Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Jimmy Howard stopped all 29 shots he faced to post his first career playoff shutout as Detroit used a late burst to down Phoenix, 3-0, in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinal from Joe Louis Arena.
Red Wings 3, Coyotes 0: Jimmy Howard Shuts Out Phoenix, Detroit Evens Series
Todd Bertuzzi, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg lit the lamp for the Red Wings, who had dropped a 4-2 home decision on Sunday.
Ilya Bryzgalov allowed three goals on 35 shots in defeat for the Coyotes, who failed to score in the absence of captain Shane Doan, who missed the game with an upper-body injury suffered in the club's Game 3 victory.
Game 5 shifts back to Arizona on Friday.
Datsyuk gave the home team a crucial insurance goal with 4:07 left in regulation, when he accepted a Johan Franzen drop pass and rocketed a shot over Bryzgalov's shoulder from the slot.
Only 25 seconds later, Zetterberg iced the game off a dish from Bertuzzi.
Datsyuk was sent off for delay of game with 1:41 left in regulation but the Wings expertly held the visitors at bay the rest of the way.
Valtteri Filppula appeared to have given the Wings a 1-0 lead just under nine minutes into the game when he banked a shot off Bryzgalov's back from behind the goal line, but a review at the next whistle determined the rolling puck did not totally cross the goal line.
Bryzgalov was surrounded for stretches of the opening period but stopped all 17 shots the Red Wings sent his way.
Detroit did pick up the game’s first goal while on a power play via another disputed call with 4:27 left in the second period.
Niklas Kronwall flipped the puck towards the Phoenix cage from the right point, and Zetterberg lifted his stick high to change its direction in the slot. Somehow, the redirect hit Bertuzzi and caromed in. Though replays appeared to reveal the disc being touched above the crossbar, the goal stood.
The Coyotes failed to crack Howard despite a 5-on-3 power play midway through the third period.
Bertuzzi notched his first playoff tally since April 27, 2009, in the Western finals against Chicago...Zetterberg upped his point total in the series to seven (4G, 3A)...The last team to win back-to-back playoff games in Detroit were the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who did it in Games 1-2 of the 2003 Western quarterfinals.
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