Coyotes Vs. Red Wings, Game 1: Strong Second Period Lifts Detroit To 4-2 Win, 1-0 Series Lead

The Detroit Red Wings did not play a prototypical first period in their matchup against the Phoenix Coyotes. They took four penalties and gave up one goal in the period. The Red Wings settled down and scored three goals in the second period on their way to a 4-2 victory over the Coyotes in Game One of their Western Conference Quarterfinal matchup.

The Phoenix Coyotes got the scoring started with a Kyle Turris goal in the first two minutes of the game. Turris slid into the slot behind Johan Franzen and beat Jimmy Howard on the close range shot. His goal was assisted by Ray Whitney and Shane Doan. That was the lone goal of the first period for either team.

So much for that uncharacteristic game the Red Wings were playing in the first period. Detroit found the back of the net three times in the second period to give some life to the Joe Louis Arena and now have a 3-1 lead over the Coyotes after two periods.

The first Red Wings goal came from Pavel Datsyuk 7:38 into the second period. Datsyuk circled around the back of the net and had Ilya Bryzgalov fooled as he thought the puck was coming back on the glove side. This led to Datsyuk having a wide open net and he capitalized.

The Detroit Red Wings are playing an uncharacteristic Red Wings type of game and the Coyotes were able to capitalize early for a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes of play. The goal was scored by Kyle Turris at the 2:42 mark of the first period for the only goal of the game thus far. Turris snuck into the slot behind Detroit’s Johan Franzen and puts the puck past goaltender Jimmy Howard.

The uncharacteristic part of the Red Wings’ game thus far is the fact that they have take four penalties thus far in the game. The Coyotes have had four powerplay chances thus far in the game, including a five on three opportunity that last 1:30 in the period. The Red Wings have done a good job thus far in the game to keep the Coyotes’ chances on the powerplay fairly limited.

Of course, that’s a position that can swing a playoff series or even a series, and if Bryzgalov can steal an early game in this series before the scene shifts back to home ice in Phoenix, the plot will certainly take a turn to the “interesting” category.

The game is on Versus nationally in the U.S., CBC in Western Canada and Fox Detroit in uh, Detroit. For more, check in with our blogs: Winging It In Motown on the Red Wings, Five For Howling on the Coyotes. You can find full SBNation.com coverage here.