OT: Red Wings @ Blackhawks Game 7 Open Thread
The top-seeded Blackhawks have battled back from a 3-1 series defecit to force a decisive game 7 in Chicago. This has been a great back-and-forth series, and is a fitting way to end the in-conference rivalry between these two great Original Six franchises.
Zetterberg and Datsyuk have come up huge when it has mattered most for the Wings, both this season and in years past. Jimmy has been phenomenal in net this year, and he may have what it takes to steal this game in Quick-like fashion. Toews seems to have found his game a little bit in the last few games (when he is not whining), and Crawford has been solid in net despite 1 bad goal. This should be a nerve-racking affair.
8:00 p.m. ET - NBCSN, CBC
I'm heading off to the United Center shortly, and I'm hoping it will get quiet in there real quickly.
LET'S GO RED WINGS
Couldn't have happened to a better person than Shaw
/s <---needed?
Howard covers :48.4
Shouldn't be bitching on either side, regardless of outcome (pending overtime(s), obviously).
I generally see refs as an element of randomness and chance. Tonight they have been helpful and hurtful at times, but the impact of that previous call cannot be overstated.
The referees have been about as good as you can ask this series, at least as far as penalties go. These guys are the best of the best, just like the players.
Fine with criticism for that, but that's an area I pay a lot of attention to and I'd say I've come down enough on either side to have a bit of respect for impartiality.
but impartiality doesn't really play into it. For whatever reason (being partial to a team or just plain making a terrible call) the refs certainly blew that call. At most it should have been a wings penalty and probably with under 2 mnutes to play it shouldn't have been anything. The refs could have cost the blackhawks the game.
Now I don't have a dog in this race as I'm a habs fan but as a fan of the game in general I would have been pretty pissed if that call had changed the course of the playoffs because it was so blatantly wrong. All the Chicago player did was hold the back of the wings players neck to keep from getting body slammed on the ice. It was a bad call, no two ways about it and the fact that it cancelled out what would have been the game seven game winning goal makes it that much worse.
I have a bit of a different interpretation of what happened on that call, but that's neither here nor there. Taken in its entirety, this was an evenly officiated series, which is all I was saying above. Even if you say they totally blew that call, there were other totally blown calls that didn't go the right way for the Wings. I don't think they were perfect, but I thought the officiating was even all around, and they got most of the big calls right.
Not being a wings or blackhawks fan I didn't watch every game of the series so you're probably right as the bad calls tend to even out over the course of a series. I just can't see any being more of a BIG call than that one. I mean most times you hear the whistle and play stops so you can only guess that it could have impacted the result. In this case though, no one heard the whistle so we actually got to see hwat would have happened and through review, everyone got to see it was a bad call that could have changed the outcome of the game had the red wings won in OT.
All that said, I have read in other posts that there was a blatant trip on Zet. that wasn't called just prior to all this happening, so I feel a little better about it now. Again, who won that series wasn't of much concern to me, I just hate seeing ref's determining the outcome of games.
To the Wings fans: Nothing to be upset about. A #7 seed that barely makes the playoffs and proceeds to take out the #2 seed and push the #1 to game seven (and could have easily won). That was a hell of a series and Wings fans and players alike should be proud of this season. From a sheer talent perspective, they shouldn't have been in either series.
But both the boarding no-call that led to a Kane goal and the goaltender interference call in game four were game changing, potentially series changing decisions. I didn't see a good video of it and using a single photograph to judge something like that would be a terrible idea, but if it was a slewfoot that injured Filppula that was huge as well. Also the decision to call or not call a penalty shot probably decided whether game six went into overtime or not.
In principle, I disagree about referees deciding games. If something is illegal, it's their job to call it whether there's :30 on the clock in game seven or it's a peewee scrimmage in California. I don't want them leaning one way or another, but you have to make a call if you see it.
Definiely agree about the playoff run. The Hawks were obviously the more talented team, and the Wings played some great hockey to beat Anaheim. Sucks to be on the bad end of it, but that's sports I guess.
tripped on the play, which created the chance in the first place? Just because NBC wants to ignore it, doesn't mean it didn't happen.
Edit: This is a reply to Brown Bear.
Yay, OT!
Overtime still tied at 1
Sudden death in game 7? Shut. Your. Mouth.
but this game is ending early ... too much talent and sloppy play on both sides
Is that that thing that rips a bone out of your leg? Do not want.
that's what I get for taking the first word spelled off of google...google doesn't know what I need! Former spelling bee champ embarrassed :)
No way the Wings win this.
I hate sudden death hockey.
You know, this is a fitting end.
One ring to bind them all.
Wasn't that entire play caused by Zetterberg getting hauled down?
I basically came here just to say that. Zetterberg got completely tripped on that play. The number of Blackhawks fans that remember that will be precisely zero, but that's the penalty that should've been called first.
Completely agree. They forgot that they got the play in the first place because Z got tripped. We should be the one feeling victimized for not getting a penalty.
Come on Zetterberg score in OT
End it
of course the media thinks it was a bad call they are on crack.
Not sure the Blackhawks get that goal if Zetterberg isn't tripped. NBC wishing the Blackhawks would have won.
Give them a power play when the Wings get one for the douchebaggery that took Filppula out of the game.
they are really trying to cover their butts if chicago loses...they are butt broken that their team is not necessarily playing better than the wings.
getting tripped on the play, not shocking though, NBC has made it clear from the start of this series who they want to see win.
NBC just shitting on that call. Not sure if rightfully so or not yet, but they are shitting on it nonetheless.
I wave my private parts at NBC's aunties.
saying Zetterburg was tripped.....yeah.
Probably my bias eyes but thought Chicago should have got a penalty against Z before the no goal.