Wings grounded

Well, I hate to say "I told you so", but I told you so.

I won't try to convince anyone that I have a keen hockey mind or that I possess powers of suggestion, but I did predict that the Wings would lose to the Oilers in the first round. I even had a rationale for my prediction.

As impressive as the Wings had been all year long (was there a more impressive PP in 05-06?), they did play in what was considered to be the weakest division in the NHL. The Oilers, on the other hand, fought tooth and nail just to get into the playoffs. They had been fighting for their lives for quite some time when the series actually began. That gave them an edge.

I have to say that, when the the Wings took a 3 -2 lead in the third period, I thought we were headed for Game 7. I was, obviously, wrong. I would have also been wrong if someone had asked me who would be the game's hero. In the first five games of the series, Ales "Don't Call Me Alice" Hemsky had but 2 assist and was -1. In the third period of tonight's game, he scored 2 goals, one by going into what Brendan Shanahan calls the "dirty" zone. Not somewhere Hemsky usually hangs out. The winning goal was a beauty and Hemsky seriously needs to buy Samsonov dinner. That was a great dish.

What may have been most impressive, however, was the blocked shot by Ethan Moreau in the final seconds. That kind of sacrifice is indicative of how the Oilers played in this series.

They simply wanted it more.