Random Game 1 thoughts
Game 1 thoughts: 1) Good quote from Babcock: "We weren't great but we were good enough to find a way to win...We were determined. We got some second chances." It wasn't a pretty game but this was a good playoff victory by the Wings. 2) Samuelsson, Stuart and Holmstrom re-entered the line up and played immpressive games. Having Stuart back on the blue line makes a major difference. Samuelsson tied Zetterberg with 8 shots on net. 3) Minus-3 for J.P. Dumont, but he wasn't the lone Predator who was non-existent. Jason Arnott had 0 shots on goal and Alex Radulov wasn't much of a factor. 4) Give credit to Preds G Dan Ellis, though. The playoffs didn't seem to faze him at all. By far, Ellis was the best Preds' player. 5) At the other end, Hasek kept the Wings in it during the first period with a steady display. 6) The crowd was much better than expected. The Wings announced a sellout but it wasn't. Then again, it was a much, much better crowd than some of those early rounds last season. And it was an enthusiastic crowd, too, which made the atmosphere that much better. 7) Zetterberg is beginning to build a reputation as quite a playoff performer. Sensational vs. Edmonton two seasons ago, solid last season, and the 2 goals in Game 1 vs. Nashville to open this tournament. 8) His cohort Pavel Datsyuk was sterling at both ends of the ice, too. 9) And, don't you expect Johan Franzen to score a goal every night now. A phenomenal stretch by a player who is turning into a legitimate force.
