Coyotes Vs. Red Wings: Detroit Takes Over Game In Second Period; Wins 4-2

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.

The Red Wings got the scoring started with a Pavel Datsyuk goal 7:38 into the second period. Datsyuk beat goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov after changing directions around the net and finding a wide open net. Johan Franzen scored five minutes later when he beat Bryzgalov from just inside the blueline on a shot that went between a Coyotes defenseman. The final goal of the second period for Detroit came in the final minutes as Brian Rafalski scored on a screened slapshot on the powerplay.

The Red Wings scored in the third period as well on a Jiri Hudler shot that was a fantastic shot over Bryzgalov’s glove and went in the top left corner of the net. The Coyotes scored five minutes later in the period when Radim Vrabata scored on a deflection off of Drew Miller’s stick.

The Red Wings outshot the Coyotes 36-28 in the game after being outshot 11-9 in the first period. Detroit’s Jimmy Howard made 26 saves in the winning effort while Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov had 32saves in the loss.

The two teams will matchup again Saturday afternoon in Game Two of the series. For more information on this game, please visit our Red Wings site, Winging It In Motown, and our Coyotes site, Five For Howling.