If you really think about it, there is only one sure thing in this year’s NHL awards field. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

Think about the levers that Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates had to pull to convince struggling superstar Alex Ovechkin to play the game his way, or how Mike Babcock guided the Detroit Red Wings into the post-Nick Lidstrom era with a rookie-laden lineup. That is a pair of remarkable coaching efforts right there, yet neither was good enough to make the cut for the Jack Adams Award, which is given to the coach who has contributed most to his team’s success. That tells you all you need to know about the quality of this year’s field.

The NHL announced this morning that Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators, and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks are the finalists for the Adams, as selected by the members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. It’s pretty easy to craft an argument in support of any one of them.

MORE NOMINEES: Hart | Norris | Vezina | Calder | Lindsay | Masterton | Selke | Byng

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Emerson Etem (left) and Teemu Selanne wave goodbye to fans after the Ducks’ Game 7 loss. (Getty Images)

By Adrian Dater

Anaheim’s Francois Beauchemin had a tremendous season for the Anaheim Ducks. He was in the discussion among Norris Trophy voters, anchoring the defense for a team that finished second overall in the seriously tough Western Conference.

But in Beachemin’s native French-Canadian tongue, he was the chevre of Sunday’s Game 7 between his Ducks and the Detroit Red Wings. That means goat. It’s true, he was credited with a lucky late power-play goal that accounted for the final score, but the damage from an earlier incident on the power play had already been done.

Beauchemin tried to get fancy during a game in which keep-it-safe fundamental play was the bylaw, and for that he will be shown on every hockey highlight show around the globe for the next day.

Beauchemin’s spin-o-rama blind backhand pass was intercepted and converted into a short-handed goal by Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader with 3:23 left in the first period, which broke a 1-1 tie, killed all of Anaheim’s building momentum and ultimately resulted in a 3-2 loss at the Honda Center.

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Henrik Zetterberg’s game-winning goal for the Wings in overtime forced Game 7. (Dave Reginek/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir 

Henrik Zetterberg picked a perfect time to break out of a series-long slump.

Detroit’s captain scored his second goal of the game 1:04 into overtime as the Red Wings clawed their way back from a nearly epic collapse to beat Anaheim 4-3 and set up what should be a thrilling Game 7 on Sunday at the Honda Center.

If not for Zetterberg’s late-game heroics, Game 6 might have gone down as one of the most painful losses in recent Red Wings history.

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Detroit’s Damien Brunner made up for a subpar game by netting the winner in OT. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

They were held without a goal by Jonas Hiller and the Anaheim Ducks for five consecutive periods. They trailed twice in the third period by margins of 1-0 and 2-1. Their best line on the night was their fourth. But in the end the Detroit Red Wings dug deep and forced overtime before pulling out a thrilling 3-2 win in Game 4 that knotted their Western Conference first-round series at two games apiece.

Here are some observations from Detroit:

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By Allan Muir

No matter what happens in Monday’s Game 4 against the Ducks, the Red Wings know they’ll be flying to Anaheim for Game 5.

What they don’t know is if Justin Abdelkader will be headed to SoCal with them.

After his vicious hit on Anaheim defender Toni Lydman late in the second period of Saturday’s 4-0 win by the Ducks, Abdelkader is about to become the third player to receive a suspension during this postseason

Not a lot of grey area with this jaw-droppingly stupid play. Abdelkader charges in from a distance of about 30 feet, leaps into the air prior to contact, and slams his shoulder directly into Lydman’s head. It’s so clear cut, it’s almost like he was trying out for a part in the next “Don’t Do What Donny Don’t Does” video.

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Damien Brunner scored an early goal for the Red Wings, who took Game 2 in overtime. (Harry How/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

A win is a win in the playoffs, especially when it comes on the road. But you’ll have to forgive the Detroit Red Wings for not puffing out their chests after this one.

The Wings beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 at the Honda Center on Thursday night, tying their series at a game a piece and stealing home ice advantage from the Pacific Division champs. But this wasn’t the way the Wings wanted to do it.

