Detroit moves on
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Detroit Red Wings have won eight playoff series — in nine tries — since the start of the 2008 postseason. The Phoenix Coyotes have not won a playoff series — period. When they were the Winnipeg Jets the franchise claimed one series victory.
Experienced talent overwhelmed the feel-good story the Coyotes had become in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series, a 6-1 Detroit rout that advanced the Red Wings to the Western Conference semifinals against top seed San Jose.
Pavel Datsyuk scored twice in a span of less than two minutes and Nicklas Lidstrom had two goals a day shy of his 40th birthday for Detroit.
"It's a great feeling to win a crucial Game 7 on the road," Lidstrom said, "and have a birthday coming up, too."
Detroit won in Arizona for the third time in the series, then left for San Jose, where the Red Wings will need more road success to make it to a third straight Stanley Cup final.
"If you're going to go deep into the playoffs, you have to be able to play well on the road, and we've been able to do that in this series," Lidstrom said. "They've been a tough opponent. It took us seven games."
Vernon Fiddler scored the Coyotes' only goal on a second-period faceoff.
Phoenix had won 5-2 at Detroit Sunday. That meant if the Red Wings were to advance, they would need to win a Game 7 on the road for the first time in 46 years. They did so with a vengeance.
"They played unbelievable," embattled Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov said. "You can say maybe we didn't play good enough, maybe we had some mistakes. It's tough to say, but they were unreal tonight."
"That's the way it's supposed to be, right?" coach Mike Babcock said. "The big guys were fantastic tonight."
The fifth-seeded Red Wings bombarded Bryzgalov from the start, outshooting Phoenix 50-33, 39-21 in the first two periods. Bryzgalov held on through a scoreless opening period, but Detroit scored four goals in the second, the last one with 5 seconds to go by Brad Stuart an instant after he came back on the ice from a penalty. Phoenix had just failed to get off a shot in a 5-on-3 situation.
"I think that was kind of the dagger for them," Stuart said.
