whether there is enough evidence to overturn the Ref's decision - it should be whether there's enough evidence to make *a* decision, on way or the other.

[John]

I don't think a ref needs to be in the box, headquarters in toronto can look at it if called upon, which is better than a third ref. 1 challenge per period is too much, it would ruin the flow of the game. Refs are right most of the time, but when they are believed not to be there should be one challenge for each team per game, with a penalty that you lose your time out if your wrong and if your right you keep your time out, but not the challenge. You could even slap a delay of game to the coach for calling a challenge proven wrong as well, to add to reasons not to call it on little more than a hunch.

What can be challenged could be sorted out by GM's.

Football has many challenges and refs in the game still maintain order in that sport, I don't think its impossible to see challenges enter hockey as well. My only reserve about challenges would be to making it too easy to challenge everything. There has to be stiff deterrents for calling pointless challenges.

Mind you, introducing challenges opens pandora's box over intent to blow whistle before actually hearing the whistle, so I don't know how you would solve that via video review.

A challenge would have tied that game last night. More accurately, better officiating would have allowed the tying goal in the first place. I don't like either team much to be honest, but Detroit was robbed of a goal, and hockey games should not be won or lost on blown calls like that.

[Sunny Vegas]

Emmm.. I am surprise people still watch hockey :-) NHL is almost like soccer in europe. So much rigging going on. If NCAA college sports have replay I don't see why a professional sport can do the same especially in a close game. Then again it will make rigging much more difficult :-)

[LOCKSTOCK93]

For Pete's Sake! Haha, who ever Pete is, eh? Enema, the point is that Watson lost sight of the puck for long enough to conclude that it wasn't free. It traveled under the body of Hiller and, with due consideration to the value of time, Watson blew the play dead. Look back - the time that the puck was out of view was ample for Watson to think it was under Hiller to stay!