Hudler scores in regulation, shootout to lead Wings to win
By Michael Caples –
DETROIT – With one bounce and one shot, Jiri Hudler ended up playing hero for the Red Wings in their quest for a crucial two points against the Florida Panthers.
At the 5:30 mark of the third period with Detroit down 1-0, Hudler tried to fire a pass to Valtteri Filppula near the Florida net. However, the puck ended up getting tipped, and it’s final destination turned out to be the back of the Florida net – giving Hudler the game-tying goal.
Hudler would go on to score the decisive goal in the shootout, as well, helping lead the Red Wings to a 2-1 win. After the game, he said his team wasn’t surprised that it took over 65 minutes of hockey to decide a winner.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Hudler said. “They’re playing well, they’ve got a lot of points too. They’ve got a young team, and they’re playing well, so there’s no doubt about that. We knew coming into the game that it was going to be a tough one.”
Jimmy Howard had 27 saves in regulation and overtime, and then stopped two of three in the shootout to pick up his 34th win of the season. Pavel Datsyuk also scored in the shootout for the Wings.
When asked about his goal in regulation, Hudler said that sometimes, a pass works just as well as a shot.
“Well I saw Fil there, but there were three guys in front of him, so I tried to pass as hard as I could, on the ice, and it happens. Hard passes sometimes work better than a shot.”
The win moves Detroit to fourth place in the Western Conference standings – for the time being, anyway. They’re locked in a battle with division foes Nashville and Chicago for the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots in the conference come playoff time – only two points separate the three rivals.
Captain Nicklas Lidstrom says he thinks the Red Wings might just be getting back to normal in time for the postseason. Detroit is 3-5-2 over their last ten games, but showed signs of improvement in Sunday afternoon’s win.
“I feel like we’re getting better,” Lidstrom said. “We were playing well for a couple games, and then I thought we took a step back, but today’s game, I thought we stayed with it throughout the game, and hung in there to get the two points. Howie played well for us down the stretch, and you know, we needed the points. We’re looking at the standings, we need points, so it was a big win for us tonight.”