Red Wings rebound; Even Series

The Red Wings went into game two down and beaten. Phoenix had dominated the physical play and took every chance they had to hit a Red Wing. Many questions would have to be answered. Can the Wings keep up with the physical play? Can the penalty kill right the ship? Can Detroit turn the momentum and win on the road? Those questions can only be answered on the ice, and Detroit responded like any battle-tested team; they came out with a victory.

The first change made was scratching Jason Williams and dressing Justin Abdelkader. Abdelkader's job was to provide physical play. He's not a big hitter, but he's a young guy who's not afraid to throw his weight around. And that's exactly what he did. He had three hits in his first two shifts. He even managed to score a goal. His job was to counter some of the physical play and he did that and then some. Abdelkader was a key reason why game two went in favor of Detroit.

Phoenix still wanted to out play Detroit physically, the end goal being wearing them down like game one. But Detroit handled the physical play better than they did in game one. The grinders were more physical in game two than in game one. Abdelkader and Eaves were at the forefront of the Wings physical play. Their jobs were to hit Coyotes, and that's what they did.

The first period was exactly how the Coyotes wanted it to go. They continued the physical play established in game one, and ended the period with a 1-0 lead. Detroit faired better this period than they had last game against the Coyotes' physical play. Detroit was down, but in good position to win this crucial game two.

The scoring broke through in the second period. Zetterberg would net the tying goal, quickly followed by Phoenix taking the lead back. Shortly after, Datsyuk would tie it up, followed again by a quick Phoenix goal. Only a minute later, Valtteri Filpula would tie the game back up at 3-3. That was the score going into the third period.

Third period I didn't get to see; I was on my way back from curling. I did catch it on the radio but that's still not the same. Detroit scored first to take a 4-3 lead when Justin Abdelkader found the back of the net after a Coyote turnover. Shane Doan then tied it when we were searching for a clear signal. Detroit then netted the next three goals. Zetterberg's second gave Detroit the lead, the Filpula on a later power play gave the Wings a 6-4 cushion. Zetterberg got the empty netter for the hat-trick and the Wings took game two 7-4.

Important game for Detroit, as they even the series going back home. Now they have to take care of business at the Joe to keep home ice for the series. Game 3 prediction: Wings 4 Coyotes 2.