Five-Goal Second Period Carries Red Wings over Blackhawks

The Detroit Red Wings rode five second-period goals to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Sunday afternoon, bouncing back from a 2-0 deficit and holding off a third-period comeback by Chicago.

The Red Wings got goals from Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jason Williams and Valtteri Filppula in a 6:15 span and one more from Pavel Datsyuk in the final seconds of the middle frame.

Rafalski put Detroit on the board at 4:12 of the second, blasting a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle past Chicago netminder Cristobal Huet while the Wings skated with a four-on-three advantage.

Just 28 seconds later Lidstrom tied the game, rifling a shot right down the slot and past Huet, through a screen by Todd Bertuzzi.

Williams put the Red Wings out in front at 9:45 of the period. Henrik Zetterberg threw the puck to the front of the net from the bottom of the left circle and Williams – covered by two Blackhawks and falling to the ice – tipped it into the open side of the net.

Filppula extended the lead 42 seconds later beating Huet after getting the puck from Bertuzzi on a two-on-one.

Antti Niemi replaced Huet in the Chicago crease after Filppula’s goal and was beaten on a breakaway by Datsyuk with two seconds remaining in the period. Datsyuk stole the puck from Patrick Kane in the Detroit end of the ice with nine seconds left, broke in on Niemi, and beat him with a backhand shot.

The Blackhawks had opened the game’s scoring 4:24 into the opening period. Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard directed the rebound of a Brent Seabrook shot straight to Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith, who fired a shot that deflected off of Rafalski’s leg and past Howard.

Andrew Ladd made it a 2-0 game with 8:23 left in the first, snapping a shot from the right faceoff dot past Howard off a giveaway by Filppula.

The Blackhawks thought they had made it 3-0 early in the second period but a power play goal was called back for goaltender interference, one of the game’s several contested plays around the creases.

Ladd resumed Chicago’s scoring 1:59 into the third period on a similar shot after the Red Wings failed to clear their own end.

To complete the hat trick and pull Chicago to within a goal, Ladd tipped a Keith shot from the blue line past Howard off of a faceoff win in the Detroit end with 7:54 remaining in the third.

Howard finished the afternoon with 28 saves on 32 shots to earn the win. Huet made 13 stops on 17 Detroit chances before getting pulled while Niemi stopped seven of eight shots but let in the eventual game-winner, giving him the loss.

Rafalski’s goal was the game’s only power play goal, scored on Detroit’s lone chance with the extra attacker. Chicago was scoreless on two power plays.

The Red Wings look to extend their winning streak to three games on Tuesday when they host the Calgary Flames.

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Bertuzzi left the game in the second period with what the Red Wings called a lower body injury… Combined with Calgary’s win and Nashville’s loss, the Red Wings remain one point up on the Flames in the standings but climb to within a point of the Predators.