ATD #9 René Lecavalier Quarterfinal: #1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #8 Brooklyn Yawning Ott

[papershoes]

hey folks...i'll hopefully have the write-ups finished by either tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[papershoes]

Brooklyn Shocks the Detroit Faithful​

Game One: Detroit, Michigan

In the first game of the Rene Lecavalier division quarter-finals, the visiting Brooklyn Yawning Otters stunned a raucous Detroit crowd on the back of a spectacular goaltending performance by Vladislav Tretiak.

Both teams came out flying in the first period, thriving off of transitions led by Niedermeyer and Housley on the backend. With numerous chances at each end, fantastic goaltending by Hasek and Tretiak keep the game tight. With 2:49 remaining in the first, Derian Hatcher levels Jarome Iginla streaking in along the right side boards. Housley picks up the puck in the corner and fires a pass up to a streaking Sidney Crosby, who dishes the puck to Frank Mahovlich, who in turn rifles the puck over a sprawling Hasek - 1-0 Brooklyn after one.

The second period begins where the first period left of – with both teams playing a fast, high-octane game. With 6:42 remaining in the second, Cyclone Taylor rushes into the Brooklyn end, skates around Hatcher, and fires a shot on net. Tretiak kicks out the left pad, placing a rebound on the stick of Yuri Liapkin. Seconds later, Liapkin skates the puck into the Detroit end, sending a one-timer onto the stick of Frank Mahovlich who fires a bullet from the top of the circle into the back of the net – 2-0 Brooklyn. The period ends with a flurry of activity in the Brooklyn end, with Tretiak stopping all 8 Detroit shots.

Detroit bursts out of the gates in the third period, firing 10 shots on Tretiak within the first 6 minutes of the period. The line of Cournoyer, Gillies, and Taylor all have spectacular chances but are turned away by the goaltending of Tretiak. The period continue in the same manner, with the Detroit speed-game keeping the Otters on their heels but, Tretiak continue to make save after save. With 0:12 seconds remaining, Iginla has the puck in the corner and is hammered from behind by Derian Hatcher – no penalty is called. John Madden corrals the loose puck, passes to Nystrom, who then slides the puck into the open net – 3-0 Brooklyn. Following the play, a visibly frustrated Jarome Iginla, hoping to fire up his team for the next game, drops the gloves, challenging big Derian Hatcher to a dual. In a tilt that would make Don Cherry proud, Iginla and Hatcher go toe-to-toe for nearly 2 minutes, with Iginla finally dropping Hatcher to the ice – sending a message that Detroit will be fired up for game two. Tretiak finishes the game with a spectacular 44 save performance.

Final 3-0 Brooklyn
Brooklyn Leads Series 1-0

 

[papershoes]

Taylor Hat-trick Rejuvenates Detroit​

Game Two: Detroit, Michigan

Prior to game time, Detroit’s Clarke Gillies vowed to be in the face of Tretiak, who was the difference-maker in game one, for the remainder of the series. Gillies physical play, hammering Lindros, Taylor, and Housley within the first shift, certainly set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Detroit seemed to have Brooklyn on their heels the entire game. At the 10:25 mark in the first period, as Hatcher was retrieving the puck in the corner, Iginla came barreling into the Brooklyn zone, hitting the burly defenceman with a check that left him visibly shaken. Iginla picked up the loose puck and fired a bullet pass to a wide-open Marty Barry, who made no mistake, burying the puck in the back of the net - 1-0 Detroit. The physical play continued for Detroit, however some controversial calls resulted in a parade for Detroit to the penalty box, as both Gillies and Vasko were sent off the ice. On the resulting 5-on-3, a Housley shot from the point managed to elude a fallen Hasek who was seemingly tripped by Eric Lindros in the crease. An irate Hasek complained to the refs but, the goal stood – 1-1 tie after one period.

From this point on, Hasek played like a man possessed turning away all 22 second period shots. His counterpart, Tretiak, was also solid in the second period, turning away all Detroit shots. The second period ended the same as it began, 1-1.

Detroit, unwilling to head to Brooklyn down two games, was unstoppable in the third period. At the 3:23 mark, with the puck in the Brooklyn end, Niedermeyer makes a clean pass to Cournoyer, who feeds the puck to Taylor in front. Taylor buries the puck past Tretiak – 2-1 Detroit. Seconds later, off of the face-off, Taylor streaks into the Brooklyn end with the puck, skating around Wesley, placing a bullet-wrister in the top-right of the net – 3-1 Detroit. With the momentum clearly in Detroit’s favour, and the game winding down, Eddie Shack attempts to fire up his team, hitting everything that moves, rattling Shadrin and Phillips before being called for slashing. With 2:04 remaining, and Detroit on the powerplay, Cournoyer passes the puck to Taylor who, using a Gillies screen, blasts the puck past Tretiak, completing the hat-trick – 4-1 Detroit. The game ends with a flurry of Brooklyn shots but, Hasek shuts the door until the final buzzer.
Final 4-1 Detroit
Series tied 1-1

 

[papershoes]

Cyclone Levels Brooklyn​

Game Three: Brooklyn, New York
Game three began, and ended, on the stick of Cyclone Taylor who, following a 3 goal performance in Detroit, turned in a brilliant performance in Brooklyn, leading a very confident Detroit squad to victory.

