Andrew Shaw (right) and the Blackhawks revealed that the Red Wings have gotten into their heads. (Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

There was a script going around before this series that had the top-ranked Chicago Blackhawks rolling over the underdog Detroit Red Wings.

Apparently Mike Babcock’s crew decided that script needed a few revisions.

In Game 3 on Monday night in Detroit, the Wings asserted their physical dominance early, then got second-period goals from Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller 31 seconds apart followed by a third-period dagger from Pavel Datsyuk for a 3-1 win that gave them an unexpected 2-1 lead in the series.

Depth was supposed to provide a clear advantage for the Blackhawks, but again it was Detroit’s unheralded third and fourth lines that made things happen with their work along the boards and in front of the net. “We’ve got guys whose job is to hit and provide energy,” Miller said. “That’s kind of how we play. We want to hit, and it’s playoff time, so we ramp it up.”

The pounding took a toll on the Hawks, whose frustration was made apparent when they took five consecutive penalties in a nasty third period. “We were scratching, clawing, and we were tough to play against,” said Jonathan Toews, Chicago’s captain. “We’ll come back even harder in the next one. It almost takes something like this, or maybe someone to slap you in the face so to speak, to really understand what adversity is and how tough the playoffs can be.”

Clearly, it’s going a lot tougher than they expected.

Some thoughts and observations from tonight’s contest:

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Henrik Zetterberg (left) was instrumental in stopping the Blackhawks’ captain Jonathan Toews. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

By Brian Cazeneuve

After being outclassed by Chicago in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, the Detroit Red Wings took the ice at the United Center on Saturday knowing they needed to turn in an improved performance. They did just that in beating the Blackhawks 4-1 to send the series to Detroit knotted at one game each.

Here are some thoughts and observations on Game 2:

• Patrick Kane may be a scoring machine, but the Chicago forward’s goal in the first period at 14:05 was only his first marker in this postseason. Kane has had a tough time, denting the twine just twice in the playoffs since his overtime Cup-winner in Game 6 against the Flyers in 2010 —  a span of 14 games without a postseason goal. In his previous 19 games, he’s produced 15 assists, but just that one tally.

• The Wings continue to get solid efforts from younger, less proven players. Give Gustav Nyquist credit for taking a big hit from Chicago’s Bryan Bickell and getting the puck back to the point to defenseman Jakub Kindl on Detroit’s first goal. Kindl walked the blueline from right to left with great poise and threw a long shot at the net. Damien Brunner then deflected the it past Corey Crawford for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

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Marcus Kruger (right) scored the goal that put the game out of reach for the visiting Red Wings. (Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

To a man, the Chicago Blackhawks came out of their first-round series with the Minnesota Wild saying they had to take their game up a level if they hoped to continue on the path to the Stanley Cup. They proved tonight that they weren’t just flapping their gums.

After a stodgy first period, the Hawks seriously ramped up their attack on the way to a convincing 4-1 win over the Red Wings in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Marian Hossa opened the scoring for Chicago in the first, with Johnny Oduya, Marcus Kruger and Patrick Sharp tallying in the third. Damien Brunner replied for Detroit after Hossa’s goal, but that was all the Wings could muster.

If not for the heroics of goalie Jimmy Howard, who stopped 38 of the 41 shots he faced, things would have been a lot worse for the visitors. The Hawks came at Detroit’s defenders in waves, overwhelming them with numbers or sheer tenacity and pinning them in their own zone for long, exhausting stretches. Howard made some big saves along the way — his skateblade stop on Dave Bolland’s breakaway bid was a highlight — but too often he was left on his own while his defenders stood still or were caught looking the other way while their checking assignments skated unmolested into the slot.

This was a statement game from Chicago. Now it’s up to the Red Wings to prove they can match it.

A few more observations from the series opener:

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If goalie Jimmy Howard can steal a game or two, Detroit will have chance to upset Chicago. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

By Brian Cazeneuve

Snapshot

This is one of the great historic rivalries in the game, and one we may not see again for a while because next season’s realignment will pull the Red Wings east and away from their traditional foe. Over the years, neither home advantage nor recent history has been a sufficient predictor of how a series between these two teams will go. Chicago comes off a short season that began with a record 24-game streak without a loss. The retooling Wings, meanwhile, had to scramble to get into the playoffs in the season’s final week. The top-seeded Hawks finished 21 points ahead of the No. 7 Wings during the regular season and, not surprisingly, Chicago had an easy five-game series in the opening round against Minnesota, while Detroit needed a full seven-game sweat to dispose of Anaheim. But don’t expect the veteran Wings to be overly impressed or intimidated by the proficient Hawks. These teams have a way of throwing out regular-season results and turning the playoffs into real drama.

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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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