Sure, they got the fast start they needed, with goals from Justin Abdelkader and Damien Brunner staking them to a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. And Jimmy Howard was outstanding in the early going, stopping the first 14 shots he faced, including this larcenous glove save of a Corey Perry blast that he somehow picked out of traffic worthy of the 405.

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Jonathan Quick had a bead on the puck here, but his giveaway in overtime cost L.A. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

News, notes and observations from the April 30 NHL postseason action:

St. Louis Blues 2, Los Angeles Kings 1 (OT)

Somehow, this game was there for the Los Angeles Kings to win. Despite being outmuscled, outhustled and outscored through the first 59 minutes by the St. Louis Blues, the defending champs got a goal from Justin Williams in the final minute to tie it up, then dominated the early going in overtime. And when St. Louis defender Kevin Shattenkirk earned a double minor for high sticking Dustin Penner, it seemed like just a matter of time before L.A. would earn its ninth consecutive win against the Blues.

GAME 1: Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule

Instead, a simple zone clear was fumbled by Kings goalie Jonathan Quick behind his net, allowing Alexander Steen an easy wraparound into the empty cage and giving the Blues a 2-1 win and 1-0 series lead.

Here are some key takeaways from the contest:

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Losing Niklas Backstrom deals a huge blow to Minnesota’s already slim chances of taking down the Blackhawks. (Chris Humphreys/US Presswire)

By Allan Muir

Breaking story in Chicago, where Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom has left the ice during pre-game warm-ups. Renaud Lavoie of RDS is saying it is because of injury, which would put his start in jeopardy. If he can’t go, the Wild will have to turn to backup Josh Harding.

UPDATE: Backstrom is out, Harding is in. It will be his first start since Jan. 30, when he allowed two goals on four shots, lasting less than seven minutes against these same Blackhawks. Harding played twice in Houston over the past 10 days, going 1-1 with a .918 save percentage. He hasn’t seen NHL playoff action since a relief appearance in 2008.

Michael Russo reports that Backstrom apparently tweaked something when he reached back to grab a rebound during the warmup. Here’s video of the incident:

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The Ducks’ defense and goaltending will be challenged by the Red Wings’ veteran savvy. (Dave Reginek/Getty Images)

By Brian Cazeneuve

EAST PREVIEWS: Pens-Islanders | Canadiens-Senators | Capitals-Rangers | Bruins-Leafs

WEST PREVIEWS: Hawks-Wild | Ducks-Red Wings | Canucks-Sharks | Blues-Kings

Regular-season recaps

Feb. 15: Ducks 5, Red Wings 2

March 22: Red Wings 5, Ducks 1

March 24: Red Wings 2, Ducks 1

Notable injuries

Ducks: D Luca Sbisa (lower-body, questionable)

Red Wings: C Darren Helm (back, out for season); RW Todd Bertuzzi (pinched back nerve, cleared to play); RW Mikael Samuelsson (groin, finger, chest; indefinite); LW Drew Miller (broken right hand, indefinite)

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Nail Yakupov channeled Theo Fleury in his tying goal against the Kings back in January. (Andy Devlin/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

I always have the best intentions at the beginning of each season to make a running tab of the moments most worth remembering. And, much like my determination to get back into game shape, it hasn’t happened yet.

Still, it wasn’t too hard to come up with a list now that we’re at season’s end. The games offered enough highlights–and lowlights–to fill a full-length schedule. Here are my favorites:

The Yakupov Slide: With the goalie pulled and Edmonton trailing Los Angeles by one back in January, Nail Yakupov crafted the signature moment of his rookie season: batting a Taylor Hall rebound out of midair and putting it behind Kings goalie Jonathan Quick with just 4.7 seconds left on the clock. He took a lot of grief for his spontaneous Theo Fleury impression, but it was a beautiful tally at a key moment. That’s exactly the kind of goal that calls for an over-the-top celly (yep, celly). You want to follow a sport that’s had all the life sucked out of it? Watch the NFL.

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