On the opening face-off, Taylor passed back to Scott Niedermeyer who carried the puck into the offensive zone. After a beautiful saucer pass to Cournoyer, the puck was quickly sent cross-ice onto the tape of Taylor, who guided the puck past the right pad of Tretiak – 1-0 Detroit. Detroit had the Otters on their heels for the remainder of the period and, with 3:00 remaining in the period, Marty Barry slid an Iginla pass through Tretiak’s five-hole – 2-0 Detroit.

Brooklyn came out in the second to the deafening roar of the Otters faithful, with the 3rd and 4th lines physically attacking the Detroit forwards. Offensively, Detroit seemed rattled, giving up numerous odd man rushes. However, Hasek was the difference-maker for the Red Wings in the second, turning away all 24 second period shots.

Brooklyn continued their play in the third and, at the 4:31 mark, Eric Lindros buried a loose puck in front of the net – 2-1 Detroit. One minute later, as Brooklyn was pressuring in the Detroit end, Mahovlich picked up a loose puck behind the net, circled around front, and slid the puck between the pads of Hasek – 2-2 tie. Coach Skinner called a time-out to rally the troops, encouraging Detroit to once again find their speed game. The move worked as Cyclone Taylor went on a scoring rampage. At 6:56, Taylor received a pass from Gary Bergmann, flew into the Brooklyn end, and wired the puck top-shelf over Tretiak’s glove – 3-2 Detroit. At 10:19, Niederemeyer, receiving a pass from Taylor, threw a shot on net. Gillies pounced on the rebound, lifting the puck over the left pad of a sprawling Tretiak – 4-2 Detroit. Finally, with the game winding down, the Roadrunner sent Cyclone in on a break-away who, making no mistake, buried the puck for his second hat-trick of the series – 5-2 Detroit.
Final 5-2 Detroit
Detroit leads the Series 2-1

 

[papershoes]

Hasek Dominates in Brooklyn​

Game Four: Brooklyn, New York
Prior to game four, John Madden didn’t sugarcoat the fact that the Otters defensive players needed to step-up and shut down the Red Wings top-line, most notably, Cyclone Taylor. Madden had been assigned to shadow Taylor for the remainder of the series.

The first two periods were rather uneventful on the scoresheet and, as the game progressed, it became evident that game four would quickly become the Dominik Hasek show. Hasek turned away 34 Brooklyn shots in the first two periods – most of them absolute beauties on Mogilny, Mahovlich, Nystrom, Taylor, and Shanahan. Madden relished his role of shadowing Taylor, holding the dominant forward to 2 shots in both periods combined.

As the third period progressed, Hasek continued his brilliant play, turning away 12 more shots in the first six minutes of play. The frustration was visibly evident from a Brooklyn squad that, despite numerous opportunities, was unable to find the back of the net. This frustration boiled over with 8:13 remaining when Gelinas, attempting to wrestle the puck away from Taylor, tripped the Detroit star forward, falling awkwardly on his ankle. Taylor, with assistance from his teammates, left the ice in discomfort. On the ensuing powerplay, Marty Barry, receiving a pass from Iginla, sent a one-timer into the back of the net – 1-0 Detroit. For the remainder of the game, the Detroit checking lines, alongside Dominik Hasek, turned aside the intense Brooklyn pressure. With 0:16 seconds, and Tretiak on the bench, Nesterenko sent the puck into the yawning cage – 2-0 Detroit.
Final 2-0 Detroit
Detroit leads the series 3-1

 

[papershoes]

Hasek and Tretiak Duel in Detroit​

Game Five: Detroit, Michigan

Prior to game five in Detroit, the concern of every Detroit fan was whether Cyclone Taylor, Detroit’s leading scorer, would suit up for game five - his condition listed as a “lower-body injury”. On the morning of the game, coach Skinner made the announcement that Cyclone Taylor would not be in the line-up for game five. The city was in a state of disarray, as kids, wearing their Cyclone Taylor jerseys, were seen crying throughout the city in the hours before gametime. Ed Sandford was dressed on the fourth line as Skinner, opting to keep the Lewis – Barry – Iginla line together, promoted Shadrin up to first-line duty.

