It’s often said that when playoff series come down to the elimination games like Games 5, 6 and 7, the team with more experience gets a significant edge. Game 5 of the Detroit-Phoenix series was a good example of that fact, as the Wings got three 3rd period goals from some of their most playoff-seasoned scorers to take a key 3-2 series lead on the road in Glendale, Arizona on Friday.
Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard was awarded the game’s first star, finishing the night with 30 saves, and blanking the Coyotes on 5 powerplays, an area where the Coyotes had excelled in the early games of the series. Howard’s only mistake of the night came in the 2nd period, as veteran defenseman Ed Jovanoski planted himself in front of the net and battled to collect a rebound and wrap it around Howard’s outstretched pad.
In the 3rd, though, Detroit got a crucial go-ahead goal off the stick of Tomas Holmstrom, who has made a career out of planting himself in front of the net and wreaking havoc. When Ilya Bryzgalov and the Coyotes defensemen lost sight of a rebound, the only one to see it was the big Swede, who collected it and calmly flipped it over the goal line to put Detroit up 2-1 midway through the 3rd. Pavel Datsyuk gave Howard some extra cushion with a beautiful backhand that he slipped over Bryzgalov after walking the puck out of the corner. Henrik Zetterberg iced the game with an empty netter in the final minute of play.
Phoenix actually outshot Detroit 31-29 in the game, and Howard truly made the difference, as the two teams played a tight defensive game until the final ten minutes of the 3rd when Detroit was finally able to break it open. Drew Miller scored the first goal of the game late in the 1st period, but Bryzgalov was unbeatable in the 2nd, and it looked like this one could be headed for another wild finish until the Wings’ scorers took over late in the game.
Phoenix will have to win on the road in Detroit to force a decisive Game 7 back in the desert.