Franzen led the Wings to an early lead by scoring two goals in the first period while Hossa scored twice in just over three minutes to break the 2-2 tie and put Detroit up by one.  Franzen added an assist on Hossa’s first goal.

The game marked the first time that we saw a crack in Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller’s pristine veneer.  The kid has come up huge for his team throughout the postseason, making 59 saves in the Ducks’ 4-3 triple-overtime win in Game 2 and 45 saves in a 2-1 victory in Game 3.  That’s absolutely remarkable!  Unfortunately, he was pulled and replaced by Jean-Sebastien Giguere (who, I’m sure, is bitter as hell at being benched this whole time) after allowing five goals in 33 shots on net.  His Red Wings counterpart, Chris Osgood, made 25 saves.

Game 5 is Sunday in Detroit, and Game 6 is Tuesday night in Anaheim.  I’ll be on the couch, holding my breath.  I still think Anaheim can pull off another upset.  I just hope Hiller isn’t too rattled by being pulled and can bring back the focus after getting some much-needed rest.

image: TSN

Post from: Hockey Beat

image: TSN

The first is that Detroit is one of those teams that likes to lock in their players for a long time.  There’s something to be said for a team that chooses their players carefully and maintains a fairly recognizable roster.  It’s call consistency, people.  “We are thrilled that Johan will remain a member of the Detroit Red Wings,” said general manager Ken Holland. “His production over the past year and a half, both regular season and playoffs, has been remarkable and we feel, at 29 years old, that he is just now entering the prime of his career.”

The other thing is that they have done this to try to keep the salary cap at a manageable level, which is particularly important given the current economy.  Therefore, on average, Franzen will earn $3.9 million per year since the deal is worth $43 million.

In 69 games this season, Franzen recorded 34 goals and 25 assists which is pretty good considering the fact that he was on the bench for a little while as he healed from hip, knee and hand injuries.  Still, one should always worry about the “extended contract curse” that seems to hit players with huge multi-year deals (yes, Rick DiPietro, I’m talking to you).  Of course, there are times when this works out well for a player and the team so I’m hoping things don’t go wrong.

Post from: Hockey Beat