Brooklyn, hoping to send the series to game six, challenged the Red Wings immediately, firing two quick shots on goal – both of which rang of the iron. Detroit, missing the game-breaking presence of Taylor, played on their heels for most of the first-period, relying once again on stellar goaltending from Dominik Hasek. When Detroit managed to mount some offensive pressure, Tretiak confidently shut the door on the Red Wings forwards. At the end of the first period, the game was tied at zero.

The second period again saw spectacular goaltending from both Tretiak and Hasek, both of which turned away shot after shot from the opposing team. As the period was coming to a close, Phil Housley sprung Sidney Crosby on a break-away. With a quick deke and a leg-kick, Crosby had Hasek beat sending the puck towards the top-right hand corner. Hasek, who was sprawled on the ice, flipped over and kicked his right pad up, miraculously stopping the Crosby shot. The Detroit crowd was ecstatic, chanting “Hasek! Hasek! Hasek!” The period came to a close, with the score tied at zero.

Gaining some momentum from “The Save”, Detroit turned the offensive game up a notch, pressuring Brooklyn for the first half of the period. Tretiak however, answered every shot, keeping the game tight. Finally, at the 12:00 mark, Craig Simpson picked up the loose puck behind the net, sent a pass to Vasko who sent a pass to Niedermeyer. Niedermeyer made no mistake, wiring a bullet slapshot past a screened Tretiak – 1-0 Detroit. With the game winding down, and Brooklyn pressuring in the Detroit end, Vasko was called for a tripping penalty. With 1:29 remaining, coach Bobrov pulled Tretiak, lining up with a 6-on-4. The Brooklyn pressure was intense, and with 0:16 remaining, Mogilny, with Hasek beat, sent a wrister towards the net that rang of the crossbar. Bergmann picked up the loose puck and fired it down the ice to end the game.
Final 1-0 Detroit
Detroit wins the series 4-1

Series 3 Stars:
1. Dominik Hasek (Det)
2. Cyclone Taylor (Det)
3. Vladislav Tretiak (Bro)

 

[Heat McManus]

Hasek and Tretiak Duel in Detroit​

Game Five: Detroit, Michigan

Prior to game five in Detroit, the concern of every Detroit fan was whether Cyclone Taylor, Detroit’s leading scorer, would suit up for game five - his condition listed as a “lower-body injuryâ€. On the morning of the game, coach Skinner made the announcement that Cyclone Taylor would not be in the line-up for game five. The city was in a state of disarray, as kids, wearing their Cyclone Taylor jerseys, were seen crying throughout the city in the hours before gametime. Ed Sandford was dressed on the fourth line as Skinner, opting to keep the Lewis – Barry – Iginla line together, promoted Shadrin up to first-line duty.

Brooklyn, hoping to send the series to game six, challenged the Red Wings immediately, firing two quick shots on goal – both of which rang of the iron. Detroit, missing the game-breaking presence of Taylor, played on their heels for most of the first-period, relying once again on stellar goaltending from Dominik Hasek. When Detroit managed to mount some offensive pressure, Tretiak confidently shut the door on the Red Wings forwards. At the end of the first period, the game was tied at zero.

The second period again saw spectacular goaltending from both Tretiak and Hasek, both of which turned away shot after shot from the opposing team. As the period was coming to a close, Phil Housley sprung Sidney Crosby on a break-away. With a quick deke and a leg-kick, Crosby had Hasek beat sending the puck towards the top-right hand corner. Hasek, who was sprawled on the ice, flipped over and kicked his right pad up, miraculously stopping the Crosby shot. The Detroit crowd was ecstatic, chanting “Hasek! Hasek! Hasek!†The period came to a close, with the score tied at zero.

Gaining some momentum from “The Saveâ€, Detroit turned the offensive game up a notch, pressuring Brooklyn for the first half of the period. Tretiak however, answered every shot, keeping the game tight. Finally, at the 12:00 mark, Craig Simpson picked up the loose puck behind the net, sent a pass to Vasko who sent a pass to Niedermeyer. Niedermeyer made no mistake, wiring a bullet slapshot past a screened Tretiak – 1-0 Detroit. With the game winding down, and Brooklyn pressuring in the Detroit end, Vasko was called for a tripping penalty. With 1:29 remaining, coach Bobrov pulled Tretiak, lining up with a 6-on-4. The Brooklyn pressure was intense, and with 0:16 remaining, Mogilny, with Hasek beat, sent a wrister towards the net that rang of the crossbar. Bergmann picked up the loose puck and fired it down the ice to end the game.
Final 1-0 Detroit
Detroit wins the series 4-1


Series 3 Stars:
1. Dominik Hasek (Det)
2. Cyclone Taylor (Det)
3. Vladislav Tretiak (Bro)

Too bad I didn't draft Tikhonov. *SMACK*